Stories
Refugee Family Dentistry
It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month! Here’s to our dedicated volunteers and all the work they do to make a difference in our community.
An urgent need
Craig Peterson knew he had to do something when he and his family learned about the staggering amount of refugee families in the Quad Cities.
“My wife was the one who talked about our family taking in these refugee families into our home, and we asked them if they needed anything during their time with us,” Peterson said, “and that’s when I started giving dental care to some of these families.”
Peterson, a dentist at Cornerstone Family Dentistry in the QC, has been giving free dental care to refugee families in the area.
“I came to an understanding that many of these families are in need of dental care,” he said. “I now see between 2-4 patients a week from these families and give them any sort of dental care they need.”
Overcoming obstacles
During this time, Peterson said that the language barrier has been one of his biggest obstacles he has had to overcome during this experience, but his mission work in Honduras has helped to alleviate the struggle.
“I know a little bit of Spanish so that’s helped a bit in breaking the language barrier, but it’s hard to form a connection with the patients because of this,” Peterson said.
“You can see that they’re very appreciative of this, but there’s no sense of a personal connection since we have trouble speaking each other’s languages.”
However, this experience has been rewarding in that he has been able to hear from these families and to hear of their experiences and perspectives, as well as showing these families how valued they are.
Beyond the language barrier
“It’s wonderful to see the gratitude in their eyes after their appointments,” Peterson said. “It feels good to help these people realize that somebody cares about these families during this stressful time for them.”
Peterson hopes that with his act of kindness, people will continue to spread the kindness and help out any way they can in their community as well.
“It’s good that acts of kindness get out in the community so that others can feel inspired to take part in changes for good,” he explains.
“With all that’s happened in the world recently, it’s good to know that these things are happening in our community, even if it inspires only the smallest acts of kindness.”
Brady Johnson is a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications. He’s currently interning in Communications with World Relief Quad Cities, and hopes to be part of something greater than himself.
Efoe Davis: Resettlement Through the Eyes of a Caseworker
Efoe Davis is a caseworker at World Relief Western Washington in our King County office, who regularly meets with individuals and families as they transition to their new life in the U.S. Here, he shares the joys and challenges of resettlement from his vantage point:
The Challenges
On December 20, 2021, I greeted a family of seven from Afghanistan: a mother, father, and five children. They had just arrived in the U.S., and I was their caseworker. After fleeing Afghanistan, they spent time on a U.S. military base as the lengthy paperwork was processed. They finally arrived in Washington and a new community, yet had experienced so much uncertainty, trauma, and waiting in the process. I see a lot of grief and pain in the people I work alongside.
Language and communication are just two elements that can be very challenging as a family resettles in the U.S. This family and I worked so hard to communicate about questions, concerns, tasks like grocery shopping, and how to navigate resources. One of the kids speaks some English, the rest only speak Dari, so we used interpreters when we could, and also lots of translation apps!
Another challenge for families when they first arrive is finding permanent housing, especially for larger families. How do you find a home before you have a job? How do you find a job without a permanent address? How do you find an affordable three-bedroom apartment in King County? These are the types of challenges people face when they arrive, and I get to help them navigate these questions as they work toward self-sufficiency.
The Joys
When this family first arrived, they stayed in two different Airbnbs and a hotel before we found permanent housing last month. As a caseworker, I’ve been surprised and encouraged by how community members have been so supportive and kind. During this family’s stay at their first Airbnb, the owner frequently checked in on them to see if they needed anything. And when a snowstorm hit, she asked if they needed warmer clothes. With their resounding “yes,” she gathered some community support and helped them find the clothes they wanted.
Some of her neighbors got connected to World Relief after that, and are now supporting refugee resettlement through financial donations. Seeing how invested people are in this work reminds me that there are people in the world who have genuine hearts and are willing to do anything to help others in need. It felt like a spiritual connection to have this family at the Airbnb and to know that they (and I!) had the support of the community.
No Two Alike
Each case I work with is so unique. In my experience as a resettlement caseworker, I have seen a wide variety of families. Some are extremely easy-going, open-minded, and able to adapt quickly. Other families come with high expectations and very specific ideas of how they want things to go. But everyone arrives with some experiences of trauma and loss.
