A French-English bilingual worksheet for families to use with their children.

Part two in a three-part series, these deep dives better explain the process of refugee resettlement in Kansas. In December, we covered the basics of who refugees are and initial resettlement in the U.S. This month, the focus is on refugee resettlement in Kansas during the first 24 months after arrival, including the efforts of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Kansas to help families positively integrate and thrive in their new community.

The Lautenberg Program allows certain religious minorities from the Former Soviet Union to reunite with family members through the U.S Refugee Admissions Program. IRC in Seattle can help you file your application for free from now through September 23rd, 2022. You must be a Washington resident to receive assistance.

The fourth annual, Back to School Bash organized by First Presbyterian Church and Grace Presbyterian in collaboration with numerous community organizations will be held on Saturday, August 10 from 10am-3pm. The event provides refugee families with school aged children an opportunity to pick out backpacks and grade appropriate school supplies, as well as a community lunch.

Jaya Maya came to the U.S. from Bhutan five years ago with her husband, mother-in-law, and son. After 22 years living in a refugee camp in Nepal, Jaya Maya is glad to be able to continue valuable cultural traditions around farming while nourishing themselves and their families with fresh grown produce through the assistance of the IRC in Baltimore's New Roots program.

Win Tin and his family were resettled in Dallas from Thailand in 2015. He is in the eleventh grade at Emmett J. Conrad High School. This past summer, Win Tin participated in the Youth Food Justice Internship at the IRC in Dallas, and was asked to write about his experience.

Our team at the IRC in Kansas has been working hard to respond quickly to client needs, as everyone in the community is feeling the social, economic, and health impacts of COVID-19. While programming is currently not business-as-usual, we continue to serve refugee families and survivors of human trafficking remotely, many of whom need support from the IRC and neighbors more than ever. 

Private donations contribute greatly to the success of the IRC's work. Although we receive state and federal funding for initial resettlement and employment services, the assistance we provide to refugee families beyond their first few months in the U.S. would not be possible without the support of our community.

The IRC's New Roots program has been helping newcomers access land and grow healthy food for their families for years. Now we're helping gardeners bring their produce to the wider community. IRC gardener Krishna, once a farmer in Bhutan, shares about his experiences as a first-time seller at the new Tukwila Farmer's Market.