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Great Ways to Help Refugees Right Now

Great Ways to Help Refugees Right Now

By Patricia Nyhan

RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison who support refugees found an antidote for  discouragement over current resettlement cutbacks. They just keep on thinking up events to engage their community in welcoming refugees, using a model of co-sponsorship.

 

They recently gave a check for more than $6,200 to Open Doors for Refugees, a community group, from their benefit “Freeze for Food” 5K/10 K walk/run held in February.  They asked Open Doors to use the monies for food sustainability (gardens, groceries, nutrition) for refugee families.

 

Several local RPCVs helped launch Open Doors, which had 40 members a year ago and now reaches 800 with its monthly newsletter. Among its colorful events are “Soup for Syria” gatherings bringing together interested people over soup and a speaker.

 

Another was a mini-film series, with talk-backs and soliciting donations following three immigrant-related independent films at the Wisconsin Film Festival in April. The event also drew a large crowd later to “Fire at Sea,” a documentary on the migrant crisis.

 

This month, a 2nd annual community picnic was held for people to meet refugee families. Participants were encouraged to attend two future events:  a benefit concert in July and Welcoming America Week in September, an annual nationwide event to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming new Americans.  www.welcomingamerica.org

 

     Both the RPCVs and Open Doors for Refugees felt devastated by the Trump executive orders, which halved the expected number of refugees to Madison. But they found other ways to stay engaged.

 

    “Our approach is to keep the issue visible and to turn up the heat on advocacy,” says Madeline Uraneck of RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison. 

 

“We are trying to make newcomers feel welcome by organizing a number of ‘teams’ to assist with ESL support, child care, transportation, employment, translation, donations, pick-ups of furniture and apartment set-ups.” Open Doors for Refugees has co-sponsored many events with Madison's two resettlement agencies, Jewish Social Services  and Lutheran Social Services.  

 

“One of the benefits we've noticed is that we are happier being active,” says Uraneck. Write to globalmaddy@gmail.com to receive their monthly e-newsletter. Check out the RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison website: www.rpcvmadison.org

 

 Tell us about your own RPCV group’s strategies for staying active during the refugee resettlement slowdown. Share your ideas on our Facebook page or Twitter.