Sometimes, I receive praise and gratitude from people, and sometimes people yell at me or are verbally aggressive when things don’t go their way. People come with so many different experiences, personalities, histories, and expectations. I think part of my role is just to be with people as they are, and not force them into a box of how I think they should be or act.
As an immigrant myself, I understand the difficulties of resettling in a new place, especially when language is a barrier to progress or communication. I feel very grateful to help so many families coming here for the first time to find a home, a community, and a new and better life. I am also grateful for this community and the ways you have made resettlement just a little bit easier for these families.
– Efoe Davis, World Relief Caseworker
Check Out World Relief Resettlement Services in Western Washington:
Recipes from Afghanistan: Haft Mewa
Celebrating a new year
Talking about Nawroz puts a smile on Ahmadi’s face.
Nawroz is the Afghanistan new year. It falls on March 21st, which also marks the first day of spring. On Nawroz, families wake up early, put on new clothes, and begin the day with prayer.
“It’s a day to thank God for giving us a new year, a new spring,” he says, “and for the previous year that was passed, that we are alive.”
Iranians celebrate the new year for 15 days, he says, but in Afghanistan it’s tradition to visit other families and spend the day with them. It’s like a family gathering.
Many dishes are prepared in advance. One of Ahmadi’s favorite dishes is Haft Mewa, which translates to “Seven Fruit.” It’s a mixture of dried fruits and nuts. The nuts are soaked so that the peels can be removed, and then they are combined with dried fruits in a large bowl with hot or cold water to let the flavors meld.
“For flavor, leave for 48 hours,” he adds. The dried fruits soak up the liquid and make a sweet syrup.
Haft Mewa doesn’t have to have exactly seven fruits, but Ahmadi says it generally includes most or all of these ingredients: pistachios, almonds, walnuts, raisins, dried apricots, sultan’s raisins, black currants, lotus tree fruits, soft pitted apricots, and cashews.
This recipe uses substitutes for ingredients that may be harder to find in the U.S.
Haft Mewa Recipe
Ingredients
Feel free to adjust portions to your liking.
1/2 cup walnuts (peeled if possible)
1/2 cup cashews
½ cup pistachios (without shell, if possible)
½ cup yellow raisins and 1 cup red raisins,
½ cup dried bing cherries
1 cup dried apricots
½ cup blanched, slivered almonds
½ tsp. rosewater or pure vanilla extract (optional)
5 cups cold filtered water
If you cannot find peeled nuts, blanch walnuts and pistachios. Boil 3 cups of water, remove from heat, and add nuts. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Remove from hot water, rinse in cold water, and then remove the peels with your hands. Make sure to remove all the skin.
- Rinse dried fruits in cold water.
- Add fruit and nuts to a large lidded bowl or container.
- (Optional) Add rosewater or vanilla extract.
- Pour in 5 cups cold filtered water and stir. There should be at least one inch of water above fruits and nuts.
- Cover and put in fridge for 2-3 days.
Haft Mewa will get sweeter the longer it sits. Serve in bowls without draining.
Serves 6
Erica Parrigin manages communications at World Relief Quad Cities. She graduated from Western Illinois University with a BA in English in 2020. She believes that stories are powerful, and that learning to empathize with other perspectives is the key to making a difference.
Owning Your Identity
In honor of International Women’s Day, some of our staff have shared their stories about how they’re breaking gender bias to create an equal world.
Close to the heart
Lupe Nache Vital never misses a chance to honor her Mexican roots. With a vivid portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe to watch over her and a jar of rebanaditas on her desk, even her office is infused with the heartbeat of la madre patria, or the motherland.
Her father immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s to follow employment opportunities wherever they arose. He would frequently travel between the U.S. and Mexico to see his family, but it would take nearly three decades for her mother to begin the immigration process. After her mother arrived in the Quad Cities in February of 1999, Lupe was born in Rock Island just three months later.
Lupe travels to Mexico as often as she can. With her four-year degree in social work recently completed at St. Ambrose, she plans to visit again later this year.
