Resources:
- REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT OFFICE WEBSITE
- DONATE VIA ECWW.ORG (Select Refugee Resettlement Office from the dropdown menu)
- POWERPOINT SLIDES
- WAYS TO HELP
- EXPLAINER: HUMANITARIAN PAROLE AND THE AFGHAN EVACUATION
- REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT ACRONYMS
Resettling Afghan Refugees: A Webinar from the Diocese of Olympia
You are doing such great work that it seems ungrateful to raise any questions or issues, especially when things are heating up so rapidly.
1, I’m hoping the answer isn’t related to making every donated penny count. There are things more precious than dollars. If we set our horizon at a longer timespan, the economics will favor supporting ethical companies and purchasing higher quality. Quality may also attract more dollars–I’d feel better about donating if I was proud of what I was purchasing and from whom.
a. Please consider an alternative to Amazon. Could we support smaller companies that Amazon is putting out of business?
b. Please consider a different cookware set, of higher quality, nontoxic surface, fewer pieces. No one needs an 18-piece set. Better to supply a few good quality pans that will last. Nonstick is unnecessary, fragile, and often toxic. Sorry to raise what seems like a trivial point, but I feel strongly about it.
2. Words matter. If we have any opportunity to change the jargon away from parole and parolee, it would be far preferable. Every time one of those words drops, it reinforces the notion that there is something shady or criminal about refugees.
3. I question whether the best longterm strategy is to ghettoize refugees in South King County. Could research be undertaken to locate numbers of families in different areas of the Diocese? Some services could be offered remotely online; others by deputized parishes or through other arrangements. It seems unhealthy to house concentrations of refugees within such limited proximity. I heard a speaker on KUOW radio use the example of sending refugees to Bainbridge Island specifically because services weren’t available here. Is this the only way? I know our parish has sponsored refugee families here before that have been welcomed and gone on to become contributing and admired members of our community.
I really am grateful for your work and realize there may be a degree of naivete involved in my requests. I am just asking that these points be considered critically, rather than easily shrugged off. I am happy to assist in any way to improve the lives and chances for happiness for the refugees who come to our state.
Thank you–
Barbara, St Barnabas, Bainbridge Island