Stories
Street Outreach in the Quad Cities
Out in the Community
De’Andre’s passion is making a difference.
As the Street Outreach Coordinator for Christian Care Men’s Shelter covering Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties, his personality and understanding of people led him to the community.
Most of his time is spent contacting homeless individuals in need of resources. He helps secure housing or shelter, food, water, sleeping bags, backpacks, and bus tokens, and assists with obtaining Social Security Disability benefits.
“I just feel I was placed here by the Lord to do his work and make a difference with my personality and understanding of people and the Love and Peace,” De’Andre said.
De’Andre partners with other agencies to help those individuals obtain resources that his organization may not be able to directly provide.
Project Now Community Action Agency is one particular organization that De’Andre works closely with. Together, they navigate services for homeless individuals in the most effective ways possible.
His position as the Street Outreach Coordinator allows him to assist people in remote areas who may not be able to get information on available services, or who may not be able to access those places.
Helping Others Grow
The work De’Andre does allows him to build relationships and share information with other community agencies. His spiritual desire to help others motivates him along the way.
“I believe God has assigned certain people in your life to help guide you, so I just try to be that person and that alone motivates me,” he said, “It’s important to me because it is morally the right thing to do in life, to see someone else’s growth in life and help them grow when you are in a position to help”.
A Growing Need
Overall, De’Andre hopes that his work impacts everyone who could benefit from the services – not just in the Quad Cities, but across the nation. He’s driven to shine a light on the issues faced by people who are homeless.
In a year and a half, De’Andre has made contact with at least 300 people whose biggest needs are housing, shelter, rent or deposit assistance, and hotel vouchers.
He needs more support from the Community in working towards the goal of reducing the homeless population to zero.
“I’ve found through ups and downs in life it made me a better person, and if I can make it from where I come from and help the next make it along the way in this life Journey, I will,” De’Andre said.
De’Andre would like to spread the word that Christian Care is in the process of opening a shelter for women and children soon.
Madison Hoffeditz has a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Augustana College. She’s currently completing her MSW at St. Ambrose University, and is interning at World Relief Quad Cities to gain experience in the field.
Finding Inspiration in Feeding Families
Refugees often rely on produce that is exclusive to their heritage and difficult to find in conventional U.S. grocery stores. Each month, we distribute Burmese and Congolese foods that are familiar and healthy – now, we’re officially adding Afghan foods to the mix. Here’s how one volunteer is making an impact.
Life After Graduation
A recent graduate of Iowa State University, Abbie Koberg has been enjoying the post-graduate life of going back to her alma-mater for football games, spending time with her close family and friends, and getting as much time spent outdoors as she can.
However, she can be seen most often engaging in her favorite kind of activity – volunteering.
Koberg, a recruiter and community network with HNI Corp, enjoys making a career out of engaging in new volunteer opportunities and establishing new relationships with clients and volunteers for the organization.
A New Career Opportunity
Two weeks before Abbie started her job at HNI, the organization had recently partnered with World Relief Quad Cities, and she saw a perfect opportunity to reach out and try to acquire more clients and volunteer relationships. She went to WR’s food pantry to help spread the word about HNI.
“My goal was to establish good relationships with the volunteers,” Koberg explained, “I saw this as a great opportunity to increase my clientele and to gain more volunteer opportunities.”
Something Unexpected
Koberg was struck by the diversity when volunteering at World Relief, and apart from accomplishing her goal of making connections with her spreading of posters at the event, she was inspired to participate in volunteering at the organization in the future.
“We knew we wanted to make a difference and help,” Koberg said, “so we recently donated 8 fifty pound bags of rice to World Relief and I have been volunteering at their food pantries ever since.”
Koberg finds her experience volunteering with World Relief to be rewarding and it inspires her to always do as much as she can to help out any way she can.
 “I’ve always been volunteering, it’s what I love doing. So it’s really motivating to me to give back to my community.”