The weight of an accent
For her, Mexico is different from the U.S., but she admits a certain amount of privilege when it comes to traveling. As someone who “looks and sounds Mexican” but doesn’t speak with an accent, she hasn’t experienced a lot of candid discrimination based on the color of her skin.
“When I go to Mexico, I don’t have that fear that people have while being in a foreign country. Mexico has several travel restrictions for violence, and I’ve never experienced it . . . but here I’ve never been discriminated against like other minorities have,” Lupe says.
Her parents have shared stories of their struggles in the workplace as people who “speak with accents.” And in the past, she’s seen employers turn down qualified individuals in favor of less-qualified individuals due to assumptions about immigrants. Sometimes bias is even disguised as a compliment.
“I’ve had jobs where I was hired for being Mexican, because they said Mexicans are good workers,” she recalls.
A subtle kind of bias
Statements like these, she adds, demean personal work ethic and make you question your loyalty to an employer. Yet the form of bias that Lupe is more personally familiar with is one that’s easily hidden in day to day conversations. Much of it takes place around her full name, Maria Guadalupe Nache Vital.
Sometimes it’s repeated mispronunciation, only to be asked “Why do you have so many names?” Other times, it’s a nickname given in place of effort.
The tell, she says, is intent and willingness to learn. It’s easy for others to mistake microaggressions for innocent questions.
“Microaggressions leave you thinking. It sits with you all day. You go to sleep and you’re just like, ‘that wasn’t right.’ Some people say it in a tone that isn’t rude, but it’s the idea that they don’t see anything wrong with what they said, like giving nicknames to people instead of the small effort it takes to remember. It’s so disrespectful to the significance behind their name,” she says.
It’s even more discouraging when it happens in the workplace. Seeing others creating their own workplace standard is troubling when you know you can’t do the same.
“My parents always warned me that I’d have to work twice as hard,” she continues.
And as the daughter of immigrants, Lupe has faced bias specific to women of color. On top of the general assumption they’re better at “feminine” tasks, women of color are often seen as “exotic.” She’s no stranger to uncomfortable comments about being Latina.
Room for growth
For Lupe, finding a work environment that values discussion, diversity, and education has been a much-needed relief.
She began an internship with World Relief Quad Cities in her senior year of college. She chose WRQC out of two options because she’s always been comfortable around immigrants. Now, Lupe is WRQC’s Bookkeeper and IFRP caseworker, and she’s learned a lot about refugee populations.
“What’s nice about WRQC is that everyone understands and people here ask questions to learn. The other day Ratko and I talked about my four names and the cultural significance of the name Guadalupe,” she says.
On top of her social work, Spanish, and Latinx studies (“shoutout Dr. Brittany Tulis,” she adds), being in such a diverse work environment has given her a chance to reflect on her identity.
Ni de aquí, ni de allá
Being born and raised in the U.S. means she’s faced less discrimination than some of her family members. However, it doesn’t guarantee that either culture will wholly recognize her. Part of the immigrant experience, she says, is the idea of nepantla.
“Nepantla is the concept of in-between-ness. Looking like you’re not from here and then going to Mexico and you’re not from there either . . . finding peace with existing in between has helped me to understand my identity as a Mexican-American woman of color,” Lupe says.
When it comes to breaking the bias she’s experienced in the past, she makes a point to never assign tasks to others based on gender, or because it falls within the scope of gender roles. She does her best to “reserve judgment.”
But above all, finding peace with herself has empowered her to make the active choice to treat bias as an opportunity for education. She encourages those with the ability to speak up to do the same.
“It’s not confrontational, it’s not ‘making it about race,’ it’s about things that should be done correctly and respectfully,” she says.
And for anyone experiencing discrimination in the workplace, she says, nurturing your own cultural identity is the first step toward healing.
“Just solidifying yourself in your identity . . . if you know who you are and know where you come from, it’s not hard to defend yourself,” she concludes.
Erica Parrigin manages communications at World Relief Quad Cities. She graduated from Western Illinois University with a BA in English in 2020. She believes that stories are powerful, and that learning to empathize with other perspectives is the key to making a difference.
Knowing Your Worth
When Grace Fitzpatrick thinks about the time she’s spent working at World Relief Quad Cities, she feels proud of the representation of women in the office.
