The Charlotte Jewish News - March 2009 - Page 17
HIAS NC Continues to Resettle Refugees
By Ellen Dubin
This year HIAS NC expects to
resettle about 225 refugees in
Charlotte and needs your support.
Here are some FAQs:
Q. What is a refugee?
A. A refugee is a person who,
owing to a well-founded fear of
being persecuted for reasons of
race, religion, nationality, mem
bership of a particular social
group, or political opinion, is out
side the country of their nationali
ty, and is unable to, or owing to
such fear, is unwilling to avail
him/herself of the protection of
that country. (United Nations
Convention Relating to the Status
of Refugees, 1951).
Q. How many refugees are
there?
A. More than 6.5 million peo
ple world-wide are refugees; 80%
of refugees are women and chil
dren. Refugees often spend more
than ten years in refugee camps in
an “asylum country” before reset
tlement in a third country. There
are only 17 countries in the world
that accept an annual quota of
refugees; the United States accepts
and resettles more than the other
16 nations combined. The US
quota for 2009 is 70,000. In
recent years HIAS, Inc. has been
resettling approximately 3-4% of
the total number of refugees that
enter the US; HIAS NC has been
resettling approximately 8% of
that number.
Q. What is HIAS NC?
A. HIAS NC is the only wholly
owned subsidiary of HIAS, Inc.
(Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society)
that resettles refugees in the US.
All other HIAS affiliates are either
supported by their local Jewish
Federations or recently became
independent entities. HIAS NC
was started during the Fall of 1995
and has been resettling refugees in
Charlotte since April 1996. To
date, the agency has resettled
more than 1500 people, mostly in
Charlotte. “The primary mission
of HIAS is to assist [those] whose
lives and freedom are in danger.
HIAS helps people escaping per
secution ...; assures resettlement
assistance to refugees ... advo
cates on behalf of refugees ...”
HIAS NC, as part of the oldest
resettlement agency in the US,
serves refugee adults and families
from many countries, presently:
Bhutan, Burma, Liberia, Iran,
Iraq, Somalia, Vietnam and the
Former Soviet Union. These
clients include religious and ethnic
minorities.
Q. What does HIAS NC do?
A. HIAS NC services include
airport reception, establishing
refugees in an apartment, English
classes for adults, health care via
community agencies, job place
ment, enrolling children in public
schools, providing shopping and
transportation help. HIAS NC also
serves as a communications link
between clients, communities of
resettlement, other agencies, and
government authorities. The goal
of the services and procedures is
to assist the refugees in becoming
economically self sufficient as
HIAS
quickly as possible and becoming
active participants and contribu
tors to the community.
Q. What can I do to help?
A. HIAS NC needs “extra
hands” and refugees need
American friends. Volunteers are
needed to drive refugees to health
and job appointments as well as to
community events; help set up
apartments; teach clients to ride
the bus; pick up furniture dona
tions; tutor adults with low litera
cy skills; tutor computer skills;
assist the director with record
keeping; coach clients or the citi
zenship test.
Q. What else does HIAS NC
need?
A. Job leads and donations.
Employment team members pre
screen clients for job readiness
and skills. Most employers tell us
that refugees make honest, loyal
workers.
Donations: Checks (made out
to HIAS NC); cars in working
condition; furniture including
beds (mattresses, box springs and
frames), chests, dressers, night
stands, sofas, coffee tables, lamp
tables, lamps, kitchen tables and
chairs, TVs; baby items including
baby clothing, high chairs,
strollers; play pens; car seats,
booster seats and cribs; gently
used bed and bath linens; kitchen
items including dishes, pots and
pans, glasses, flatware; personal
hygiene, cleaning and paper items
such as soap, shampoo, dish deter
gent, cleaning supplies, sponges.
napkins, paper towels, tissues,
etc.; coats, jackets, hats and
scarves.
Q. How do I contact HIAS NC?
A. Call 704-535-8803 or send
an email to ellen.dubin@hias.org
to volunteer, make a donation or
leam more about HIAS NC. Call
704-535-8803 or send and email
to thanei.taithio@hias.org to
arrange for a furniture pick-up. ^
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