Who is a Refugee?

A refugee is a person who has been forced from his or her home and crossed an international border for safety. He or she must have a well-founded fear of persecution in his or her native country, on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Refugees come with only a few belongings and in debt for the price of their transportation from countries in Africa, the former Soviet Union, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.

The United States is a land of great diversity, and refugees can be found in communities all across the country. Refugees may be resettled in small towns, big cities, or suburban communities. A refugee with close relatives already in the United States will probably be resettled where the relatives live. Otherwise, a resettlement agency will decide the best placement site based on the availability of jobs, housing, and social services.
The resettlement agency, often called the sponsor, is the most important source of information and assistance during the refugees’ first months in the United States. The agency does many things: It ensures that refugees are welcomed at the airport; arranges for their housing, furniture, and basic household supplies; conducts orientation; and prepares a resettlement plan. As part of the plan, the agency refers refugees to social services and employment.

Why Hire Refugees?

Reduce turnover rates – Refugees typically are loyal employees.

• Acquire employees with a strong work ethic — Employers find that refugees have overcome many challenges to be here and are motivated to work hard to support their families and new life in the U.S.

• Diversify your workforce – Refugees come from countries around the world and are often multi-lingual. They enable your company to accommodate a wider range of languages and cultures.

• Refugees are legal, employment-authorized immigrants – All refugees are employment authorized from the day they arrive in the U.S. They can provide all necessary documents to complete the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form.

Refugee Myths?

Refugees are here illegally
Refugees are a drain to economy
Refugees take jobs that belong to Americans

African Refugees

Statistics

Country of Origin	Number Resettled
SOMALIA	2245
ETHIOPIA	772
LIBERIA	651
BURUNDI	445
SUDAN	354
Eritrea	214
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO	135
RWANDA	49
NIGERIA	48
Mauritania	20
TOGO	15
CONGO	14
ZIMBABWE	14
CHAD	8
Gambia	6
ANGOLA	5
KENYA	4
SENEGAL	3
UGANDA	3
EGYPT	1
IVORY COAST	1
TOTAL RESETTLED**	5007
** Source= WRAPS Arrival Database (ORR)

Total Arrivals Resettled in Georgia from the African Continent 1/1/2009 thru 5/31/2009

Bhutanese Refugee Crisis In Nepal

Many are probably completely unaware of a refugee crisis taking place in the eastern region of Nepal. Currently, some 96,000 refugees are accommodated and assisted in seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal with assistance from the UNHCR. An additional 15,000 refugees are scattered throughout Nepal, attempting to rebuild their shattered lives.
With one sixth of the population in exile, the tiny kingdom of Bhutan has the dubious distinction of being one of the world’s highest per capita generators of refugees. The roots of the problem lie in the government’s attempts to alter the kingdom’s demography in favor of the ruling ethnic group.
Since 1990, over 100,000 thousand southern Bhutanese of Nepalese ethnicity have been made refugees after being forcibly evicted, forced to flee persecution and repression, or expelled after being coerced into signing “voluntary” emigration forms. Ten years later, the refugees remain in camps in Nepal administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The refugees need a lot of support in every way possible. Below is a list I have attempted to put together of all that they need.

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

plates
cups
spoons
knives
kitchenware
linen
comforters
towels
shower curtains

CLOTHES ITEMS

women
men
children
babies
SHOES
women
men
children

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

books
pencils
colors
backpacks

WISH LIST
Grant writers
Office space/Warehouse
Technical support
Fundraising support