Creating Community
The African proverb “It takes a village…” is a phrase commonly used to describe the necessity of community in creating a safe, nurturing environment in which children can develop and thrive. Though we typically associate this adage with parenting, its wisdom extends far beyond raising children. Human flourishing is richest and most profound in the context of a supportive community, and refugees and immigrants can experience this reality in both painful and beautiful ways.
In August of 2021, Jumidin Salazai and his wife Bastama found themselves in an unimaginably difficult circumstance. They were forced to flee their home country—Afghanistan—the place in which they had once had a safe, supportive community for their family of seven beautiful children.
After months of uncertainty in determining where they could find a safe and stable home, they got word that they would be resettled in Central Ohio.
In January 2022, Jumidin and his family boarded a plane to fly across the world to begin a new life, in a new community.
On this long journey, they undoubtedly also felt the weight of what establishing a new life would be like in a completely unfamiliar context, in a place where they knew no one and no one knew them:
Where we will live, work, and go to school, and how will we get there?
What will happen if one of us gets sick?
How will we be able to communicate and navigate everyday situations like laundry, paying bills, and buying groceries?
Certainly their resettlement team at CRIS would provide assistance with all of these essential life elements. Case managers, interpreters, the Health and Wellness team, and more–the CRIS staff is the first “village” a refugee family has as they transition to life in the U.S. CRIS staff provide families like the Salazais with holistic support for the first 90 days of their journey as newly-arrived Americans. This support provides a firm foundation to meet needs such as housing, transportation, employment, school, and basic cultural orientation. But the process of a refugee family successfully integrating into their new context–their village–takes much longer than three months.
To provide a greater sense of community, CRIS matches “Welcome Teams” with newly resettled refugee families when possible. A Welcome Team is a group of 6-15 people (friends, faith community members, etc.) who partner with CRIS to walk alongside new Americans through the process of learning about and successfully integrating into life in Central Ohio.
The Salazai family was matched with a Welcome Team led by Mark and Mary Anne Morehart. The Moreharts first caught a glimpse of what life is like for resettled refugees through teaching English as a Second Language at the Bridge Community Center in Columbus over 10 years ago. This experience fostered in them a desire to help refugees feel welcomed and valued. Mary Anne observes, “They want to come and make a better life. They love and miss their countries, but it just [isn’t] safe.”
When the Moreharts’ 14 group members first met the Salazai family, they admit that the interactions were awkward. Mary Anne recalls, “My friends would say, ‘So what are we gonna do?’ I'd respond, ‘We're gonna go in there and we're gonna talk to them. There is no plan–we're going to go and be their friends.’” As with any healthy community, one of the many beautiful facets of a Welcome Team is that everyone can find a role that fits their personality and skillset.
Members of the Salazai Welcome Team offer support in any way they can, from taking the kids apple picking to accompanying the family to doctor's appointments. Mary Anne and other members also meet with the Salazai children twice a week to help with homework and practice English conversation skills. Team members also regularly visit the entire family at home to help them practice English.
Mary Anne explains, “We want to help them learn to speak English and make sure that they feel welcome. We want to help them acclimate and understand American society. The school systems are complicated. The medical system is complicated. Financial things, signing a lease, renewing a lease, finding a new apartment, all those kinds of things are complicated and they just need a little bit of help in that.”
An unexpected blessing for the Moreharts’ Welcome Team is that the community they have fostered with the Salazai family over the last year has expanded over that time. They have had the opportunity to meet other Aghan families in neighboring apartments who did not have a Welcome Team when they arrived in the U.S. The Moreharts and their team have adopted a couple of these close-knit families to support as well.
Though a typical Welcome Team commits to walking alongside a newly arrived refugee family for their first six months in the U.S., nearly every member of the Moreharts’ Welcome Team is still actively involved with the Salazais and their neighbors over one year after they were originally connected. The Moreharts explain, “These families have given up a lot; it's important for them to feel like they have people that can help them.”
CRIS anticipates welcoming large numbers of refugees to Central Ohio in the coming weeks and months. If you are interested in joining or leading a new Welcome Team to support one of these families, our Welcome Team Coordinator Teresas Gibson would love to hear from you via email or by scheduling a 15-minute informational call.
