What You Can Do To Help Refugees

There are millions of refugees in the world, for the few lucky ones who gain entrance into the United States seeking asylum, their transition can be difficult. But you can do a few things to help these refugees. Many of these refugees experience homelessness, hunger, grief, and loneliness. Here's what you can do to help refugees in your area.

Speak to your local refugee administration, organization, or church organization that has ties to refugee families, situations, and groups. You can donate your time in the following ways:

Set up a donation drive, ask for all household goods that generous people are willing to give like furniture, cooking accessories, and personal care supplies. Refugees who are given a first-time home to stay in usually get a small apartment, since they often arrive in the US with only the clothes on their back, their apartments will need the following:

Chairs
Dining tables
Lamps
Pots and pans
Toiletries
Towels
Linnens
Small sofas
Alarm clocks

Once you have concluded your donation drive, you can donate your time by setting up an apartment for the upcoming refugee family. Usually, volunteers gather together to furnish apartments that have been set up for arriving families by the government. Remember that in many cases, most refugees receive a sum between $900-$1000 from the government to pay for their expenses for the first 30 days. This money is allotted towards rent, utilities, food, and clothing. Because this is not a lot of money for a family to survive on for 30 days, volunteers are urged to offer donations of personal care items that can lessen the financial burden on refugees. Personal care items can include:

New underwear for men, women, and children
Clothing, shirts, pants, skirts for adults and children
Welcome toiletry kits that include toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, razors, lotion, sanitary feminine products, and haircare products
For families with children, consider offering diapers, bottles, formula, clothes they can grow into, and cribs

Many can also donate their time in ways that can assist families in the long run. Community refugee associations urge volunteers to donate their skills as well as their compassion and time in the following ways:

Become a Friendly Face

Greet the refugee or a refugee family at the airport, pick them up and take them to your home or their new home, and cook them a culturally appropriate, familiar meal. Have dinner with them, talk to them, reassure them that their life in the United States will be different, but in a good way. You can also opt to be a mentor to a refugee a refugee family, you can offer them your support and friendship so that they do not feel alone in a strange country; invite them to dinner on occasions and allow them to count on you for small favors.

Provide Transportation

Refugee families will have a lot of upcoming appointments once they arrive. Because they are new to the country and have virtually no financial independence, transport for them may be difficult if there is no immediate public transportation available. You can be there and assistance them with getting to immigration appointments, doctors appointments, government help appointments, job interviews, school courses, ESL classes, and on occasion, to and from work if they have successfully landed a job.

Volunteer your Skills

If you are a professional in your field, you can offer your skills to help a refugee family in many ways:

Teachers can offer English classes to refugee children and families
Accountants can teach refugee families how to become more financially independent, teach them the laws regarding taxes, and help them with setting up budgets
Attorneys can volunteer their services and help refugee families learn more about their rights; on occasion, they may even offer pro bono representation for immigration hearings
Counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists can offer psychological help to assist families with the transition, grief, and how to cope with surviving in a new environment unfamiliar to their memories

Be a Cultural Guide

You may not know it, but the United States does have culture. Those coming from different countries, unfamiliar with our ways may be blindsided. You can volunteer to be a cultural guide. Cultural guides can accompany refugees and asylum-seekers around the city; you can explore the city together, and teach them how to get around the city and how to communicate and greet fellow residents. Teach them about local and national history. Cultural guides can also teach refugee families how eating etiquette functions in the United States, the types of meals we eat, and orient them on what times of day certain meals are served. A cultural guide can even assist refugee families with fashion, and teach them how to dress for the current styles in the workforce and on off-days, they can even teach them local phrases, how to hail cabs, and how much money they will need for public transportation.

You may not think it, but volunteering your time and effort can make all the difference to a refugee family. Contact a local local center near you and find out how you can get involved.