Volunteers, we couldn’t do it without you. Follow the link below to learn how you can help feed families and make a tangible impact in your community.
Brady Johnshon 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.
The Volunteer and Refugee Friendship Helping Both Reach their Goals
Who are the friends who have changed your life?
Who are the people who have changed your life? Are they friends who share your passions? Family members who have known you for years? Coworkers who helped you do challenging projects?
We can all attest to how relationships and friends can change everything.
That’s why, when World Relief Chicagoland matches our volunteers with opportunities to serve, we focus on relationships.
When you apply to volunteer, our staff want to hear about you – your unique skills, passions, and goals. That’s because your gifts and interests might uniquely align with the goals of an immigrant or refugee. You might be uniquely equipped to help them reach their goals!
When we match a volunteer with an immigrant, refugee, or asylee to help provide transportation, tutoring, or career mentorship, it’s so that you can walk with them. And together, you will both learn and grow!
And you might end up building a meaningful relationship as a result. Max, a World Relief Chicagoland volunteer, and Daniel, a refugee, are a fantastic example of just how meaningful these friendships can be.
“I cannot express how meaningful our relationship and connection has been.”
– Max, Volunteer with World Relief Chicagoland, referring to his friendship with a World Relief client named Daniel
Meet Daniel
From the age of 7, Daniel knew a life of change and uncertainty. He remembers a before time, when his home country was a beautiful place full of loving family. The violence that broke out in the 1990s ruined that. When conflict and violence killed his family and pushed Daniel from his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999, he fled to safety in Uganda. There, he lived in refugee camps for nearly 20 years.
Their home was a plastic shelter. Food was scarce and water was hard to access. Even as a young boy, Daniel woke up as early as 3 a.m. to collect water. “There was not enough food,” Daniel told us. As he showed a video of the refugee camp, he reflected on life there. “It was very hard.”
Eventually, Daniel moved to another settlement camp. That camp’s conditions were a little bit better. As he grew up, Daniel fought to study and achieve an education despite their poverty and his many responsibilities. This allowed him to achieve an academic scholarship to study at a university in Uganda and achieve a degree in human services in 2016.
The Future Became Brighter
Then, in 2018, Daniel was accepted for resettlement in the United States. “I’ve never been excited like I was [at] that time. I was extremely happy,” he told us. Among the many changes he experienced with life in the United States, one blessing was the most basic: he slept inside a building – something he had only done while studying at university in Uganda. In the United States, he became connected to World Relief’s services and started working toward stability – and dreaming about his future.
And that’s when he met Max.
Meet Max
Like many of our volunteers, World Relief Chicagoland’s mission and work serving immigrants and refugees in vulnerable situations inspired Max. He wanted to be part of the work. That prompted him to apply to volunteer as a virtual youth tutor in the Chicago office. However, in talking with World Relief staff, discovered another way to use his skills and passion. As a pre-med student at Loyola University, Max has long been working toward a future career in medicine and was a great candidate to join World Relief as a volunteer health advocate.
Friends with Shared Passions
As a volunteer health advocate, Max walks with Daniel to help him navigate the intricacies of the health care system and manage various health tasks. He also helps Daniel work toward other goals – such as Daniel’s dream of becoming a nurse. “He has helped me so much,” Daniel said. As a pre-med student himself, Max helps Daniel study for his anatomy and physiology classes and the two discuss their shared interest in the healthcare field.
But the relationship is far from one-sided. In return, Daniel has shown Max a new perspective. “Through getting to know Daniel, I have been able to learn more about the gaps in our healthcare system, as well as the good things that can happen,” Max shared. “My hope is that in the future, I can help change the parts that are broken.”
Daniel has an insider perspective on what it’s like to receive healthcare as a refugee in the United States. Through him, Max has gained a greater awareness of the many tasks required to effectively navigate the healthcare system.
