Posts Tagged ‘Baltimore’

As a nonprofit organization, we talk a lot about donations and giving back here at World Relief Baltimore Immigrant Services Office. While part of how World Relief functions is through private and public grants, we could not do what we do without people like you: people who are on the path, investing in the community to see mutual transformation happen in this city.

Former World Relief client Reza Abdoli shares about his life-changing experience that began with our sister office in Memphis, TN and why he decided to give back.

In need of help 

On December 9th, 2012, I arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, as an asylee. I left my home in Afghanistan because of my country’s increasing instability, which restricted my ability to further my education.  

My original intention when coming to the U.S. was to pursue a master’s degree in computer science. But I was influenced by people I knew from home to change my career to medical or dental school. There was one complication, however. They immigrated a few years prior, were already American citizens and did not explain the roadblocks I had in front of me as an asylee if I changed my career path. 

Initially, I had no idea what World Relief was — they were just another faceless organization. But when I first walked into the Memphis office, that changed.  

Reza Abdoli

Nevertheless, I moved to Memphis and began trying to pursue dentistry. Soon I discovered that it was impossible to participate in dental school without permanent resident status. I was at my lowest point of life, unable to get a good job and depressed.  

Just a student paying back my loans without a path forward. I was driving for Uber and working other low-paying jobs, trying to make some money just to survive. Never had I been like that before, and it was scary. I needed help.  

Finally, I got my USCIS approval for asylum in 2019, and they told me about some organizations that help asylees like me. That’s when I first found out about World Relief.  

Initially, I had no idea what World Relief was — they were just another faceless organization. But when I first walked into the Memphis office, that changed.  

A new family 

That first day, there was a young lady at the door to greet me. She said, “Hey, how are you? Welcome!” I was like, she already knows me? Was she expecting me? They were so excited to meet me. It was comforting.  

Before World Relief, I had so many problems traveling in the U.S. People would say hurtful words about me. It made me feel like, “this is not my place, and I have to leave here.” That feeling was only made worse by my struggles with school and money. 

But my World Relief case worker, Basuze, always listened to me without judgment. He and the rest of the team acted like I was a family member. I kept coming back to the office to hang out with everyone because I felt loved. 

He and the rest of the team acted like I was a family member. I kept coming back to the office to hang out with everyone because I felt loved. 

REZA ABDOLI

World Relief was like a chain holding me together. I was struggling so deeply I was even planning to break up with my girlfriend because I had no money and knew I could not support us. World Relief kept my life together, and I still have my now-fiancé in my life.  

World Relief pushed me to continue my education, and I returned to my passion for computers. I found the cheapest online program and got my master’s in computer science. I knew when I first came to the U.S. that I could make a living if I got a degree, but I just needed some help to get there.  

Whether it was government paperwork, monetary assistance or encouragement, World Relief guided me. Through this guidance, I was finally able to get a good job.  

A few months ago, I bumped into Basuze at the Memphis airport. He was there welcoming someone new who was arriving in the U.S. That was an emotional moment for me. It helped me realize how far I’d come and how much I wanted to give back.  

Paying it forward 

After my encounter with Basuze at the airport, I told myself that I would give a portion of my salary every month to World Relief. And every time I got a raise or promotion, I would increase my giving. And that’s what I’m doing. I’m not making millions, but I can now live without fearing the next day. And I want to do my small part to make that possible for the next person. 

I give to World Relief because I’ve experienced first-hand that they use their funds wisely. Whether helping with moving, providing furniture, offering career guidance or helping financially, World Relief is putting its funds towards the good of others. Whatever is asked of them by the people they served, they step up. 

I still have the check receipts of what World Relief gave to me. I still have them! That’s how much they mean to me. World Relief gave me the opportunity and the courage to pursue what I dreamt about, and it is important to me that I can be a part of making this possible for others. 

World Relief gave me the opportunity and the courage to pursue what I dreamt about, and it is important to me that I can be a part of making this possible for others. 

REZA ABDOLI

For me, giving back is both financial and relational. Because of my job, I’m now living in Los Angeles. Since moving here, I’ve made an effort on my own to connect with other Afghan families in my community.  

