The U.S. first opened its doors to refugees in 1948 following World War II, when over 200,000 Europeans fled from Nazi persecution. The 1948 Displaced Persons Act granted these refugees permanent residence and the right to employment in the U.S. Later, the Refugee Act of 1980 standardized the process of refugee resettlement in the U.S. by defining official refugee status and becoming the legal framework for today’s U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Refugee Resettlement Process
Qualifying as a Refugee
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) defines refugees as “people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion.” In the past, this has included people fleeing Nazi persecution or Communist regimes.
Today, thousands are fleeing Central America to avoid escalating violence as well as Syria to avoid what has been referred to as “the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.” The process by which refugees can enter the U.S. can only begin if a person is considered an official refugee under U.S. immigration law. If a person qualifies as a refugee, they must then be admitted to the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP).
Being admitted to the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP)
If a person qualifies as a refugee, they must then be admitted to the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP) through a referral from the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Department of State or a family member already in the U.S. seeking to reunite. Nine Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs) around the world receive these referrals and assemble eligible applications for further consideration.
These centers are largely faith-based nonprofit organizations approved by the U.S. government to ensure utmost security when recommending an applicant for resettlement. Part of the application process requires a security screening (handled by the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS) and a health screening to ensure that applicants with a security concern or an infectious disease do not enter the U.S.
This process, on average, takes between 18 and 24 months.
Refugee Resettlement in the U.S.
If all is cleared, a refugee is paired with a sponsorship program, such as Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees (SOAR) or Immigrant Connect, which provide new immigrants with counseling, translation and interpretation services, cultural orientation, English tutoring, financial stability during their transition to the U.S. and job search help.
Organizations like SOAR depend on community involvement in sponsoring or co-sponsoring a refugee and donating necessities such as clothing, bedding, lamps, dishes, diapers and toiletries. Volunteers help new immigrants navigate the public transit system, pick up their social security cards, obtain health services, and register for school. Refugees do not pay out of pocket for the initial cost of transitioning to the US.
Many sponsors receive grants from non-profit organizations that enable them to cover the first month’s rent and food for refugees so that newcomers may focus their energy on assimilating into the American way of life. Refugees are placed in the U.S. primarily according to connections they may have in a particular state.
A State Department spokesperson, speaking about refugees resettling in the U.S., explains, “We try very hard to get refugees close to people that they know because we think that they have a better chance of success if they have [a] support network when they first arrive, aside from just the volunteers.” Other factors include easy access to healthcare depending on personal medical conditions, fluency in English, and job prospects.
Assimilation and building a new life
After the initial chaos and novelty of entering a new country subsides, new immigrants seek to build a new life. They must acquire the appropriate credentials sanctioned by U.S. standards to continue in a field such as medicine or teaching. As a result, many immigrants find themselves at first in low-skilled jobs.
Though refugees do not pay out of pocket for any of their costs at the time of their resettlement, they must begin repaying their travel loan 6 months after arrival.
Though they receive up to three month’s rent, they do not enter subsidized housing, and therefore must find a job shortly after resettling in the U.S. In addition, U.S. agencies, such as Catholic Charities USA, are set up to help refugees apply for jobs and find education and training for their trade.
Just like any American citizen, they are free to relocate as they wish. Local organizations are set up in many cities to continue giving support to refugees.
– Mary Furth
Sources: Refugees, State.gov, UWB, USCIS, US News
Photo: Googgle Images
4 Steps for Refugee Resettlement in the US
The U.S. first opened its doors to refugees in 1948 following World War II, when over 200,000 Europeans fled from Nazi persecution. The 1948 Displaced Persons Act granted these refugees permanent residence and the right to employment in the U.S. Later, the Refugee Act of 1980 standardized the process of refugee resettlement in the U.S. by defining official refugee status and becoming the legal framework for today’s U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Refugee Resettlement Process
Qualifying as a Refugee
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) defines refugees as “people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion.” In the past, this has included people fleeing Nazi persecution or Communist regimes.
Today, thousands are fleeing Central America to avoid escalating violence as well as Syria to avoid what has been referred to as “the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.” The process by which refugees can enter the U.S. can only begin if a person is considered an official refugee under U.S. immigration law. If a person qualifies as a refugee, they must then be admitted to the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP).
Being admitted to the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP)
If a person qualifies as a refugee, they must then be admitted to the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP) through a referral from the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Department of State or a family member already in the U.S. seeking to reunite. Nine Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs) around the world receive these referrals and assemble eligible applications for further consideration.