Dreams for the Future
“Once I am an established provider, I want to work to change the policies around the gaps in the healthcare system,” Max says. He wants to serve individuals who can’t easily get healthcare. To do this, he will take what he has learned from Daniel and engage other people in vulnerable situations. If they share their experiences, perhaps they can be part of improving systems. In the meantime, Daniel will focus on achieving his goal to become a nurse. He wants to be part of the mission and deliver vital healthcare to everyone. Daniel described how he will value the individual and their unique perspectives – especially those who are often excluded or forgotten. He shared, “I want to give the best services to marginalized communities.”
“I want to give the best services to marginalized communities.”
– Daniel, referring to his future career aspirations as a healthcare provider
Together, both Max and Daniel want to be part of making healthcare more accessible for people who are overlooked or underserved. And they are equipping each other to do just that.
You Can Build Transformative Relationships Too!
For more than 40 years, World Relief Chicagoland has connected volunteers like you with opportunities to serve. And as a result, thousands of volunteers have made a life-changing difference for our immigrant and refugee neighbors. If you bring your whole self – gifts, abilities, and passions – to the table, you will gain the chance to experience transformation too. We will provide opportunities for you to walk with individuals like Daniel, who are rebuilding their lives in Chicagoland.
Will you begin a transformative relationship?
A Working Dream
More than 15 years ago, Yvette and her siblings fled the Democratic Republic of Congo because of war. They would spend the next part of their lives in limbo, waiting in a refugee camp in Burundi to see where they would be allowed to resettle.
“If you’re a refugee, it’s the organization that chooses the country,” Yvette said. “We were very happy when they chose the U.S. for us.”
After years of waiting, Yvette’s family would get the chance to start anew in a foreign country. Despite the challenges that it would present, she knew it wouldn’t be as difficult as what she had already experienced.
“It’s difficult over there. If you don’t have a job, how will you find food or a house?” she said. “I was very happy—very, very, very happy [when I found out]. I thanked God, and I prayed a lot.”
No longer would she be selling clothes in a market in Burundi. Instead, she would finally be realizing her dream of working.
“My dream is to work,” Yvette explained with a smile. “I have a lot of ideas, but we’ll start with working. It’s the most important.”
With the help of World Relief Memphis, Yvette and her two sisters were able to do just that. World Relief’s Economic Empowerment team helped them find open positions, apply and prepare for the interview.
“I’m waiting to work right now,” Yvette said the night before her job orientation. “I start tomorrow, and I’m very happy to work because it will change my life. I’ll have a better life, of good quality.”
She knows that there is still a long road ahead of her in the journey to rebuild her life in the U.S., but she is grateful for the second chance she and her family have been given and for the help of the team at World Relief Memphis.
“When we saw the people there to welcome us, we were very happy because we weren’t expecting that,” said Yvette, 37. “They helped us with English school, with financial aid, just welcoming us. We thank World Relief for everything.”
In addition to English classes at the Connect Language Center, Yvette also went through a cultural orientation with the resettlement team where she learned how to call 911, how to enroll her daughter in school, etc.
Three months after arriving in the U.S., Yvette is still excited about what lies ahead of her. Now that her dream of working is within reach, she’s shifting her focus to her daughter, Divine.
“My dream for Divine is that she studies,” she explained. “Others will come after.”
Yvette, thank you for sharing your story. We are so glad to have you and your family in Memphis, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds.
If you want to help others like Yvette begin rebuilding their lives in the U.S., consider joining us as a volunteer! Or, check out our open positions and join us as a permanent member of the team.Â
New Quad Cities Scholarship for Immigrants and Refugees
A new Quad Cities scholarship fund hopes to mitigate some of the economic challenges faced by new Americans seeking higher education.
The fund, to be titled “Quad Cities Scholarship for Immigrants and Refugees,” will be managed by the Community Foundation in partnership with World Relief Quad Cities. It was inspired by Julie Eisenband and Chris Strunk’s experiences in working with talented refugee and immigrant students.
Bridging the Gap
Eisenband teaches at United Township High School in East Moline, one of the most diverse high schools in Illinois. It’s also home to the children of many World Relief clients.
