Hello dear friends,
I returned to my home in Oakland, CA mid January 2025. I had taken a fall on uneven sidewalk several months back (which caused a bad limp) and the pain continued since arriving home. Last week, by the suggestion of the orthopedic surgeon, I had a total knee replacement and am now recovering. Sadly I cannot return to my refugee work in April as planned, but am hopeful of returning as soon as I’m confident on my feet.
Despite this minor setback, I have continued my work with refugees abroad through NGOs and individuals that I have come to know throughout the years who often turn to me for additional help or refer to me when all other resources have been exhausted.
Here are some examples of individuals and activities I have helped since being home:
Gada (Sudan) and her three children. Like many single mothers, Gada arrived to the refugee camps pregnant…women often are raped, forced to use their sex for a smuggler or help from others.
Gada is one of many single moms that I have been helping with rent, food, and miscellaneous items such as diapers, phone Sim cards. As soon as her infant son receives his asylum card, their plan is to move to France where they have been sponsored.
Ibrahim is a married father of three children. He arrived alone in the camps while his family remained in Syria. He had lost his right arm in the war, but has learned to write and function with his left arm/hand. A former engineer, he is hopeful of gaining employment and filing for family reunification. He was one of my many English students who I also helped with basic necessities. His dream is to gain asylum in Belgium where he is more likely to use his skills.
Sadly, families and individuals continue to arrive daily from many countries that remain in war or turmoil. Many (like the Hazara from Afghanistan, the Kurds from Iraq) continue to be persecuted or imprisoned in their own countries, so they flee for safety and a better life for their children.
As always, thank you for all your support and help. As stated above, hopefully I will be returning to my work with refugees in a few months. In the meantime, we are facing many turbulent changes here and abroad. Our rights of free speech are under attack, and how we respond now will shape the rights our children inherit., immigrants and refugees are living in fear of detention and expulsion, important organizations (FAA, EPA, AID, FEMA, Health & Human Services) are facing drastic layoffs and cutbacks, and sadly our institutions of higher education are folding to the demands of our new government.
It is so important, now more than ever, to find our collective voice and the courage to demand morality.
If we live in fear and cave in, we will lose everything. Please…do not retire your moral conscience.