This World Refugee Day, Create Hope Away From Home for a Refugee Family
Basma Alawee is a Jacksonville, Florida, resident and former refugee from Iraq. She is the Director of External Affairs at the Community Sponsorship Hub, the organization leading a consortium of nonprofit organizations implementing the Welcome Corps. Basma has also used her own story to empower others and effect change at local, state and national levels.
Imagine being forced to leave your home in a wash of uncertainty and distress about what the future may hold. Imagine being separated from your family and not knowing when or where you might see each other again. Imagine starting over in an unfamiliar place, aching for community and belonging. For the more than 110 million refugees and forcibly displaced people worldwide, they do not have to imagine.
June 20th marks World Refugee Day, a call to global citizens to provide more hope, more opportunities and more faith for refugees who dream of returning home when it is safe to do so and for those whose only safe option is to resettle in another country.
Thirteen years ago, I found safety in Northeast Florida when my family fled Iraq after my husband received death threats for his work as a translator for the American military. I didn’t want to leave the home I had built with my husband and our young daughter. I didn’t want to leave behind my parents or my career as a chemical engineer.
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When we arrived in America, many of life's experiences were new to us again: transportation, schools, healthcare. Resettlement agency case workers helped us access benefits, find a place to live and learn about life in America.
I also relied on community members who co-sponsored me and mentored me through my journey in making the U.S. my home. They became friends for life. One showed me the way to build my resume and helped me secure my first teaching position. Another taught me how to drive and helped me get my driver’s license. Another friend mentored me on how to navigate enrolling my kids in school.
Finding community in Jacksonville was the difference between being recognized as an outsider and being embraced as a newcomer. As a Muslim woman and a refugee, my family and I experienced discrimination as we adapted to our new home. The people who welcomed us inspired me to do the same. I took ownership of my story and created a community of welcome through my work with local, and national nonprofits. I wanted to build a space that lifts refugee voices and brings communities closer together.
You, too, can create hope for refugees away from home as they adapt to life in America.
Earlier this year, the State Department launched a new program called the Welcome Corps. Through the Welcome Corps, groups of five or more adults make a joint commitment to provide services and mentorship to refugees arriving in the United States. Groups work together to help families adapt to life in America and receive the welcome they deserve—and at the same time learning about and strengthening connections in their own communities.
No matter where we come from or what we look like, we all want similar things: hope to build our lives in a safe community, opportunity to provide for our loved ones and fulfill our potential, and finding faith in our shared humanity.
Refugees bring unique perspectives, creative ideas and renewed energy to the communities they join. The refugee community–and immigrants in general–not only contribute to the tapestry of a local community by boosting revenue and economic output, but by exploring all opportunities available we provide a fresh perspective on just what is possible for all people in this country.
The cost of exclusion is far greater than the cost of inclusion. The Welcome Corps makes inclusion possible through community sponsors who secure housing, greet refugee newcomers at the airport, help enroll children in schools, find employment for adults, and provide a chance to learn, grow and regain their futures here in America.
Everyone benefits from shared humanity. It’s not hard to imagine communities where new neighbors are welcomed with open arms; where newcomers can thrive and find a new sense of belonging; or where refugees can find hope away from home. For many, we do not have to imagine. Celebrate this World Refugee Day by learning more about how you can join the Welcome Corps and make a difference in the lives of refugees seeking the promise of opportunity and a sense of belonging in communities like this one all across the country.