But despite Rock Island and Scott County’s significant immigrant and refugee populations, new Americans are often a small percentage of area universities’ student bodies. Augustana College, where Strunk teaches, sees just a handful of refugee and immigrant students each year.
Refugees in the U.S. face financial barriers like understanding hiring processes, language barriers, needing new certifications and credentials, and discrimination.
Both educators hope the fund will be an opportunity for refugee and immigrant students to bridge the gap between high school and college.
“I have taught so many first and second generation immigrant students who are brilliant, brave people, but who face massive barriers to going to college,” said Eisenband, “Our hope is that this scholarship will provide one less thing these students have to worry about.”
World Relief Quad Cities will play a key role in encouraging new Americans to take advantage of the new scholarship opportunity.
“It made sense to partner with World Relief because it plays such a vital role providing services and advocating for immigrant and refugee families in our community,” said Strunk.
Refugee and immigrant students aren’t the only ones who benefit from the scholarship. Staff and other students alike are rewarded by a more diverse learning experience.
“I know how other students and professors benefit from having first and second generation immigrant students in our classes, just as we benefit from our location in a city like Rock Island that has welcomed so many newcomers in recent decades,” Strunk continued.
Overall, the scholarship fund’s goal is to help immigrant and refugee students successfully navigate their college experience and equip them with the skills to continue strengthening the community after receiving their degree.
Eligibility
All first or second generation refugee and students in Rock Island or Scott County will be eligible to apply for up to $4,000 of education expense coverage, which can be renewed for up to 6 years. And while Strunk hopes some recipients choose to attend Augustana, the scholarship can be used at any 2- or 4-year college.
First applications for the scholarship will be accepted in November 2021.
Written by Erica Parrigin
A Cause Greater than Myself
Hello everyone! My name is Brady Johnson and I am very excited to be interning at World Relief Quad Cities.
I’m currently a senior at Augustana College studying multimedia journalism and mass communications as well as a minor in communications, and I am originally from Loves Park, Illinois.
I was drawn to intern here at World Relief QC because I feel that the work I do for this organization would be a rewarding experience that I can not only get some crucial workplace skills out of, but life skills as well.
The prospect of helping people’s stories be heard and joining a cause greater than myself is an experience I’m looking forward to.
Previously I have done some digital media work with the independent country artist Steven Cade, which has been an experience that has made me wish to pursue working in mass communications.
I hope to gain more experience working in communications and working with mass media here at World Relief QC and to gain some meaningful connections with the people whom I will be working with.
In my free time, I enjoy playing music and staying active. I consider myself somewhat proficient in guitar, bass, drums, and I’m starting to learn harmonica. I’m also on the Augustana men’s cross country and track and field teams. In general, I love to play and keep up with sports, because it’s a way to enjoy the outdoors and stay healthy.
I can’t wait to begin my journey here at WRQC and see where this opportunity takes me!
Written by Brady Johnson
God is Good
As I sat on the couch with Lisa*, she recalled a dream she had when she was a young girl.
At first, all she could see was darkness but as she flew, lights began to appear beneath her — mesmerizing her. There was so much happening in the city below as cars and people went about their lives.
She was filled with wonder, exclaiming, “what is this place?” as she knew it was far from her home village in Zambia. It was as if it was calling out to her, whispering in her ear that this is where she belonged.
She wondered if what she saw was Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. She had never seen it before but had heard from others in the village of its “beautiful buildings and beautiful cars.” She begged her mother to go to the city, hoping to see the place of her dreams, but her family could not afford the trip.
A Dream Come True
Years later, her dream came to her again as she flew into the United States as a refugee. Looking out the window of the airplane, she saw those same lights which called to her many years before.
It was as if God was sitting next to her asking “Do you remember this?” and she knew this was what she had dreamed of. “God is good,” she told me as she recalled the life she had before and how much it has changed since then.