These centers are largely faith-based nonprofit organizations approved by the U.S. government to ensure utmost security when recommending an applicant for resettlement. Part of the application process requires a security screening (handled by the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS) and a health screening to ensure that applicants with a security concern or an infectious disease do not enter the U.S.
This process, on average, takes between 18 and 24 months.
Refugee Resettlement in the U.S.
If all is cleared, a refugee is paired with a sponsorship program, such as Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees (SOAR) or Immigrant Connect, which provide new immigrants with counseling, translation and interpretation services, cultural orientation, English tutoring, financial stability during their transition to the U.S. and job search help.
Organizations like SOAR depend on community involvement in sponsoring or co-sponsoring a refugee and donating necessities such as clothing, bedding, lamps, dishes, diapers and toiletries. Volunteers help new immigrants navigate the public transit system, pick up their social security cards, obtain health services, and register for school. Refugees do not pay out of pocket for the initial cost of transitioning to the US.
Many sponsors receive grants from non-profit organizations that enable them to cover the first month’s rent and food for refugees so that newcomers may focus their energy on assimilating into the American way of life. Refugees are placed in the U.S. primarily according to connections they may have in a particular state.
A State Department spokesperson, speaking about refugees resettling in the U.S., explains, “We try very hard to get refugees close to people that they know because we think that they have a better chance of success if they have [a] support network when they first arrive, aside from just the volunteers.” Other factors include easy access to healthcare depending on personal medical conditions, fluency in English, and job prospects.
Assimilation and building a new life
After the initial chaos and novelty of entering a new country subsides, new immigrants seek to build a new life. They must acquire the appropriate credentials sanctioned by U.S. standards to continue in a field such as medicine or teaching. As a result, many immigrants find themselves at first in low-skilled jobs.
Though refugees do not pay out of pocket for any of their costs at the time of their resettlement, they must begin repaying their travel loan 6 months after arrival.
Though they receive up to three month’s rent, they do not enter subsidized housing, and therefore must find a job shortly after resettling in the U.S. In addition, U.S. agencies, such as Catholic Charities USA, are set up to help refugees apply for jobs and find education and training for their trade.
Just like any American citizen, they are free to relocate as they wish. Local organizations are set up in many cities to continue giving support to refugees.
– Mary Furth
Sources: Refugees, State.gov, UWB, USCIS, US News
Photo: Googgle Images
Karam Foundation: Reconstructing Education in Syria
The Karam Foundation is an American-based charity, that operates outside of Turkey. Its main purpose is to raise funds to rebuild schools in Syria, as well as to secure opportunities for Syrian children.
The organization’s mission is especially important at a time when the conflict in Syria has led to the recent closure of some schools in the protectorates of Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zour and other rural areas. These combined factors have disrupted the education of more than 670,000 students, according to UNICEF.
In addition, the majority of the country’s 5,000 schools cannot be used because they have been damaged, destroyed, or recently bombed. Some schools have even become bases for the armed forces and rebel groups. In 2015, more than 120 schools were bombed, in some cases, deliberately.
Not surprisingly, many parents have stopped sending their children to school. Syrian teachers have also paid a heavy price, as many have been forced to leave their jobs as a result of the ongoing conflict.
However, Karam Foundation has proposed that even in the face of adversity, it is necessary to invest in the children living in Syria by rebuilding their education and promoting prosperity.
The Foundation is focused on reconstructing the education system to ensure sustainability instead of finding short-term solutions that may not be durable.
The Karam Foundation also explains on its website that it is, “On a mission to build better future for Syria, this initiative is dedicated to providing aid that matters and finding the most effective and impactful ways to help the Syrian people.”
The Foundation has implemented both creative and therapeutic programs, with the help of dozens of experts that bring inspiration to thousands of displaced Syrian children. Through its sustainable development mechanism, the organization also provides innovative technology, effective business models and grants for Syrian children who desire to maintain themselves.
Moreover, year round, Karam Foundation provides basic necessities, such a food, clothing and heating fuel to thousands of Syrian families.
– Isabella Rölz
Sources: Karam Foundation, UNICEF, FIP
Photo: Wikipedia
Yudala Makes First Drone Delivery in Nigeria
A group of spectators and several media organizations came with camera crews to watch the drone take off from the Yudala headquarters in Gbagada.
The drone delivered a Nokia smart phone to a customer who ordered from the Yudala website. It flew all the way to an Access Bank branch located along the Gbagada-Oshodi Expressway where the item was successfully delivered, according to Vanguard.
