NYC-Feature Story

Safe From War—Now What?

By Marco Salazar

Though countries around the world may offer refugees asylum—or legal residency based on their refugee status—refugees still face immense challenges in their new homes.

Often refugees don’t speak the main language of the countries they move to, and therefore have a hard time communicating. Though they are usually entitled to benefits like health care, employment assistance, and career development, language barriers can keep them from getting help or figuring out what’s available to them.

Since 1975, the United States has resettled more than two million refugees, about half of them children and teens. Refugee youth are at greater risk of doing poorly in school, falling prey to peer pressure, engaging in high-risk sexual behavior, dropping out, and joining gangs. Classmates, teachers, and school administrators often have difficulty understanding them, which can leave them feeling alone and helpless.

Fortunately, the IRC (International Rescue Committee) is dedicated to reaching out to refugees. It’s a nonprofit organization founded in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein to assist Germans trying to escape the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.

The IRC offers programs that provide refugee youth with schooling, English language instruction, job placement and training, and college readiness courses. The IRC also provides emergency care, helps trace and reunify families, and engages refugees in recreational activities. They also run one-stop centers where refugees can receive assistance quickly in the months following resettlement.

To learn more about the International Rescue Committee, go to: theirc.org

Source: International Rescue Committee

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