Catholic Diocese of Arlington 
Office of Migration and Refugee Services
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Catholic Diocese of Arlington
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Diocese of Arlington Office of Resettlement Welcoming the Stranger Celebrating 30 Years of Service 1975-2005 Winter 2005-2006
In her Op-Ed on November 23, 2005, Chairman of the American Red Cross, Bonnie McEveen-Hunter wrote; “If there was such a thing as a ‘Disaster Dictionary,’ under the word ‘unprecedented’ the definition would simply say ‘See: Year 2005.’ On the very next line, I am sure it would say ‘See also: Generosity of the American People.’ ”
We have seen disasters far away, as in the tsunami disaster, and close at home, as the Gulf coast disaster. Americans, as usual, responded vigorously to both in a show of natural human solidarity with those far away. When the Katrina disaster hit close to home, the same people responded with an unmistakable strength to assist our brothers and sisters who lost everything.
The Office of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) has seen the positive response up close as we have worked with so many of you who opened your doors, shared your clothing, sacrificed your second car, and even spent hundreds of hours assisting those who needed a helping hand. Here at MRS, we work with individuals from near (Louisiana) and far (Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, and others) and we see so much similarity in the challenges they face. We also see similarity in the way they bravely face the challenges at hand with a determination to survive.
The same tears that flow on the cheeks of a desperate mother who lost a husband in Afghanistan, we can read in the eyes of a southern Sudanese couple who were chased out of their village, left with no information of family and friends, to the family who lost everything in New Orleans and cannot fathom what will happen next after their friend or relative asks them to leave or when a parish is finished assisting them. We cannot stop now; we need to help each of these individuals and make sure that our commitment is to see them through to self-sufficiency.
During this holy season, we are thankful for all the gifts that God has provided us and we would like to thank you for sharing your blessings with us and those whom we assist. Yes, we would be delighted if each one of you could join us in assisting all these needy friends, but more importantly, we would ask you to be involved in any way and with whomever you feel you can make a difference. If you choose to join our team in assisting those in need here are some of the things you can do:
(provides refugees with emergency money in case of eviction, or job loss)
Refugee Services
(food drive, school supplies, household items, toys etc)
Thank You! Fall at the Pumpkin Patch!
Staff, volunteers, and kids enjoyed a beautiful day at the Fall Festival November 5th at Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia. The festival included face painting, multiple hay slides, kettle corn, hay rides, pumpkin throwing contests, hay tunnels, barn tours and baby animals, rope swings, and more! Everyone received a free mini-pumpkin at the end of the day. *** Strengthening Refugee Families and Marriage (SRFM) Strengthening Refugee Families and Marriage (SRFM) is a one year project funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement through the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB). This project was launched to assist refugees in their struggle to keep their families together and succeed in a new and challenging environment.
The project coordinator with refugee agency staff and selected volunteer mentors will meet with ethnic leaders among the Afghanis, Eritreans, Ethiopians, Iranians, Somalis, and Sudanese, to explore how they and members of their ethnic community may deal with parenting, intergenerational conflict, gender issues and marital stress. They will be asked to serve as mentors to their community and to help convene discussion groups based on the Power of Two. Some of the critical issues that will be looked into are:
Current staff member, Amal El-Sheikh has accepted the responsibility of coordinating the new project. Amal’s extensive experience in working with various ethnic communities in Northern Virginia along with her teaching background made her a perfect choice to carry out this new initiative. *** Virginia Refugee Student Achievement Project (VRSAP)
VRSAP aims to assist refugee students in target areas with academic achievement. This program is funded through the Office of Newcomer Services of Virginia’s Department of Social Services. The program is open to any children of a refugee or asylee enrolled in Fairfax County or Falls Church City Schools.
Refugee students not only face challenges of adapting to a new place and a new language, but they also have additional issues with family responsibility and cultural expectations.
Refugee students need an extra support system to ensure their academic success.
VRSAP will also assist refugee parents with resources to find a job and become self-sufficient. Would you like to get involved???
TUTORS: Tutors are needed to work individually with refugee children who need help with homework. They meet with the student after school and address academic needs. (Tutors can also be mentors!)
MENTOR: Mentors develop a friendship with the student and student’s family, help the student with social skills, and introduce community resources. (Mentors can also be tutors!)
DONATE: -Math and reading workbooks -Simple English novels -Backpacks and school supplies: notebooks, paper, scissors, glue, calculators, binder, crayons, pens, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, markers, folders, etc. -Computers and printers A Refugee Success Story By Abdirahman Dahir
Mohamed Ahmed is a refugee from Somalia. He came to the U.S in December of 2004 through the Arlington Diocese Refugee Resettlement Program. He came with three of his younger siblings, all girls and his grandmother. They reunited with their mother who lives in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Mohamed was 19 years old at the time of arrival. He spoke fairly good English. His three siblings however spoke little or no English and as a result he was shouldering the heavy responsibility of assist-
ing them to understand their new
environment. He became
instrumental in helping them acclimate to their home and culture.
During
their first two weeks in Virginia, the siblings were invited to participate
in three days of pre-employment training conducted for new arrivals. While
in the workshop, it was apparent that Mohamed was wearing many hats. He was
acting as an interpreter on many occasions to help his sisters understand
the concepts about the job search in America that was alien to all of them.
Shortly after the pre-employment training, Mohamed found a job at Wegmans in the customer service department. He has also started attending alternative high school to compensate the many years he spent in a refugee camps in Kenya without proper education. He is now attending Pimmit Hills High School where he is in the 11th grade. He is striving to finish his GED and wants to go to Northern Virginia Community College. In the long run he is aspiring to become a dentist. With barely a year in the country, Mohamed drives his own car and commutes between work and school.
It is, however, his achievement outside of work and school that is even more exciting. Months after Mohamed’s arrival, he went to a soccer field where fellow compatriots were practicing. He asked if he could practice with them. It was during this period that he was spotted by a coach of a Somali soccer team in the Washington Metropolitan area called Washington Stars. The coach was amazed by the talent of this young man in passing, dribbling and controlling the ball. He was immediately invited to become a team member, and for a relatively short time he secured a coveted position of a forward wearing number nine. Washington Stars recently reached the semifinals in an annual tournament of a dozen teams from the United States and Canada held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this tournament, Mohamed scored six goals and was recognized as a valuable player of his team.
Mohamed’s pleasant disposition has earned him many friends at work, school, and certainly among his fellow soccer players that meet annually and seasonally.
We at the Arlington Diocese Refugee Service office are proud of Mohamed’s hard work and the example he has set for all our new refugees! Welcome to the United States! In the last quarter, many new refugee families have arrived in Northern Virginia! Join with us in welcoming them to our community. From September until December we received the following refugees: Somalia 7 Eritrea 5 Cuba 5 Afghanistan 1 Vietnam 26 Total: 44
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