Our campaign is now complete. 200 supporters helped us raise US$69,129.00
Visit the charity's profile
The campaign has now expired but it's not too late to support this charity.
Visit the charity's profileToday is October 24, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Charter, which came into force at the end of World War II. This new international body was created to resolve conflict and help millions of refugees and displaced persons by providing family reunification, health care, housing, employment, and more. In short, crucial services that helped people rebuild lives shattered by war.
ReWA is proud to carry on this legacy today.
Your gift today will help us reach our fundraising goal so that immigrant and refugee communities resettled in the Puget Sound region will continue to have the opportunity to thrive and be active members of a healthy, vibrant democracy for years to come.
Thank you,
-From all of us at ReWA
ReWA started out 35 years ago serving refugee women and their children, helping them escape domestic violence and learn English. As our programs expanded into education, employment, citizenship, and counseling, we grew to serve all members of the family, including many fathers.
Todays story is about a single father, Ali*, who fled violent conflict in East Africa, with his two children in tow.
At ReWA, Ali attended English classes and needed help finding employment. Initially, it was hard to find a job that would allow him the flexibility to care for his children in the afternoons. Although his children are in middle school, he was adamant that he be there for them after school. His recent experience in a conflict zone made him wary and protective.
Then the pandemic hit and schools closed. Ali wasn't sure how to connect his children to online learning. Then he lost his job. The stress and uncertainty was enormous.
Ali's story is not unique.
Many immigrants and refugees deal with a "triple trauma": the initial violence that forced them from their homes, the challenges of the migration journey, and the stress of finding a job in a new country to provide for their children. When the pandemic hit, some immigrant and refugee families in the Puget Sound were afraid to leave their homes, even to shop for food.
But Ali's ReWA case manager quickly contacted him by phone and provided him essential information about COVID-19 in his native language. She explained social distancing, the need for frequent hand washing, and wearing a face mask in public. She also connected him with remote learning resources and together, they made plans for returning to work.
This is what ReWA staff do every day, connecting immigrant and refugee families to those resources and more, especially during the pandemic. Even now, we are producing outreach materials in several languages about the mental health impacts of COVID-19.
With your support, ReWA will continue to help fathers like Ali. Thank you for giving BIG and being a valued ReWA partner for many years to come.
*names changed to protect privacy
Mahnaz Eshetu is the executive director of ReWA, an agency with 180 staff members, who speak more than 50 languages and dialects and come from the communities they serve. Mahnaz shares our experience of this past year wherein ReWA staff were called upon to be public health outreach workers (among other duties), keeping immigrant and refugee families informed about the pandemic and ensuring critical resources were available to keep furloughed clients housed and in school, amongst other resources and services.
If you watched Congressional hearings last summer you'll recognize the Congresswoman as a stalwart defender of communities of color and their allies as they protested police brutality. She is also a champion of immigrant and refugee communities, having been one herself when she came to the U.S. as a teenager. She highlights the importance of ReWA's work to help families integrate into American society, while respecting and celebrating their cultural and linguistic origins.
When Aynegda came to the U.S. just months before the coronavirus pandemic, she spoke no English. This past year has been one challenge after another, but ReWA is proud to have supported her through this transition period. Now, you get to hear her amazing story.
We kick-off our annual gala with the "ReWA is..." video that describes ReWA's programs to address the barriers that many immigrants and refugees face when they arrive in the United States.
Questions? gala@rewa.org
Monday, October 19 @ 6:30am PDT | Executive Director Mahnaz Eshetu | ReWA is...
Tuesday, October 20 @ 6:30am PDT | ReWA Client Aynegda | My Story
Wednesday, October 21 @ 6:30am PDT | U.S. Congressional Representative Pramila Jayapal (7th District, WA) | Special Message for ReWA
Thursday, October 22 @ 6:30am PDT | Mahnaz Eshetu | ReWA's Role During a Once-in-a-Lifetime Pandemic
Friday, October 23 @ 6:30am PDT | ReWA Client Story
Saturday, October 24 @ 6:30am PDT | Legacy of UN Charter
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