When visiting with them, I always encourage the younger people to get a degree, even if it’s the cheapest one available. I didn’t spend much on my master’s degree. It was less expensive than the classes I took in dental school, which I’ve never used. But if you get a degree and find a job to support yourself, you can live the dream! It is possible here. 

I feel blessed to be able to share my story with my Afghan community and people like you. I hope that my story will encourage and help others to pursue their goals. 

My hope is that my story also urges people to be kinder to immigrants. They have had enough hardship in their life. When someone comes to World Relief, they are there because they seek your help. There may be language barriers and cultural differences. That’s okay. Take time to understand them. They need that. If they were in a good place in their life, they would not have come to World Relief. When someone comes to us for help, the least we can do is be more patient, be a good listener and spend more time with them.  

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We’re so grateful to Reza for sharing his story with us. Through generous monthly giving such as Reza’s, our office can continue cultivating a welcoming and supportive community for asylees and other vulnerable immigrants from across the globe in need of immigration legal services. Consider joining him to pave The Path to lasting change! Follow this link for more info on how to become a Pathmaker today. 

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Nathan Spencer is a former Communications Intern for World Relief. A recent graduate from the University of Memphis with his M.A. in Journalism and Strategic Media, Nathan continues to volunteer for World Relief as a copywriter. 

Reza Abdoli is a former client and current donor of World Relief . While in Memphis he also served as a volunteer in various capacities at the World Relief office. Since leaving Memphis, he has made a point to connect with his Afghan neighbors and advocate and mentor immigrants in his new community. He also holds a Masters degree in Computer Science and resides in Los Angeles California.

Our Team at World Relief Baltimore Immigrant Services Office works daily to further our clients’ paths toward naturalization. This recent story from our sister office in North Carolina inspires us as we walk along the long road to citizenship with our Baltimore neighbors.

Reflecting on September as the time of year that we celebrate citizenship with #CitizenshipDay, a day inviting, “Americans to reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship,” we invite you to continue reading to learn about one of our own’s story, Prince Mushunju and his wife, Laurette!

Becoming a citizen affords a lot of privileges and is an arduous process that can be uncertain for some. Prince Mushunju, Employment Services Coordinator at World Relief , reflects on his and his wife’s experience one year since they received citizenship.

“To experience the respect that is had for a U.S. citizen — Now that we have passports, we see a very big difference in the respect people give us,” he says. “We’ve traveled to the same countries! So we can see the difference. Americans don’t always appreciate their privilege in being born in this country.”

Searching for Home

When Prince and his wife first arrived in the United States in 2015, they were expecting their first child. After living in a refugee camp in Uganda for nearly 12 years, they were ready to find a home. They decided before they had even arrived that America would be their home. “We considered this to be our home. So one of the first things we did was ask the question of what can we do to become permanent residents. How do we become citizens? We asked this from the first year.”

Prince can’t help but smile when he reflects on those first few days and weeks arriving in the U.S. He says that they even thought that they were being resettled in New York City because that’s where their first flight was landing. After weeks of research, Prince then had to readjust to the idea of actually living in Greensboro, North Carolina — “very different from New York,” Prince laughs.

“They picked us up from the airport and took us to a small house,” he says. “But even still, the love of the country helped us. We knew we needed to get that citizenship to feel like we were home.”

Enduring towards Freedom and Joy

The journey towards citizenship involved a lot of work that Prince says made his wife and himself feel like they were back in school. Since they had to apply individually, there was always the fear that one of them might get citizenship while the other didn’t.

“We felt joy and freedom once we learned we’d gotten citizenship,” Prince says. “There are things a citizen can do that someone who doesn’t have a permanent status cannot do. Now that we’ve come as refugees, and have gone through that process as well as the process of becoming a citizen, we feel like, ‘Wow. I can breathe and start living.'”

One way major way that their lives have changed now as citizens is not only in the way they travel (Prince and his family are planning to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo soon so that his children can see where he comes from), but also in applying for their parents and other family members to come to the U.S. now.

“The process will be much easier as citizens and not refugees now,” Prince says. “As long as I’m working and don’t have a record, they can come.” He concludes with a smile that it should be less than two years until they are all reunited.

