Direct Help for Asylum Seekers coming from Detention Centers
Are you feeling helpless and wish you knew who and how to help? While in Arizona, we met and interviewed many organizations that are on the ground, in the trenches, meeting the immediate and urgent needs of those coming directly from ICE detention centers. We will highlight each one this week!
We toured the warehouse for Gathering Humanity, an NPO founded by three amazing women, which has become a stabilizing force that has earned the respect and confidence of every organization involved in this humanitarian dilemma.
They are the gate-keepers that organize it all! They deliver supplies and goods to the many churches in the area who receive busloads of people every week. They are run 100% by volunteers and depend on the help and donations that come from volunteers.
With increasingly high demands for donations, please consider donating to Gathering Humanity:
1. If you are local to the Phoenix area and would like to volunteer time or resources (choosing from a wide variety of opportunities), go to their Facebook page for constant updates!
2. If you are farther away and would like to help with monetary donations, please go to their donation page here! Every cent goes directly to helping refugees and asylum seekers!
WE can absolutely vouch for their integrity and the vital role they are playing in supporting the humanitarian needs there.
Connecting with Afghan Youth through Art
Slam the Islamophobia
The Emerald Project is a Utah-based organization that carefully designs dialogues to engage with non-Muslims to make Salt Lake Valley a more welcoming home to Muslims. As many of our refugee friends belong to the Muslim faith, we applaud opportunities that foster understanding and were pleased to support The Emerald Project’s 3rd annual “Slam the Islamophobia” event on February 15th.
Invisible Barriers and Battles: The Mental Health Impact on Refugees
Refugees often risk their lives crossing deserts, jungles, and oceans all in the search for shelter, freedom, or happiness. Yet, even once they’ve reached physical safety, mental mountains emerge that make daily life an uphill climb. At the November 2022 conference for the Utah Chapter of the Society for Public Health Education (USOPHE), presenters Shurooq Al Jewari and Sasha Sloan discussed mental health and inclusion, focusing on immigrants and refugees.