Over spring break, 200 Saint Anselm College students abroad in order to volunteer through the Service and Solidarity program run by Campus Ministry. One group, however, stayed right here in Manchester, working with refugees through the International Institute of New England and other local refugee aid organizations.
These refugees, explained Jill Sands, a member of the Manchester Service and Solidarity group, are “people who are forced to leave their country due to dangerous and unstable conditions that include war, natural disasters, or persecution.”
Manchester is filled with thousands of these people, making organizations like the International Institute of New England essential.
The International Institute of New England aids refugees by teaching them how to adapt to life in America and become self-sufficient. Similarly, Langdon Mills, another site the group visited, provides housing for refugees along with an afterschool program.
The Service and Solidarity group cleaned and painted classrooms, worked with children in afterschool programs, and volunteered at English for New Americans’ classes at New Horizons, along with other similar service opportunities.
As part of their experience, the group went through the course of action that refugees go through once they arrive in Manchester.
Ms. Sands explained that “Manchester is unusual as far as taking in refugees. A refugee can’t come to this city unless they have immediate family already here.”
Some of the first things that refugees do are go to the Department of Health, receive a Social Security number, and go to the Welfare Office. Having just left their own countries, most do not speak English and face problems finding jobs, enrolling their children in school, and finding a place to live. This is where the Institute steps in, helping them for the first eight months they are here.
The most memorable moment of the week for the participants was the morning that the group went to the airport and welcomed an Iraqi family as they arrived in Manchester.
Ms. Sands said that she “can’t even explain how high the group’s energy and excitement was.”
After being greeted emphatically by the extended family of the soon-to-arrive refugees, the group waited in the baggage claim for the family to get off the plane.
Once the family arrived, the whole place was filled with joy.
“The two families jumped into each other’s arms and laughter erupted in the room. We even had a dance party in the parking garage with them at the airport! The family was finally reunited and we were there to experience it…in any language, a smile is understood,” Ms. Sands said.
The group dealt a lot with the state of refugees right here in the Manchester community. After spending the week with people that fought very hard to come to America, they have a new appreciation for the ability to speak English and the opportunities that living in America afford them.
While many refugees dream of escaping their difficult situations in their home countries, upon arriving in America they find many challenges here as well. Between learning English and dealing with negative stereotypes that many Americans have, adapting to life in America can be a formidable challenge. But, with the help from organizations like the International Institute of New England and from the people in the community who are driven to help them, refugees will be able to have futures as bright as they imagined.