At World Relief Balimore Immigrant Services Office, we are invested in providing holistic care for our clients, which includes assistance in legal immigration services, often. If you would like to learn more about this program or give towards it today, click below.

Creating belonging happens in so many ways in Baltimore and cities across the United States where World Relief has Immigration Services, like this story from our sister office in Sacramento, CA.  

Jazmin grew up believing she wouldn’t have the opportunity to graduate from college and start a full-time career. When she was a junior in high school, she met with the Immigration Legal Services team at World Relief who helped her apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and walked alongside her through every part of the process.  

We sat down with Jazmin and asked her a few questions about her experiences: 

Tell us about yourself and about your family.  

I moved to California when I was 5 years old – my Dad came back to Mexico and picked me up from my grandparents’ house. Adjusting to the rhythm of school and learning a new language was incredibly difficult, and I grew up with a lot of stress because I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to go to college – it was a battle figuring out how I would be able to support my family.  

But when I was a junior in high school, World Relief was able to help me out. They filled out my DACA paper work and guided me through the entire process. Thanks to them, I attended and graduated Sacramento State with a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management and Engineering. My Dad was a construction worker, so I jumped into it with the best faith – I’ve now worked for company that I’m currently at for the past 5 years and have been able to help my family quite a bit.  

This was all because of DACA; without that policy, I wouldn’t be able to have these same opportunities I do now.  

How did you meet the World Relief team?  

My point of resource was the Mexican Console – they hosted workshops and World Relief was one of the organizations that sponsored me. They gave me resources, sent my application, and paid fees – they walked alongside me through the entire DACA process. All I needed to do bring was myself, and they processed everything else and kept everything up to date. It would have been incredibly hard for me to do it by myself; I felt very secure with World Relief handling everything. 

How has DACA helped you? And how has World Relief’s legal team helped you in securing your future? 

Thanks to DACA I was able to go to college, I was able to work legally and start compiling 401K and savings and building credit, and ultimately, I was able to help my family. Right now, I am saving to buy a family home – immigrants buying property with a low-income background is impossible.  

With World Relief helping with the DACA process, it makes you feel like your case is always taken care of; I really appreciate them.  

What has been your overall experience as an immigrant in California?  

I have a mixture of feelings. I think on the good side: it’s humbling. Just to know that you come from a different country and you’re trying to make it here. Because of DACA it’s not as limiting, without it it’s scary. I went through anxiety growing up without DACA because I couldn’t follow the traditional steps of going to college and would have to work illegally. It’s scary, it still is. It’s still all up in the air politically, but I’m trying to take care of the advantage.  

What changed in your day-to-day life after you were approved for DACA? 

My routine – just going to school and finding a good job changed. My lifestyle and quality of life changed. I don’t feel like I was negatively impacted at all – without DACA, college would’ve cost three times as much – I graduated without debt and held a good job even before graduation. I never saw a dentist until started working full time – now I have so much better quality of life and insurance.  

What would you like people to know about the DACA process?  

For the people applying for DACA, I’ve known a lot of people have had complications. I know DACA will eventually will expire – a lot of times you never know when the application is going to bounce back. Having resources like World Relief ready and able to help is necessary – I always needed to be sure that this application is in good hands. It can be sensitive paperwork. DACA is important to have valuable resources.  

For people who don’t know what DACA is, it’s not our fault that we’re in this situation (illegal), it’s needed for us to continue to live. And I know that DACA wasn’t given to everyone, which is unfortunate, but it’s special and appreciated. It’s a gift to a small portion of immigrants.  

I hope that it shows people the benefits of giving immigrants legal status and I wish it was for everyone; I’m very grateful that I fall into the small group of immigrants given a chance. It’s proof that immigrants can give back to this country.  

I consider it a success story for my parents; they brought their daughter not born here and gave her success being here. It truly is a success.  

World Relief Baltimore Immigrant Services office helps so many individuals like Jazmin fulfill their dreams and provide for their families. Consider becoming a monthly donor and help us continue creating belonging in Baltimore City and County – click here for more information.