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A Continued Call to Help World Refugees

Refugees

Faith-based groups continue to encourage their members to help refugees around the world.

Despite political rhetoric over Syrian refugees and millions of others fleeing to various European countries, the United States has proposed to resettle 85,000 refugees in the United States in 2016. According to a recent report from The U.N. Refugee Agency, there are nearly 60 million refugees worldwide, the highest in 20 years.

In its semi-annual general conference in April, leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a call-to-action for members to help those millions of refugees. Women of the World, a Utah-based nonprofit created to benefit refugee women and their families, is already seeing a surge in support from those who answered the call.

“We usually get 25 volunteers a year,” said Samira Harnish, founder and president of Women of the World. “We’ve had 20 people call to ask about volunteering since [the announcement].”

In 2010, Harnish left a lucrative career as a semiconductor manufacturing engineer to fulfill her lifelong dream of helping refugee women achieve their dreams.

“These women have survived mental and physical trauma in war and camps,” she said. “I want to help them achieve self-sufficiency.”

More volunteers help Women of the World refugees

An Iraqi native, Harnish has adopted America as her home. She arrived in the United States as a teen bride in an arranged marriage. Harnish said she endured bigotry and poverty to get an education. Now, she’s living her dream of helping women. She is looking forward to being able to help more refugee women achieve their dreams because she has more volunteers to make it happen.

“One woman works as a nurse in Ogden. So far, most of the volunteers are from Provo or identify as LDS or Mormons,” she said.

When Harnish first launched Women of the World, she said she found herself running around the state 24/7 — from hospitals to government agencies, to grocery stores, and teaching practical English, a course which she developed based on her experience learning English. Harnish has received numerous awards for her service to refugee women and their families.

“When I first started, there was no one except my husband Justin to help me,” she said.  “Now we have some volunteers who said they would like to mentor a woman or family,” she explained. “Some said they want to help for a short time, like three months, and others said they’d like to help longer, like nine months.”

Harnish said it doesn’t matter how long people want to volunteer, “they will feel that connection with the refugee women. They will help the women feel like an integrated part of the community.” Some of the volunteers, explained Harnish, are women her organization has helped.

“These women are so grateful that they are eager to give back and pay forward the kindness that was given to them when they first arrived as refugees,” she said.

Harnish holds key events each year to honor the women, including an awards banquet to recognize women for educational achievements and other life milestones, such as receiving a driver license.

“Some of these women are not even allowed to drive in their own countries,” she explained. “So they are not only learning new concepts but a new culture and systems — in English.” A cultural fashion show introduces the women to the community. A Mother’s Day event recognizes the Women of the World in Utah who are working to achieve self-reliance, have a voice in the community, and be entrepreneurs — and empowered to have economic independence.

More volunteers help Women of the World refugees

As World Refugee Day approaches in June, Harnish said despite anti-refugee sentiments from some political candidates, groups, and individuals, “refugees will impact our lives in one way or another.” Harnish said she’s concerned about the political climate. She said refugee women ask her “How will we save our families if there is little political support?”

Harnish said she is encouraged by the call to action from some religious groups to help refugees worldwide and for the volunteers who have already answered that call. She also hopes that politics will not stand in the way of the human ability to open hearts and minds to strangers in need.

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