Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center

Homework Help for Burmese Children

2009-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Homework Help for Burmese Children

RIAC has settled over 50 Burmese refugees in Worcester over the past few years. Many of these families came during the summer of 2009. During the fall season, we established a Homework Help Project for Burmese children ranging in ages from seven to fourteen. Taking place once a week, on Saturday mornings for two hours, Holy Cross students volunteered their time to practice English with the children, help them with homework, teach them about American culture, play games and help them build friendship amongst one another. This program was a great success!! The same children, and others, returned each week to learn from the Holy Cross students, who were learning about Burmese culture in return. We hope to resume this program next semester and also make the opportunity available to families from other countries.

DOHERTY HIGH SCHOOL HELPS RIAC

2009-12-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

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DOHERTY HIGH SCHOOL HELPS RIAC

One of our most recent initiatives engaged the Worcester community in RIAC’s Refugee Resettlement Program while simultaneously spreading the word of RIAC’s good work as non-profit organization in the city. Thanks to the efforts of a Holy Cross work-study student who works part time in RIAC’s office, students and faculty from Doherty High School generously donated some basic necessities for new families. Items such as winter clothing, sheets and kitchen ware -- 20 boxes of items -- will be distributed amongst the refugee families in time for the winter season. This enormous support allows RIAC staff to focus on all the other tasks needed in the resettlement process and the combined efforts of our volunteers and employees provides for a smoother transition for the refugees. Many thanks to Doherty High School and the Holy Cross student, an alum of Doherty High School, who organized this great effort!!

2009 SUMMER LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR SOMALI GIRLS

2009-11-03T08:58:00.000-08:00

RIAC was one of 50 organizations in Boston funded by the Boston Foundation to run a Streetsafe Boston summer program. Teen age girls gathered each week in the Jamaica Plain office. They participated in leadership training, listened to guest speakers and organized three different summer events. The final event was a big success! The program ended with a beautiful Somali fashion show, music and dancing which thoroughly entertained the program participants, their friends and family.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM HELPS SOMALIS LIVING IN LYNN AND SURROUNDING TOWNS

2009-10-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM HELPS SOMALIS LIVING IN LYNN AND SURROUNDING TOWNS

The Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center and Family Continuity in Peabody have come together to provide families with a Community Support Program (CSP). The program helps Somalis and other refugees and immigrants who live in the North Shore access needed health care. Bilingual/bicultural staff assist health care providers better understand the cultural, psychological and social circumstances that impact these patients. They assist with interpretation and offer on-going support to the family.

Many of the individuals and families that have benefited from this program are Somali Bantu who came to Lynn under the U.S. Department of State’s Refugee Resettlement Program. Lynn is now home to some 150 Somali Bantu families.

Many refugees coming to the United States have endured war, hardships and struggles before arriving. Once they are here, there are new challenges. Adjusting to a new culture and a new life can be overwhelming. The CSP helps to ease this transition. Clients who need this assistance are referred into RIAC’s Community Support Program from local health centers. All clients must be receiving Mass Health.

For more information about the program contact:

Nimo Egal
781-593-0100 extension 14
20 Wheeler Street, 4th floor
Lynn, MA 01902

Women Gather for Sewing and ESL

2009-01-12T11:03:00.001-08:00

In the Fall of 2008 RIAC began a 12-week sewing and ESL class for Somali women who live in the Jamaica Plain area. The program’s sewing component meets on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Students learn and practice basic sewing on a machine. On Wednesday mornings the women convene for ESL classes. In the ESL class they practice conversation, reading and writing – often on sewing related topics. This program helps Somali refugee women gather, develop new and useful skills while improving their English. This program has been made possible through a generous grant from the Clowes Fund.

RIAC as a Site for Community Service

2009-01-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

During the Fall 2008 semester, as part of the Urban Sociology course, four Holy Cross students helped us to develop a Drop-in Center for our refugee clients in Worcester. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, the Holy Cross students met with clients, many who had only just arrived in the United States, for two hours of ESL and computer tutoring.

The students covered a wide range of material based on the clients' needs and knowledge of the English language, but the drop-in center aimed primarily to provide a cultural orientation to make clients as comfortable and independent as possible in their new homes. This cultural education ranged from teaching clients to write their names and addresses, to helping them fill out job applications, to explaining Halloween traditions, which could potentially be disconcerting for families unfamiliar with the spooky customs.

The Drop-in Center was very successful for the Holy Cross students who gained a better understanding of refugee resettlement and the RIAC clients who enthusiastically practiced English and were introduced to computers, many for the first time. Everyone involved was able both to teach about their native cultures and languages, and to learn about those of others. Although the sociologycourse that facilitated the start of this initiative has ended, members of the class will continue to volunteer at the Drop-in Center. We hope to develop a continuing relationship between RIAC and Holy Cross for years to come.

Cradles to Crayons

2007-08-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

We recently were registered as a partner with a very exciting organization in Quincy, Massachusetts. Their organizational structure seemed simple and extremely effective.

On their website, they describe their vision as follows:

By connecting communities that have plenty with communities that need. The immediate result is that tens of thousands of children living in low-income families get great everyday supplies such as clothing, shoes, books, school supplies, or toys. We have built a platform for a better community by being a year ‘round avenue for neighbors of all ages to "do something", to get involved and give back and in the "doing" create change. We call it “tangible philanthropy”. Get ready to roll up your sleeves!

