“I am very excited to be in the United States. I love it here. I feel safe and we are not alone because we have so many nice people who help us.” These are the words of Susu Alfoda who was resettled in Arizona with her husband and young child in January of 2006.
Both Susu and her husband Chob had to flee Sudan because of persecution for their faith. Susu worked with homeless children and was accused of trying to convert them to Christianity. She was followed by government officials and beaten. Chob worked at a Christian bookstore while he was in college. The police burned all the books in the store and arrested Chob and other workers. Both Susu and Chob, who were friends at that time, fled to Egypt, where they married. Their first child Ajok, who is now 22 months old, was born in Egypt. Their second child, a son named Kir, was born May 2006.
The struggle for the Alfoda family is just an example of many resettlements that National Ministries (NM) has facilitated in just the past decade.
Resettlement is a challenging ministry. Before NM can take any action on a refugee case, the refugee must first be referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the US Embassy. If approved by the embassy, the case is then allocated to one of the voluntary agencies involved in resettlement. The cases are assigned a priority based on which criteria the refugee meets. Some are referred because they have an immediate family member in the United States (parent or child) who is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. Another criteria is Priority One, which is immediate danger to life should the refugee return to his country of origin. Priority Two is reserved for persons of concern to the U.S.
Where there is an immediate relative in the United States, the relatives are evaluated to determine their ability to sponsor. Depending on the outcome of that evaluation, a co-sponsoring church is often necessary. A resettlement agency may then contact ABC, where Ken George and Diane Giova handle this ministry. They contact local congregations to encourage them to co-sponsor, or in a situation of "free" cases with no relatives, they work with the agency to find a church to serve as full sponsor. The local church sponsor must meet the refugee at the airport upon arrival; provide housing, furnishings (can be donated) and enroll the children in school. The adults are enrolled in English as a Second Language. The sponsor helps the employable members of the family to get jobs. The church usually sponsors from 3-6 months depending on the ability of the family or individual to become independent.
During the years of 2000-2006, Sudanese refugees were sponsored in more than 30 cities. And since 1993, NM has resettled about 450 Sudanese, and Church World Service has resettled about 2,000 Sudanese.
One can never over-estimate the invaluable resource the local congregation is. Even when the family is the principal sponsor, the congregational role model is the critical link in the chain of resettlement. The church sponsor is enouraged to help the family to become independent as soon as possible.
In the case of the Alfodas, the couple has adapted well to the American culture, and they are working hard to improve their life. Susu has been taking ESL classes and is now fluent in English. She just completed caregiver training and is looking for a position. She and Chob are active members in a church where he serves as the full-time custodian and she sings in the choir.
Resettlement does not just take place in the U.S. Thousands of Sudanese refugees have made their way to Lebanon, where IM's missionaries Dan and Sarah Chetti minister to a Sudanese refugee congregation. Despite the conflict in Lebanon, the Chettis remain committed to this ministry, and IM has provided one of our partners—the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development—a grant to continue relief work among Sudanese.
-- Diane Giova and Donna Buckles
Ms. Diane Giova is direct human services associate in National Ministries, working directly on refugee resettlement. Rev. Donna Buckles is an American Baptist minister, who works with Lutheran Social Ministries of the Southwest in Arizona. Rev. Buckles often works with NM to place refugees from various countries. She is the wife of Mr. Mike Buckles, former coordinator of volunteers for IM.