Refugees are men, women, and children who have experienced persecution in their native countries due to race, ethnicity, religious belief, or political opinion.  Refugees are the only immigrants who are invited by the U.S. government to live here.  They are legally documented when they arrive and fully authorized to work.  But in recent months, work has been tough to find for many people including refugees. 

At IRIS—Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, the majority of refugees currently being served are Iraqis who fled their country during the Iraq War.  Many of them lived in Jordan before coming to the U.S.

Asad is a gentle, quiet young man who was trained as a doctor in Iraq.  He speaks excellent English and is ready and willing to take any available job in the U.S.  He dreams of someday being able to practice medicine again.  Despite sharing an apartment with two other young Iraqi men, Asad still needs help in paying his rent until he can get a job.  He is grateful for rental assistance from N2N Lifeline, which is giving him the time he needs to secure a job in this difficult economy.

Haytham, one of Asad’s roommates, is an engineer who worked as a construction supervisor in Iraq and Jordan.  He recently confided that for the first time in his life, he is living with constant worry about having enough money to pay his rent and utilities.  N2N has been an important source of help to him in his time of transition, in which he has been unable to find work to support himself.  Haytham is looking forward to getting a job commensurate with his skills and being able to give something back to the community.

By supporting refugees, N2N Lifeline is participating in one of America’s oldest and noblest traditions.  Thank you, N2N!!