The customer who received the smart phone, Yetunde Lawal, said, “I am extremely delighted and indeed short of words to explain how I feel to be the first person to receive an item via drone delivery in Nigeria, all thanks to Yudala. This is an innovative concept in the evolution of e-commerce in the country, which I am sure other competitors will want to copy.”
Yudala continued to make drone deliveries throughout the rest of its Black Friday sales, which took place from November 26 to November 30.
Lawal said, “Yudala has met and exceeded my expectations, and I can only encourage all my colleagues, friends and family to shop and shop on Yudala. Black Friday is here, and I am glad that the Yudala offer will run till Monday.”
Companies such as Amazon are working to incorporate drone deliveries into their businesses, according to CNN. Drone deliveries are believed to be the future for online delivery companies.
Yudala is Nigeria’s first true composite online and offline retail chain. The word means “best wishes, peace of mind and prosperity” and is the first organization in Nigeria to combine an online platform with offline stores located in cities across Africa.
According to MSN News, Yudala has a strong ambition to control the pace and set new milestones for online and offline retail business. The company started up four months ago and has been very successful ever since.
They have been working on some powerful campaigns to break through to Africa, including “Neighbor to Neighbor Mega-Deals” and “October Mid-Day Madness,” according to Innov8tiv.com.
They have also entered into partnerships with other companies such as HP, Lenovo, Apple, Microsoft, Sony and Dell.
– Jordan Connell
Sources: CNN, Innov8tiv.com, MSN News, Vanguard
Photo: Somtoo
MicroSave Counters Poverty in India with Micro-financing
Their team consists of more than 175 professionals in the field, who use their skills to assist professionals in underdeveloped countries. Their work focuses on a market-led approach, which allows them to find customer-driven solutions. They take the time to visit low-income customers personally and to learn about their interests, strengths and circumstances to better help their clients target these customers, along with helping them hone their skills and implement maximum impact in their field.
The MicroSave team aspires to create a world where everyone from different backgrounds and cultures can obtain financial services tailored to their needs, and use these services to create anti-poverty solutions.
Their mission is to strengthen the capacity of institutions in underdeveloped countries through a series of financial inclusion models that help deliver financial services to people in a more effective manner. MicroSave has created a large number of these models to cover multiple fields of business, including sales and retail, small and medium enterprise financing, energy financing and digital financial services. The models connect people with a large range of stakeholders including self-help groups, banking correspondents and community-based financial organizations.
MicroSave also offers training and workshops that teach leaders how to build strong institutions, by effectively reaching out to customers through proper services, marketing, product development and innovation. These workshops provide clients with the knowledge needed to successfully become businessmen and women.
MircoSave’s team is divided into four groups to help apply services effectively. These groups include training, research, finance and risk management. The training group ensures knowledge is leveraged among their clients through preparatory materials, classroom training and certification.
The group responsible for research helps keep MicroSave and its clients afloat by making sure tactics are up to date and reliable in the specific industry they are working in.
The finance team teaches responsibility in finances to their clients, so money is used properly during and after their time with their clients.
Lastly, the risk management group focuses on training clients to work efficiently, decreasing their margin of error.
Over the last few years, MicroSave has expanded its services throughout Asia and Africa, working toward the goal of spreading proper financing techniques, and decreasing poverty throughout the world.
– Julia Hettiger
Sources: MicroSave, Bloomberg, Microfinance Focus
Photo: Madhyame
Top 5 Humanitarian Aid Organizations
The Borgen Project has received lots of praise for an innovative approach that has taken the global poverty fight to the political level, but there are numerous aid organizations doing great work. The United Nations offers consultative status to 3,900 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with roughly one-third of these located within the United States. While most NGOs offer humanitarian aid, some focus on issues regarding hunger while others on human trafficking. With so many different groups and issues to choose from, how does one decide which of the top humanitarian aid organizations to support?
Top Humanitarian Aid Organizations
1. World Food Programme (WFP)
This organization is part of the U.N. system and is the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, the WFP reaches 90 million people with food assistance in 80 countries. In 2012, the WFP provided 53 percent of global food aid and distributed 3.5 million tons of food.
2. Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)
CARE is an organization dedicated to fighting global poverty. The organization leads community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of disease, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, and protect natural resources. CARE also provides emergency aid for war and natural disasters. They have supported close to 1000 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects.
3. Oxfam International
Oxfam is an international confederation of 17 organizations working in approximately 90 countries worldwide to find solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. They focus on issues of active citizenship, agriculture, education, gender justice, health, peace and security and youth outreach. Through advocacy, campaigning, policy research and development projects, Oxfam continues to change the lives of many.
4. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, reaching 150 million people in 189 National Societies. Their vast volunteering network of 13 million allows them to tackle issues in four main areas: disaster response, disaster preparedness, health and community care and promote humanitarian values of social inclusion and peace.
5. Action Against Hunger (AAH)
AAH is a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger, works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. In 2012, AAH provided 550,000 small farmers with tools, treated 42,000 malnourished children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and helped 170,000 people gain access to clean water in Kenya.
Any of these humanitarian organizations offer chances to donate, volunteer, and advocate for their respective causes. For more information regarding humanitarian aid and charity organizations, visit charitynavigator.org.
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: UNHRD Humanitarian Response DepotE, Action Against Hunger, OXFAM International, World Food Programme, CARE International, International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Careers in Humanitarian Aid
Humanitarian aid organizations provide various employment opportunities for any individual seeking to assist nations and communities that experience poverty, war, natural disasters and other conflicts. However, once you figure out that you want to do something it can still be difficult to determine the right humanitarian job that matches your skillset. We have put together some humanitarian careers to help you find your path.
Humanitarian aid offers a wide variety of career choices for those who want to use their skills in an impactful and positive way. Within each field, there are several related job opportunities at all levels of skill. It is important to identify your skills and interests before pursuing a particular organization.
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: Inside Disaster, UN Careers
Photo: Borgen Project
David Beckham Auction to Raise Funds for UNICEF
Phillips will host a viewing and gala auction for David Beckham: The Man at its London gallery that is open to the public.
This innovative international gala auction is part of a high-profile, three-year global philanthropic program and exhibition of signed contemporary photography featuring and celebrating David Beckham, according to UNICEF.
The works will be on display from Feb. 27 until the auction on March 10. The proceeds from the auction will go towards 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund and the Positive View Foundation.
“This wonderful project in support of my own 7 Fund at UNICEF and Positive View Foundation will help create change for children and disadvantaged young people around the world,” Beckham said in UNICEF’s press release for the event.
7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund was founded in 2015 to mark the tenth year Beckham has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. 7 aims to protect millions of children from danger and provide help when they need it most, according to the fund’s website.
“David Beckham is the quintessential modern man, his fame far exceeding that of a sportsman. He is universally recognized, an icon of modern masculinity and a magnet for photographers,” David Beckham: The Man Curator Kathy Adler said in UNICEF’s press release for the event. “His appeal is ubiquitous: he is happy being a gay icon, a teenage idol, a spokesperson for sport, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”
In the 10 years Beckham has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he has traveled to Sierra Leone, South Africa and the Philippines to see UNICEF’s work in action.
Beckham used his celebrity status to call attention to the adversity faced by impoverished children around the world and continues to raise awareness in his role as a global ambassador.
Beckham has also met with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron to request more be done to help children affected by malnutrition around the world, according to Beckham’s ambassador page.
The Positive View Foundation was founded in 1994 as a philanthropic photography project and has morphed into an organization that helps disadvantaged young people in the U.K.
Over 50 pieces of photography from 27 different photographers including Annie Liebovitz, Nadav Kander and Inez & Vinnodh will be available for bidding, according to UNICEF.
– Summer Jackson
Sources: 7.org, Positive View Foundation, UNICEF 1, UNICEF 2
Photo: Caught Offside
$20 Million Awarded to Fight Food Insecurity in Sri Lanka
Health officials say the grant will primarily be used to improve childhood nutrition in rural communities, where an estimated 21 percent of children under the age of five are moderately or severely underweight. More than 17 percent of children in Sri Lanka are also victims of stunting
“Poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of children’s lives can have irreversible consequences…so, we must do what we can, as fast as we can, to give the most disadvantaged mothers and children dependable, quality nutrition,” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said.
Vulnerability to malnutrition affects many Sri Lankans who have been displaced by 30 years of internal conflict. The problem occasionally escalates when seasonal tsunamis and droughts pass over the island nation.
In partnership with Sri Lanka’s Ministries of Health and Education, WFP currently reaches children in school and at home.
WFP’s Schools Meals Program provides rice, dhal and vegetables to 160,000 students in 958 schools across the Northern Province. For many of the students served by the program, these school lunches are their only nutritional daily meal – a safety net, which has increased school enrollment and attendance.
Through regional health clinics, WFP distributes a nutritional supplement called Super Cereal Plus to 4,300 new and expectant mothers and over 10,000 children under the age of five. The supplement is a blend of corn, soy, vitamins and minerals and provides a guard against acute malnutrition.