“World Relief is unique in which the the director of the office is a woman, the volunteers here are mostly women”, Fitzpatrick says, “it’s been relieving to not have to deal with any sort of biases in the workplace based on gender.”
Fitzpatrick, an employment manager at World Relief Quad Cities, says that with her only place of employment being at WR, she has not had to deal with any sort of bias against her or her co-workers based on gender. However in honor of International Women’s Day, she was more than happy to explain how she would go about breaking the bias for women in the workplace.
“First, you have to have confidence in yourself,” she explains, “if you don’t have that confidence to speak up for yourself or for others, it’s going to be a lot tougher to accomplish change.”
She also explains how the next step to breaking this bias in the workplace is to know your worth, and that knowing your importance is a major step in making this change.
“When things get uncomfortable, you have to know your worth. The work you do is no less important than the work of any man, so knowing your worth and how important you are to the workplace can help break the bias.”
Fitzpatrick’s final step in how women can break gender bias in the workplace is to always keep pushing. She understands that breaking through the barriers of gender bias is not going to happen overnight, but having the mindset to keep fighting for your cause will help accomplish the breaking of the bias soon.
“You just have to keep pushing, even though it’s going to get tough. However, as long as you remain confident in yourself, know your worth as both a woman and a valued worker, and to use your voice to speak up for yourself and those around you, it will become easier and easier to fight and abolish these gender biases.”
Brady Johnson is a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications. He’s currently interning in Communications with World Relief Quad Cities, and hopes to be part of something greater than himself.
Spreading Kindness and Warmth
Random acts of kindness can completely transform someone’s day. They inspire us to go out into the world, give, and become part of something greater than ourselves. Here’s how Riley makes a difference.
A career in giving back
When not going to concerts or hanging out with her two cats and pet snake, Riley Vaughan loves giving back.
Riley has worked at Davenport Americorps for two and a half years. As program manager, she’s in charge of running area service projects. Each project is dedicated to helping those in need.
Her last service project was with World Relief Quad Cities in honor of Martin Luther King day. The plan? Donate winter clothing and organize donations for newly arrived Afghan families.
Sparking a relationship
Vaughan, a former intern at World Relief QC, knew she had to take part in the project when she heard about their need of assistance with donations and organization.
“World Relief has always had a special place in my heart,” she said, “so when I heard they were in need of donations and assistance I was more than happy to help them with this service project.”
Vaughan wanted the project to establish a newfound comradery between WRQC and Americorps, hoping to create new long-lasting relationships between clients that could provide future opportunities for service projects, and making sure that they took the weight off of World Relief’s shoulders when they completed the project.
“We wanted to do all that we could to feel like we lifted this burden off of World Relief and their workers,” she said.
An act of kindness
With the project completed and successful, she hopes that it can help inspire others to reach out and do all they can to help those in need in their lives and in their communities.
“It can be easy to get into an individualistic mindset,” Vaughan said, “but it’s important to stop and realize we’re in a community and everyone needs our help. We should all look around us and help those in need instead of focusing on ourselves.”
Brady Johnson is a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications. He’s currently interning in Communications with World Relief Quad Cities, and hopes to be part of something greater than himself.
Celebrating our Employee of the Year for 2021, Kara Hernandez
Read below to learn more about Kara’s journey to World Relief, and how she continues to bless our staff, clients, and community!
As we look forward to welcoming more immigrant, refugee, and survivor neighbors in this new year, we still take time to reflect on the hard work of our team from the previous one. That’s why we want to celebrate our employee of the year for 2021, Kara Hernandez!
Kara has worked at World Relief Triad for a little over eight years. Previously, she previously worked as an Employment Specialist and Opportunity Services Manager. Currently, she serves our team as the Program Services Director.
As the Program Services Director, Kara oversees the managers of the Health & Wellness Department, Opportunity Services Department, Anti-Human Trafficking Department. She also directly oversees the refugee client coordinators who serve newly arrived refugee clients.
What Our Staff Has to Say about Kara:
“Kara is consistently leading by example, whether that be jumping in and helping with clients, training with the focus on excellence, or showing her caring heart for both our clients and other staff members,” one staff member says. It also said that she, “carried a tremendous amount of weight on her shoulders this (previous) year, and she continues to have a positive but realistic outlook on how to best move forward.”
