November 14, 2013 – As international relief groups pour into the typhoon-ravaged Philippines, the Women’s Refugee Commission has issued an alert identifying ten crucial needs to protect the victims – including special needs of women and children. 

Beyond such essentials as food and water, the WRC urges steps to prevent women and children from sexual violence or human trafficking and to provide medical care to minimize mortality among pregnant women and their babies.  Other needs include providing education for displaced youths, economic opportunities for women, and help for the disabled.

African beads auctioned, traditional dances showcased

By Janis Mork

October 3, 2013 (San Diego) - The Somali Bantu Association of America held a fundraiser for their youth group to receive new supplies and computer activities. Throughout the event in September, there was also a silent auction on African beads.

Isha Aweyso, a volunteer of the association, welcomed everyone. “We have things you can buy to help our community,” he said, noting that the event benefits students. “I’m really thankful to have this association community.”

September 27, 2013 (San Diego) – A candlelight vigil and fundraiser to help victims of the terrorist attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya will be held tonight at 8 p.m. at Flavors of East Africa, a Kenyan restaurant at 2322 El Cajon Blvd. , San Diego 92104.   Ten percent of all proceeds from food sold tonight will be donated to the Kenyan Red Cross.

August 8, 2013 (El Cajon) – Foreign-trained doctors, nurses and medical technicians may help fill the gap between the number of health care professionals working in the United States today and the larger number expected to be needed when the federal Affordable Care Act goes into effect on January 1, 2014.

Welcome Back Centers at Grossmont College and eight other locations around the United States help to coordinate local efforts to prepare the foreign medical professionals for their American licensing examinations.

Event is part of massive roll-out to educate local refugees on new healthcare laws and more

By Miriam Raftery

June 24, 2013 (City Heights) – “This is the largest refugee resettlement community in California and one of the largest in the United States,” Councilmember Marti Emerald said at Somali Family Service Community Healthcare Fair held on World Refugee Day event Saturday in City Heights Community Park, in collaboration with East African Collaborative.

June 21, 2013 (San Diego) – June is International Refugee Month and the Nile Sisters Development Initiative is sponsoring World Refugee Day on June 29 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 6035 University Avenue, San Diego, in the parking lot.  The event will celebrate the diverse refugee cultures in our community with food, music, entertainment, raffles and more.

May 13, 2013  (Geneva) – A new report released today by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reveals that 32.4 million people were forced to flee their homes in 2012 by disasters such as floods, storms and earthquakes.  While Asia and west and central Africa bore the brunt, 1.3 million were displaced in rich countries, with the USA particularly affected.

Nearly all (98%) of displacement in 2012 was linked to climate- and weather-related events.

Angels of Hope, serving Chaldean and Arabic communities in El Cajon, is among recent loan recipients fulfilling a dream

April 8, 2013 (El Cajon)—An El Cajon woman’s goal of providing trauma counseling to refugees in East County has been fulfilled, thanks to Wells Fargo & Company. Wells Fargo, a leading lender to women- and diverse-owned businesses, recently announced a commitment to lend $55 billion to woman-owned businesses in the U.S. by 2020.

As part of that commitment, the company has provided a commercial real estate loan for licensed clinical social worker Bernadette Talia to purchase office space in El Cajon to house her new Angels of Hope Counseling practice. 

Talia, who is trilingual and specializes in trauma counseling, is fulfilling a vast need in the East County community, as  many residents are refugees from the Middle East and have suffered traumatic life experiences. Now she will be able to provide affordable counseling and services to individuals and families. Talia’s goal isn’t to just reach the approximate 30,000 Chaldean’s living in El Cajon, but to the whole Arabic speaking community, treating their specific mental health needs.

By Janis Mork

January 30, 2013 (El Cajon) Updated March 15, 2013- Last week, Troy McKinney, Fresh Fund coordinator from the International Rescue committee (IRC), participated in an exclusive interview with East County Magazine. He gave more details of the future farmers’ market that will be set up on the Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon each Thursday starting March 21.

Like the IRC’s farmer’s market started four years ago in City Heights, the El Cajon farmer’s market will help both local refugees and the broader community.

ECM previously profiled the amazing efforts of Project Refuge and its efforts to help new refugees who arrive alone in our region. But now the organization has fallen on hard times and was recently forced to shut down its housing for local refugees, including many torture victims. The nonprofit seeks angel donors to help revive its efforts.  Read the stories of survivors helped, as well as Project Refugee organizers, below.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

By Ariele Johannson

The following story is the journey of “Mr. Horeb Michael,” an East African refugee. His name is withheld for protection from reprisal:

February 25, 2013 (San Diego)--You must cross through 20 countries before you arrive in San Diego, to be detained once again. You have no plan to go to America. Your only goal is to escape. To do this you must leave your life: your family, livelihood, friends, and future.

January 9, 2013 (San Diego) –In response to the long-time needs and present demands of the Vietnamese community, the Little Saigon Foundation is opening a Vietnamese Community Center in order to create a space for social services and cultural interaction.  Early services include a Vietnamese Language School, Youth Leadership Development, Translation services, and physical health programs such as “Càng Khôn Thập Linh” (a combination of Tai-chi and yoga), as well as international ballroom dance. With spaces offered to local community groups to meet and hold events, the Center is the first Vietnamese Community Center in City Heights.  Up until now, the organization has been operating on mostly the support of volunteers, but is now looking to add permanent paid staff.  As such, the organizations will host the Little Saigon Fundraising and Award Dinner on Jan. 13 from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. at the Lucky Star Restaurant, 3894 54th St., San Diego.

December 27, 2012 (San Diego)--Lawyers Club of San Diego presented grants totaling $16,000 to three local nonprofit organizations and awarded three law student scholarships at its annual holiday luncheon December 13, 2012.

Lawyers Club, through its Fund for Justice, awarded grants to Voices for Children in support of its Infant and Toddler program, to Casa Cornelia Law Center in support of its programs helping provide pro bono legal services to indigent immigrants in the San Diego community, and to the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program in support of its domestic violence clinic and the annual Women’s Resource Fair.

November 25, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)—Refugees living in El Cajon and City Heights are invited to free workshops at the New Roots Aqua Farm, 4035 Fairmount Avenue in San Diego.  Learn how to grow healthy organic vegetables in urban areas with no soil and minimal water!  Also see New Roots’  1,200 square foot aquaponics system that includes fish farming with tilapia that are sustainably raised and hormone free.

Workshops in December will be offered in several languages including English, Swahili, Spanish and Arabic.  See schedule below for details.

(Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Eritrea, Uganda, Kenya, Liberia)

October 31, 2012 (Sa Diego) -- Life in a conflict zone can be traumatizing, and moving to the U.S. doesn’t make it go away. In order to develop better services for the local East African community, we need your help.

If you are 18 years or older, please come at one of the times listed below and complete a questionnaire about trauma.  Each participant will be given $15.00.

By Ariele Johannson

October 28, 2012 (San Diego)--During the Somali Civil War, the number of refugees admitted to the United States soared starting in 1991. San Diego is now home to the second largest East African refugee community with an estimated population of 30,000. A real need arose to integrate the growing number of new immigrant refugees into the San Diego community. Ahmed Sahid, President and CEO of Somali Family Service of San Diego, states, “It’s very important to us that we work with other like-minded organizations to accomplish our goals.”