Red Cross Reaches out to Refugees Nationwide

Written by Stephanie Kriner , Staff Writer, redcross.org

August 14, 2001 — Many refugees arrive in a state of emotional turmoil after fleeing the only homes they've ever known to escape violence and possibly death. Most come with little more than the clothes on their backs. Although only a lucky few get a plane ticket out of a squalid refugee camp or war-torn country, refugees newly arriving in the United States still have many needs, according to the American Red Cross.

For these newcomers, seeing the Red Cross symbol can provide a sense of security and comfort that makes the transition into a strange land a little easier, said Deborah Cooper, an international services worker with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross. "Many of the refugees who come here have received help from the Red Cross in their own country, so there's already a connection," Cooper explained.

The American Red Cross has long played a role in tending to the emergency needs of refugees fleeing war and persecution in foreign lands. Working with our Red Cross partners across the globe, the American Red Cross relief programs support primary health care, bring in food assistance, assure that water supplies are made safe, and help refugees and the displaced find or contact lost family members.

But as wars linger on, refugee camps and host countries become overburdened and unable to continue providing for long-term needs. As a consequence, these lost and dejected populations often seek refuge in another country, such as the United States.

The worldwide refugee population increased to 14.5 million last year, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees. In addition to those who have fled across borders, there are another 20 to 24 million people displaced in their own countries. Nearly 40 percent of all refugees and displaced persons are in Africa.

As more and more people flee, the U.S. immigrant population is growing at about six and a half times the birthrate. A refugee (defined by the U.S. government as "any person who is outside his or her country of nationality and unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution…based on the alien's race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion"). Refugees accepted for resettlement in the United States are eligible for permanent residency after living in the United States for one year. There were 481,500 refugees waiting to become permanent U.S. residents as of December 2000, according the U.S. Committee for Refugees.

American Red Cross chapters across the country are reaching out to meet the needs of refugees and other immigrants who continue to trickle into the United States - still in desperate conditions but hopeful for a better life. While some chapters offer English as a Second Language (ESL) or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) classes, others provide food assistance, translators and varying other services to meet the wide variety of needs among the different foreign populations.

In Miami, Aida Martinelli, director of international and diversity services of the Greater Miami and the Keys Chapter, is recruiting Spanish-speaking volunteers who can serve the area's rapidly growing Latino population. "There are so many people coming into Miami on a daily basis that we feel it might be beneficial," she said. She also hopes to establish programs to guide immigrants through the process of filling out lengthy visa applications to bring close relatives to the United States and help all persons separated from family by war or disaster make contact with relatives.

In Des Moines, Iowa, Mary Ellen Barber, cultural diversity outreach coordinator for the Central Iowa Chapter, has created "Home Safety" and "American Life Skills" classes for immigrant populations at churches, community centers and neighborhoods. "It's really important to build relationships in those communities, and at the same time, provide something that they need," Barber said.

The classes provide lessons about a myriad of issues, such as American domestic abuse and traffic laws, how to prevent house fires, how to find culturally sensitive childcare and talking to teachers in the school system. Barber is particularly touched by the universal concern that refugees share for their children. "When many refugees come here as adults, they feel their lives have been damaged by war or disaster, but their children's lives are still important. So, it's important for us to help them help their children," Barber said.

Cooper, who has enlisted members of Sudan's Lost Boys into her chapter's leadership program for youth, agrees that young refugees have particularly urgent needs. "Refugees often feel so dis-empowered," she said. "Once they get to the United States, children, in particular, continue to be discriminated against. Someone who speaks with a strange accent or wears different clothes is often rejected by other children and dis-empowered even more. If the Red Cross can get these children involved with our activities, then we can give them back a sense of empowerment."

To learn about Red Cross activities with refugees in your area, contact your local chapter.

Related articles:

• The Lost Boys of Sudan: Main Page

• The Lost Boys of Sudan: Part One: The Long Journey
• The Lost Boys of Sudan: Part Two: Out of Africa, In to Boston
• The Lost Boys of Sudan Part Three: A Friend in the Storm
• The Lost Boys of Sudan: Part Four: A Bright Future

• The American Red Cross in Africa