Giving Tuesday in support of refugee self-reliance
- Justin Harnish
- Nov 27, 2014
- 2 min read
Women of the World has been spreading the word about how amazing Utah has been in support of refugee women’s self-reliance — see the below spot on Comcast Newsmakers that went international on CNN Headline News.http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1More support is always needed. Women of the World knows that your holiday dollars are stretched thin, but for just $20 you can ensure that a refugee family can celebrate in the holiday season along with its community. For just the price of a night at the movies, you can help a refugee mother give the warmth of the season to her family. Just by knowing that her community is there for her — her self-reliance is bolstered.Consider using Giving Tuesday in support of refugee self-reliance.
Below is a more detailed account of what is possible when Women of the World is utilized to support women refugees no longer supported by intake agencies and who want to excel.
It was 11pm when I received a call from one of the ladies from the Congo. She was crying but conveyed with her broken English mixed with French that she had lost her wallet on the bus. She was so frustrated because her green card and her ID was in it. I had to calm her down, told her that tomorrow morning I would go and apply for new green card and ID.This woman is a survivor of war, oppression, poverty and rape, she is a single mother of three and a grandmother, all of whom depend on her for support. Her mother is paralyzed and she also needs a lot of help.The government supports her with food stamps but she only receives cash assistance if she works for 8 hours a day. She leaves her house from 7am-7pm to babysit for another family from Africa. Of course no one takes care of her mother when she is gone to work. As a result of losing her green card, she lost her opportunity to get a handicap accessible apartment (she was living in a basement with many stairs and she has to carry her mother upstairs to take her to doctor appointments).I got her a green card without her paying $460 fine, and I looked for legal places that can pay her to take care of her mother until I found one in an unknown program at Salt Lake County.Now she and her family are very happy and self-reliant because she is taking care of her mother, moved to accessible apartment, got her drivers license, and is learning English. She is graduating WoW this December!
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