Other coworkers note that Kara works incredibly hard and faces challenges with “strength and perseverance;” she has “yet to falter, stayed strong, and been a rock for the office.” Others say she is the most empathetic person on the staff and is invested in “every individual’s growth and development.”
Perhaps most importantly, Kara is an ambassador for World Relief.
“She is committed to our mission of integrating the Church into our work and serving clients well. She deserves recognition for her tenacity, loyalty to her staff team, and commitment to our WR mission.”
Being Led to World Relief Triad
“I graduated from North Central University, in Minneapolis, MN, with a Bachelors degree in Intercultural Studies,” Kara says about her journey to the Triad office. “I always wanted to serve people from other countries and felt this calling on my life. At one point, I thought I would be a missionary, but I didn’t know exactly how to achieve that goal.”
Now, Kara sees how God brought it all together to meet her passion for working with international people groups while still using many of her other giftings. Not only did she find a job, but she also found a new life and a community.
“Being a transplant to North Carolina from the Midwest, World Relief has also given me a community,” she says. “What I love most about my position is the people I get to work with, whether that is our clients, my co-workers, or the Church. Seeing the impact that our services have on the people we serve and their family is very fulfilling.”
Life After Knowing the Refugee Community
With eight years’ worth of experiences, Kara reflects on all the lives God’s allowed her to meet. “I have watched families have babies, people get married, families be reunified, and friendships with volunteers flourish. When I am in the community, I consistently see previous clients. It is always fun to talk for a few minutes and catch up on what is new in their life.”
Kara finally notes how the mission of World Relief relates to her personally, noting how it fuels her to continue in her work. “I believe in what the Bible mandates us to do in Psalms 82:3, ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.’ This is what the Church is called to do. At World Relief Triad, we are able to empower the Church to serve the most vulnerable.”
Congratulations to you, Kara Hernandez! We stand taller and more encouraged because of you. We look forward to seeing how you will continue to serve our office, clients, and the greater community.
Good For Our Hearts: One woman’s story of hosting Afghan Families
Lauren Peterson never expected to bring in two Afghan refugee families into her East Moline home, but she was more than ready to heed the call when the moment arose.
“I was listening to NPR and heard about the evacuations occurring, and I soon started looking up places where I could take up these families. World Relief was one of the first organizations listed and I soon got in touch with them asking how I can take these families into my home.
Lauren, a counselor from the Ozarks, has taken two Afghan families into her home to live with her family. She says that the main challenges upon first taking these families in were not the ones she was expecting to encounter.
“My husband and I were expecting the language barrier to be the greatest challenge with taking these families, but thankfully Google translate has made that so much easier,” she explained.
“However, the biggest challenge for us was our first family feeling like we were forced to take them into our home, so they didn’t want to be a burden to us and our family. So we had to try and make them feel as comfortable and welcome as possible and make it known to them that we want them here.”
“We were also really worried about our children being too loud and bothering the families as well,” she continued, “but the husband explained that the children from Ghana are really loud and really funny, which was a relief to us that they wouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
However, amongst these challenges, taking in these families has proven to be one of the most fulfilling experiences the Peterson family could ever experience. Lauren says that bringing in these families has been incredible on the hearts of her own family.
“It’s truly rewarding to be able to serve these families and make them feel welcome and loved during their times of grief,” Lauren said, “It’s the most heartwarming thing to see our young kids playing with the children of these families and seeing them smile and laugh. It’s amazing to see such unity within our home.”
Bringing in these families has also allowed Lauren and her husband to experience parenting in other cultures outside the United States, and observing their ways of parenting have made them challenge American parenting ideals.
“It’s humbling for us as parents to take these families in,” she said. “It challenged us to change our view on parenting and how we could improve as parents ourselves watching these families raise their children.”
Lauren advised that for families considering taking Afghan families into their own homes, that it’s okay to embrace the discomfort that may come with taking in these families at first because the experience has been the most rewarding decision one could ever make.