We hope to connect this resource to our clients, to provide them with necessities we could never provide before. Thank you Cradles to Crayons!

Planning for August and beyond: Assistance needed

2007-07-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

August is going to be a busy month here at RIAC. We are expecting ten families from Burma/Myanmar and several people from Burundi.

When refugees arrive in Boston, Lynn or Worcester, RIAC is responsible for providing them with an apartment, with basic necessities (furniture, linen, clothing, kitchen wares and a few days worth of food, etc).

We are looking for new and innovative ways to provide for our families' needs. If you have resources or goods, either in your own home or your place of work, please consider assisting families who have just arrived to the United States. Here are some examples of how you can help:

1) Gift cards for stores like Stop 'n Shop and Walmart, so that we can provide exactly what a specific family needs without going beyond our own budget. Do you work for a store with household or grocery items? Ask them if they would consider donating a few gift cards.

2) Providing company or personal donations that could be used for gift cards or the purchase of furniture.

3) Are you moving house? A great way to help would be to donate your used but adequate furniture, particularly if you have a means of transportation.

4) Do you have access to a van? Could you help us by loaning us you van, or even to transporting things yourself, to furnish apartments?

Thank you for your continued support. Making individuals feel welcome as they transition into a completely new environment is one of the most tangible things our organization does. If any of the above applies to you, call Jo at (617) 238 2435

Making a Difference in 2006/2007

2007-07-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

1) During the past year, we have provided resettlement services to refugees from all over the world, including refugees from Eritrea, Liberia, Somalia and Vietnam.

2) We have continued to translate for Somalis in the Boston area, as well as in Lynn and Worcester.

3) We fulfilled our goal of increasing collaboration with other organizations in Massachusetts.

4) We continued to bring together the Somali community for important events, in order to create for discussing difficult issues

5) Through collaboration and community events, we were able to better serve our elders by identifying nad responding to their needs.

Somali Youth Programs

2007-07-24T11:36:00.001-07:00

Maryan Gure, the case manager of Somali Youth Programs, tutors students one-on-one and teaches financial planning and job searching. We are involved in outreach to students, who we refer to the African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE). Our goal is to empower parents by providing the tools they need to understand and facilitate their childrens' learning. Our objective was to improve parents' knowledge of school policies through outreach and communication in Somali.

Promoting a Healthy Community: Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS Prevention

2007-07-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

This year RIAC organized a discussion group about domestic violence issues in the Somali community. Our staff discussed about how to empower the community and inform them about domestic violence. We created a space in which Somali women could discuss this problem openly, facilitating a free flow of information about the resources available for the victims of domestic violence. In the process, we emphasized the health resources available to refugees and immigrants in the greater Boston area.

Together with the Multicultural AIDS coalition and Africans for Improved Access, RIAC facilitated basic risk assessment of HIV/AIDS in the community. Teenagers reported that our programs over the past year helped to decrease stigma around HIV/AIDS, and increase discussion and access to HIV testing.

Bringing People Together: Somali National Week

2007-07-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

RIAC held the fifth Somali National Week celebrations at the end of June 2006 bringing together one hundred and twenty people! Looking back on the year past, we celebrated the triumph of five community members who graduated from college, including Fadumo Maow, who is a grandmother.

It was also a time of reflection and education: eighteen teenagers had the opportunity to watch In Our House, an educational documentary about HIV/AIDS. The community mourned the loss of Abdi Rauf who was shot and died Jun 23, 2006 at the age of nineteen.

Bringing Together Youth and Elders in the Somali Community

2007-07-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

This past year, in collaboration with other organizations that serve refugees, we identified and addressed the need for Somali elders to have opportunities get out of their houses and have more interpersonal contact. Rahma Farah facilitates outreach programs to elders’ homes. In collaboration with the Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services, RIAC has worked to provide a Personal Care Attendant Program to connect Somalis to the general population and increase knowledge of the services available to elders. In collaboration with the Central Boston Elder Service, RIAC has facilitated meals delivered to the home, homemaker services and social activities to improve the well-being of seniors.

Coming to Belong in Boston: Citizenship and Social Services

2007-07-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

Many refugees apply for citizenship after arrival in the US. RIAC’s program director has been helping applicants with the citizenship application process this past year. RIAC has tutored clients in preparation for the citizenship examination, and accompanied individuals for the immigration interview.

Due to our relationship with the Somali community, a large portion of our work involves assisting Somali refugees in medical and social service meetings, both as interpreters and cultural brokers. In order to help Somali refugees and immigrants access needed services in the Boston area, we also translate information designed to educate and improve access to health and social services.

Newcomers from around the world make Boston their home

2007-07-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most important dimensions of our organization over the past year has been the resettlement of newly arrived refugees. During their first eight months in the country, in partnership with Massachusetts Refugee Resettlement Program, new arrivals receive intensive support including cash assistance, job training, medical care, and English language training.

New arrivals hail from all over the world, including families from Russia, Egypt, Sudan and Somalia. From welcoming a family at the airport to helping individuals to find employment we facilitate new refugees’ paths to self-sufficiency in this new Boston environment. This past year, we have resettled refugees in Boston and Worcester. RIAC’s goal is to help refugees to find a new home in Massachusetts.