Growing up in a poor village in Zambia was hard for Lisa. There were very few opportunities available to her in the community outside of working on a farm or doing domestic housework. She wanted more for herself and her family — a job, food on the table, and a house of her own.
When the chance arose to come to the United States in 2009, she seized her opportunity for what she hoped would be a good life in America.
Leaving behind her mother and siblings, she flew to the U.S. where she settled in New York for a time before relocating twice and ending up in the Quad Cities.
It was not easy at first, and she recalls having “suffered a little”– but “God always finds a way.”
She came into contact with World Relief Quad Cities. Through assisting with translating for another family in her community, Lisa met several of the World Relief team who were able to recognize unmet needs she had and help her to continue her journey.
Now, Lisa is a mother of 4 (one who I was lucky enough to meet when I spoke with her) who dreams of getting her U.S. citizenship, buying her own house, and helping bring her mother to live with her.
And hopefully, she will continue to live in the cities she once dreamed about as a young girl.
Written by Alyssa Twilbeck
*Name has been changed to protect Lisa’s identity.
Abdul’s Story
by Adrienne Morton //
Abdul* began working for the United States Government in Afghanistan in 2007. Prior to his employment with the US military, he had served as a border soldier in Afghanistan and also spent time working for the United Nations. Abdul had always been a hard worker, and his work ethic was quickly recognized by the United States as he rapidly moved his way up the ladder and ultimately served as Chief of Support for a team of Afghan soldiers working alongside Americans.
Even now with the horrific images the world is seeing out of Afghanistan, he speaks fondly of his former life. “We had a good life back home. My family was in a village while I worked in the country…we felt comfortable there…my family was in a good position.” Having worked for the U.S. Government, Abdul qualified for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), which allowed him to enter the U.S. under refugee status, along with his family. The SIV program is designed to protect global citizens who were formerly employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government overseas. Abdul’s family was resettled by World Relief Durham in November 2020.
Abdul was appreciative when asked about his family in Afghanistan, with whom he speaks every day. “They are safe because they are not in Kabul. They don’t go outside very often and are staying at home.” As the only member of his extended family who served with the U.S. Government, he was the sole family member who qualified for SIV status.
He believes his family in Afghanistan is safe – for now. While his extended family is healthy and has food on the table, he acknowledges that their future in Afghanistan is fraught with uncertainty and fear. “Those who worked with the U.S. and Afghan governments are not safe; there is no trust. Everyone is in danger right now…people’s lives are unsafe…every moment is very dangerous.”
Abdul says that all Afghans are sad right now. “We are all thinking about our families back home and how we can support them.” When asked about how the local community can help, his answer was quick and simple – “It’s your kindness.”
Starting again in the U.S. has been hard. “There are new people, it’s a new and different country, sometimes very happy and sometimes very sad. But it is better than Afghanistan. No one wants to leave their country, but we will do our best to have a good life here.”
After being offered several employment opportunities, Abdul opted to work as a cashier at a gas station due to its proximity to his apartment. He’s currently supporting his immediate family of nine in the U.S. and his extended family in Afghanistan through this job, though he aspires to gain employment more like what he had back in Afghanistan. “I had a big position with the U.S. Government and I will do my best to find a better job.”
When asked what he would like others to know about the situation in Afghanistan he replied, “I ask all of the world to help Afghanistan, to understand the situation there, because only Afghan people suffer from everything (happening there). I don’t want this situation to continue.”
*Name changed for confidentiality
Emma’s Story
Photo: Emma shares a smile with former World Relief Durham Immigration Legal Services Manager, Kjerstin Lewis, moments after receiving her green card.
