Posts by eparrigin
In the Quad Cities, Eagles Give Back
Eamon Garton of Scout Troop 20 is working to achieve the highest rank in scouts: the Eagle Scout. While the title itself is an honor, his goal is to embody its meaning and the obligations it carries. Eagle Rank “testifies that a Scout has an understanding of his community and his nation, and a willingness to…
Read MoreAn Ember of Trust: Marc’s Story
As a child, Marc wasn’t old enough to understand the chaos that enveloped the Democratic Republic of Congo. His family moved to Rwanda when he was four to escape the ongoing civil war. But the aftermath of the civil war left the country divided, and when he returned to DRC at age 12, he was…
Read MoreStone to Seed: Hess’ Story
Hess grew up in one of Thailand’s seven refugee camps. It was crowded, hot – “like a slum.” Small bamboo houses with leaf roofing were packed in tight, numbered sections, each section containing up to 400. Thousands of people were enclosed by the wire fences that bordered the camp. “The population was roughly 70,0000 or…
Read MoreCitizenship Classes are Rooted in Community
“I would say for myself personally, I would not have passed this interview prior to studying or teaching this class,” Habie Timbo said, speaking to the challenges her students face in the process to become U.S. citizens. While most of her time at World Relief Quad Cities is dedicated to her role as a caseworker…
Read MoreGrateful to Be a Citizen
Paw Shee loves to read, especially books that teach her about “what happened in the past.” And on her journey to becoming a citizen, citizenship classes became a platform that fueled that desire to learn. “I love to read the books they gave me about U.S. history,” Paw said, emphasizing, “they gave me whole books!” Paw…
Read MoreSafety at Last: Francois’ Story
Living in Burundi during the Civil War, Francois spent much of his life in fear. He was constantly immersed in the struggle of “two ethnicities fighting against each other.” In December of 1996, he was relocated to a Tanzanian refugee camp with little access to water or electricity. In the context of all he had…
Read MoreSurviving to Thriving: Dim’s Story
In honor of the recently increased refugee cap, we’re sharing stories from some of the brave Quad Cities refugees and immigrants who strive to create a community of welcome for those following in their footsteps. Together, we can [Re]Build. When Dim was a child, her father had to leave Myanmar to work in another country. It was the only way…
Read MoreMore to Offer: Abe’s Story
In honor of the recently increased refugee cap, we’re sharing stories from some of the brave Quad Cities refugees and immigrants who strive to create a community of welcome for those following in their footsteps. Together, we can [Re]Build. Mbanzamihigo “Abe” Ibrahim’s first memory of the U.S. is of fireworks. “It was two days away from the Fourth of July.…
Read MoreMy Time as a Remote Intern
Throughout four months of balancing remote work, a pandemic, periods of quarantine and college, I’m now at the end of my internship with World Relief Quad Cities. During the past semester, I worked as a communications intern. Most of my projects were communication-based and included things like writing articles and creating social media posts. I…
Read MoreAppreciating Those Who Sacrifice it All
Being a mother is a big job, let alone being a mother of four kids in a new country where you don’t speak the language. But for many families and mothers of families that World Relief serves, this is a reality. Students from Augustana College have been spending time with client families via google meets…
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