“I was a stranger and you welcomed me…”
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War and ethnic, tribal, and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.
Our involvement in welcoming refugees to the United States dates back to WWII when we helped families fleeing Europe. Then, in the 1980s, when the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program was formed, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops partnered with the State Department and invited CSS to become a resettlement site. CSS offers many of the services involved with helping families integrate into the community, including:
- Community & Cultural Orientation
- Transportation to Medical Appointments
- English Language & Citizenship Classes
- Employment Services
Hope in the Good Life Podcast Episode 26: A Refugee Reflects On The Words Welcome Home
Abdulrazzak Alkoutaini, or "Abdul," is a refugee from war-torn Syria. While starting a new life in a new country can be hard, he said when he and his family were greeted with the words "Welcome Home" by a CSS refugee case worker after arriving in Lincoln, the fear of the unknown disappeared. At the time of this podcast, Abdul was a CSS refugee case worker himself, and he used those same words when greeting new Nebraskans and helping them start their new lives.
Hope in the Good Life Podcast Episode 107: CSS helped Faheem Rashidi find "Hope in the Good Life"
Faheem Rashidi and his family came to this country from Afghanistan in 2000 and were resettled in Lincoln by Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. Today, he is a successful businessman who shares his story of how he found hope in the good life.