Emma is a mother of four, a wife, a homeowner, a new business owner, and a resident of Durham. She is also one of this country’s new lawful permanent residents (green card holders). Emma came to the U.S. over 20 years ago to seek safety after experiencing violence in her hometown. She did not want to leave her country and her family, but she felt there was no other option for a future but to leave. Â
Emma has made an impact on the community since coming to the U.S. After arriving in Durham, she met her husband, and they married and started their family. Throughout the years, Emma taught her children to give to others, because “you never know what someone else is going through.” Leading by example, she welcomes her children’s friends into her home as a safe space to stay, eat, play, and more. Emma calls them “her babies” and cares for them with love and affection. Similarly, several of them view Emma as their own mother, and call her and her husband, “Mom and Dad.” Even as they grow older, they still frequently visit Emma and spend holidays and weekends with her and her family. While most of her family still lives in and around Durham, one of her sons is deployed abroad as part of the U.S. Army.
With the approval of her work authorization in the past year, Emma became a local small business owner. She and her husband have worked for years insulating basements and doing other construction projects as contract workers. After her work permit was approved and she received her social security number, Emma and her husband started their own home construction business and now hire contract workers for her company.
While preparing her green card application, Emma shared that as soon as she was granted her green card, she wanted to return to her home country in a van filled with clothes, shoes, and other commodities for her family living there. She remembers being hungry, not having a bed, and not having a good life before coming to the U.S. and wants to give to her family back home. Even though the pandemic delayed her trip, once it is safe to travel, she still plans to drive to visit her family back home and see them for the first time since she left, over 20 years ago.
Now, as she reflects upon her immigration process after receiving her green card, Emma shares, “I am very pleased and I give many thanks for the help I received. All you can do is work as God intended and if you behave very well, God always blesses you.”
Sorrow amidst dreams
When Nazia, her husband and three children arrived in Memphis in 2019, they came with the hope of providing a safe future for their daughters and son.
Nazia’s husband had worked for a company that helped with different projects for the U.S. in Afghanistan, and Nazia herself had worked with the BBC/AEPO in their human resources department. As a result, their family was viewed as traitors and targeted by the Taliban.Â
“In Afghanistan, I worked as a human resources administrator for 8 years, including with the BBC,” Nazia said. “My husband and I were working in Afghanistan with very great projects.”Â
Yet because of threats on their life, they were forced to come to the United States on Special Immigrant Visas. Her husband sold their car, and within a short time they were arriving in Memphis, a city they had chosen based off the recommendation of a cousin. Upon arrival, Nazia and her family were welcomed by World Relief Memphis.Â
“World Relief helped us a lot so we didn’t face any problems because [they] trained us in everything,” said Nazia, 31. “They trained us how we can call the emergency line, how we can go to the market like Kroger or Walmart. World Relief helped a lot with everything.”
Each month, a case worker went to their house to check in on the family. After just five months, World Relief’s employment department had helped her husband find a job with Amazon.Â
“They helped us with the resume and everything, and they also applied for us,” she explained. “We didn’t have a laptop, so [a caseworker] helped, and we are very happy with him. He helped us a lot, and he’s a very good person.”
A year later, Nazia herself began to work with Shelby County’s Emergency Rent and Utilities Assistance Program thanks to the help of that same caseworker. One day, she would like to return to a role in human resources, but for now she loves her job.Â
Thanks to the support of World Relief and the individuals who came around them, Nazia and her family have been able to begin rebuilding their lives in the U.S. Her daughters are free to pursue their dreams in safety.
“I would love for my daughter to become a great doctor in the future, so I hope, I pray,” Nazia said, whose oldest daughter is in the 3rd grade. “She said that she wants to be a doctor in the future, and she’s trying to learn more and more.”
If Nazia and her family were still home, this dream might not be possible because of the Taliban regime’s treatment of women. Knowing that, she cannot help but worry for the family and country that she left behind.
“It’s not one person, two people, not even one hundred—it’s more like a million people,” she said. “We can understand the U.S. force’s situation too, and we pray for them that they can help them.”
Nazia, thank you for sharing your story. We are praying alongside you for the safety of your family and home country.
If you want to help welcome our Afghan allies arriving in the coming weeks, it’s not too late. Come to a volunteer orientation, help furnish homes or perhaps buy a limited-edition t-shirt that supports their resettlement.Â
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