A Refugee’s Journey to Belonging: Jerome’s Story
**UPDATE TO JEROME’S STORY.** In May of 2022, Jerome graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work!!! We celebrate Jerome and his accomplishments! “What’s going to happen to me? Who’s going to receive me? How am I going to live?” These were all questions asked by World Relief staff member, Jerome Bizimana, featured in…
Read MorePassport901: Maqluba
As part of Immigrant Heritage Month in June, we partnered up with Choose901 to bring you #Passport901. Throughout the month, we shared recipes from around the world that represent the diverse groups and cultures that have come to call Memphis home. Now, we’re continuing it through the month of July, and first up is a dish from…
Read MoreCitizenship Game Show
At World Relief, we like to say that the immigration system is like navigating a maze that is also a minefield. There are lots and lots of ways that you can go wrong and irreparably damage your chances to reach your goal of becoming a permanent resident or Citizen of the United States. One aspect…
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 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 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 MoreLet’s talk about immigration: 8 Podcasts to know
This month, we’re celebrating Immigrant Heritage and World Refugee Day, and we have compiled a list of podcast episodes that discuss the highs and lows of immigrants all over the world to help you get prepared. These podcasts give a first-hand account of life as an immigrant, the circumstances that drove them to seek a…
Read MorePassport901: Vegetable Stew
As part of Immigrant Heritage Month, we’ve partnered up with Choose901 to bring you #Passport901. Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing recipes from around the world that represent the diverse groups and cultures that have come to call Memphis home. We’ve traveled to the Middle East and Latin America, and now we’re traveling to Central…
Read MoreWorld Relief Commemorates World Refugee Day 2021
World Relief kicks off a series of week-long initiatives to recognize and support refugees at national and local levels to recognize World Refugee Day on June 20 June 18, 2021 CONTACT:Lauren Carllauren.carl@pinkston.co(703) 388-6734 BALTIMORE, MD — In honor of World Refugee Day 2021, World Relief is spearheading several initiatives such as educational webinars and engaging…
Read MoreTEDxTalk: One Refugee’s Life Experience | Côme Nzibarega
Born and raised in Burundi, Côme Nziberaga has a gift for languages; he speaks five – French, Swahili, Kirundi, Amharic, and English. In 2005, languages helped him land a job as a translator for a United Nations peacekeeping force sent to Burundi, which for decades has been plagued by conflicts between the nation’s two largest…
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