“It’s okay to feel uncomfortable with the prospect of taking in these families,” she explains, “We’re a part of the 9/11 generation, so we have these fears and worries instilled within us about outsiders coming into our home.”
“However, our worries were much smaller compared to the families coming in who are experiencing the most profound grief in their lives, so it’s been the most rewarding experience taking them in and making them feel comfortable and welcome in their new home.”
Brady Johnson is a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications. He’s currently interning in Communications with World Relief Quad Cities, and hopes to be part of something greater than himself.
From Myanmar to Multi-Skilled Worker
For anyone transitioning to life in America, it can be quite the culture shock compared to living in your previous country of residence.
But for No Niang, relocating to the United States from Myanmar was something that didn’t strike her as shocking compared to her parents or siblings.
“Refugees are very cultural,” Niang explains, “They will be shocked when experiencing a new way of living or traditions different from their own. Burmese families tend to eat and live together, which is something not normally done in the U.S. Coming to the U.S. was nothing shocking for me because I had learned about American history in my home country.”
Niang arrived in the United States in 2016 as a refugee and discovered World Relief from her case worker at the time, Astrid. From attending summer camps with Astrid, she taught No about the importance of education and how to further her education.
“If it wasn’t for Astrid, I would not have known about how to apply for college, apply for grants and loans, and how to continue my educational path,” Niang says, “She did so much to help me and I wouldn’t be here in this position because of her”.
Upon graduating in 2019, Niang was offered a position at World Relief Quad Cities as a census coordinator, which she worked until 2020 when she had to adopt the new and unexpected position of COVID outreach coordinator in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a lot for me at the time but it was something I had to do,” she said.
Currently, Niang works at World Relief QC as a case worker, and hopes to have the same impact on incoming refugees as Astrid did for her.
“I want to help others with their arrival to American cities, and I’m glad this job is allowing me to meet more people and to help people as best as I can.”
Brady Johnson is a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications. He’s currently interning in Communications with World Relief Quad Cities, and hopes to be part of something greater than himself.
An Afghan Neighbor’s Call for Peace
By Adrienne Morton //
World Relief Durham had the privilege of welcoming and resettling an Afghan family of seven this past July, providing housing, school enrollment and support for the children, employment services, health care coordination, and other wraparound services that help them begin rebuilding their lives in Durham. Husband and father Shir Khan Shirzad recently shared some of his family’s story of moving from Afghanistan to Durham.
After graduating from high school in Afghanistan, Shir Khan Shirzad began working in a small grocery store to support himself and his family. Knowing that going to university wouldn’t be financially viable, he worked as a grocer until the United States forces arrived and began employing Afghans in various roles supporting the military operation.
In 2004, Shir Khan was introduced to his next employer—the U.S. military—after his nephew secured a job as an interpreter. His initial job was as an entry-level laborer supporting the U.S. military, but he worked hard and moved his way up to become head of all labor workers in a particular region.
Having worked for the U.S. government, Shir Khan knew that his safety would be at risk should the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan. He recruited an English-speaking friend to help him begin the arduous process of submitting documents required for a Special Immigrant Visa. Shir Khan did not speak or read English, but he eventually taught himself enough to complete the first step of the process—the paperwork. It would be years before his case was processed, but he eventually secured an interview with the U.S. embassy in 2018. Even then his visa did not come through until 2021. He, his wife Fazila, and their five children arrived in Durham in July.
It has now been several months since Shir Khan left his house, country, job, brothers, sisters, nephews, culture—his home. When asked how he is getting along thus far in the U.S. he said, “me and my family are safe … it will take time for example, to know the culture, rules, everything about America.” Nonetheless, “we are still sad thinking about home … I don’t know how long it will take for us, living so far from our families in Afghanistan.”
Shir Khan struggled to find the words to sufficiently express his depth of sadness for the Afghan people. “[They are] innocent people, young people, not only for my family … I’m worried about all people there because Afghan people [have been] suffering for a long time. It seems endless for Afghan people.”
When asked how Americans can best support him and the Afghan people, he was quick to respond: “I just want peace in Afghanistan. They are suffering all of the time … just bring peace.”
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Photo “Northwestern Afghanistan” by koldo hormaza, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0