The $20 million grant from WFP will help maintain funding levels for these programs as well as expand them to more provinces and more rural communities. The WFP said it hopes every child in Sri Lanka will receive reliable nutrition.
WFP also partners with the Ministry of Environment to strengthen agricultural resilience to climate shocks like drought and flooding. Their programs have reached 14,000 farmers. The organization hopes by empowering farming communities to be efficient and sustainable, they may be able to mitigate the effects of future climate shock, and thereby food insecurity in Sri Lanka.
– Ron Minard
Sources: News.lk, Scaling Up Nutrition, UNICEF, WFP, WHO
Photo: IPS
Alan Rickman’s Last Role: Raising Funds for Refugees
British film star Alan Rickman narrated a charity video relating to the aid of refugees shortly before his cancer-related death on Jan. 14.
The 30-second video was created in collaboration with nonprofit OneClickGiving and features a tortoise eating a strawberry.
Throughout the video, Rickman explained that by watching and sharing, viewers have an opportunity to make a difference.
“The more viewers the video gets, the more advertising revenue YouTube will give us,” he said within the voiceover. “All you need to do is watch and share.”
The video, titled “This Tortoise Could Save a Life,” has received well over three million views on YouTube since it was uploaded, with the money raised from each view going to the Refugee Council and Save the Children charities.
Save the Children works worldwide to improve the lives of child refugees through aid and support, and the Refugee Council works to help refugees seek safety and rebuild their lives within the United Kingdom.
“It is an innovative project for an extremely important cause,” OneClickCharity founder Oliver Phillips said in a press release. “Our charities are two of the most effective at helping refugees, who desperately need your support.”
The refugee crisis has become a growing global concern as the number of displaced individuals worldwide continues to grow. According to the UN Refugee Agency, there were 19.5 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2014. That’s 2.9 million more than in 2013. Just over half of those refugees, or 51 percent, were under 18 years old, the highest amount of child refugees in more than a decade.
Phillips recently told the BBC that the charity believes it was one of the last recordings the late actor made.
“I’m so grateful that with all this going on he still agreed to give us his time, it’s really amazing,” he said. “It would not have been the same without him. All the views we’ve got are accountable to him.”
Alan Rickman, best known for his roles in Harry Potter and Die Hard, worked with a variety of charities throughout his lifetime. According to BBC Radio, the well-known actor was the president of the International Performer’s Aid Trust, which focuses on poverty alleviation throughout the world’s toughest conditions.
The link to the YouTube video is as follows, titled This Tortoise Could Save a Life — Ft. Alan Rickman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkiMz-e2ZcE
– Lauren Lewis
Sources: Youtube, TFN, Look to the Stars, Arts.Mic, Mashable, ABC, BBC, Save the Children, Refugee Council, BBC Radio, One Click Giving
Photo: Flickr
Zambian Women Team Up to End Poverty
Women in Kabwe, Zambia’s central province are establishing clubs and associations to help fight poverty. Through these organizations, Zambian women are educated on aid programs available and encouraged to take advantage of them.
Kabwe is a rural province with an 80 percent poverty rate. Women are especially vulnerable to poverty because of the tradition of gender inequality.
In the Mumbwa district of Kabwe, the Tandabale Wakamana Club has 20 female members who work to improve the quality of life and agriculture. Together they grow maize, groundnuts, and keep livestock.
Rhoda Kakoma, a member of the Tandabale Wakamana Club, said: “Through our club, I now own goats. I keep chickens and I also make fritters and the money I raise I am able to send my children to school. I have now managed to build a house which I have roofed.”
According to Mumbwa community development officer Abel Mwape, women are empowering one another in areas such as agriculture, weaving, tailoring, and rearing animals. These clubs help women find markets so they can sell their produce to make for profits.
In the Itezhi tezhi clubs have encouraged women to get involved in peanut butter making, basket weaving, and netting to sell in the markets.
The clubs are also making women aware of the Food Security Pack (FSF) which is a safety net program for farming households; particularly aiding households headed by women, children, and disabled persons.
Women are also connected to the Social Cash Transfer which provides women involved in agriculture with cash incentives in order to maintain their farms and livelihoods.
“Empowering rural women, therefore, remains cardinal to the well-being of individuals, families and rural communities,” said Engwase Mwale, the executive director for Non-Governmental Organizations Coordinating Council (NGOCC). “This is largely because women are the bedrock of our families, and indeed society at large.”
– Marie Helene Ngom
Sources: Dailymail, MCDMCH, IDS
Photo: Dailymail