August 16, 2024
Our Care Coordinators have the privilege and primary responsibility of handling some of the most urgent and complex matters within the refugee communities we serve. At City of Refuge, we don’t generally use words like “case manager” or “client” to describe our staff or those participating in our programs or services. “Friend” has always been a better descriptor, because that’s what inevitably develops as our team invests in and engages in the lives of our newest neighbors. Deep, meaningful, caring relationships. Read below from Joanie Nazary, one of our Care Coordinators, about one particular moment she encountered recently:
You hope you will never see it happen, and then it does. A young mom with young children suddenly on her own, left a widow. That is devastating for anyone, anywhere in the world. But this woman was far away from family, far away from the vast support network that would have been present in her home country neighborhood.
Yet, she wasn’t alone. When I arrived at the house, there were already women gathering, waiting for her to come home from the accident site. They were crying, thinking already of the kids that were now without their father. When she arrived, more women had gathered at the house, and some came in with her. She collapsed on the floor and immediately they came to her and supported her.
Below this family, another refugee family lives. They are from a completely different continent. When the ladies began to gather, and they saw the weeping, this other family was worried and wanted to know what was going on. I knew them as well, and quietly went to let them know what had happened. They said nothing, but the women silently came into the house with the others, and simply sat with the grieving widow. They couldn’t understand what was being said, but they didn’t need to. They understood death. They understood grief. They understood that she needed them.
We don’t grieve very well here in the US. We are so unacquainted with death, and it is so “sanitized” here, as someone recently said to me. But for our refugee families, death is so much a part of life that everyone knows what to do when it occurs. They weep together. They sit with each other. They listen. They bring food. They are simply present.
I am learning from my refugee friends. I am deeply humbled by them. I am grateful for their example.
Joanie Nazary
Refugee Care Coordinator
We are thrilled to introduce our two newest staff members, who just joined the Care Coordinator team: Emili Pezall & J.J. Angelo. Read a little about why they were motivated to join us at City of Refuge!
Emili: I have a strong desire to care for and love those who have come to America for many different reasons whether that is for education or because the circumstances of their home countries have made moving here the best option for them and their families for safety reasons. The transition can be incredibly difficult and disorienting in many different ways, and City of Refuge specifically has a heart to walk with immigrants and refugees in this journey. I am so excited to be able to build relationships with those who are adjusting to life in America and help them flourish here in whatever way we can as a team here at City of Refuge.
JJ: I was first connected to City of Refuge through a friend. I began as a volunteer with City of Refuge in early 2022 and completed a summer internship that same year. This was an excellent experience, learning both the operations of a non-profit and the intricacies of the refugee population in Columbia. I relished the relationships I formed with refugees and knew the work City of Refuge does was something I wanted to be a part of.
Thank you to all who participated in our annual Back to School Bash! Your donations, gifts, and presence helped us serve over 370 kiddos from 13 different countries. The smiles and laughter, even in the rain, was such a delight to witness and be a part of. Thank you for making it happen!
