We are helping asylum-seekers and refugees recover from forced displacement and rebuild their lives in Atlanta.
Refugees are quite vulnerable when they are resettled to the USA. Their challenges are far from over as they need to learn the language, culture and systems of their new context. Together with local churches, we offer supportive community and generate fresh hope as we come alongside of our new neighbors and help them rebuild their lives.
We also raise awareness among churches concerning the challenges facing these new arrivals. We help local churches develop mutually beneficial relationships with refugees in their communities.
In 2013, Georgia ranked seventh among states for the total number of refugees it had taken in over the previous six years. Refugees from Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, Bhutan and some 40 other countries live in Clarkston and NE Atlanta. Since the early 1980s nearly 10,000 refugees have resettled in Clarkston to escape war, oppression and persecution.
Clarkston has been described as the “Ellis Island of the South” and the most diverse square mile in America. The local high school boasts students from 54 countries speaking 47 different languages.
Sources: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; “Future of Refugee Resettlement Uncertain in Georgia”, April 27, 2013, PBS: Mainstream USA and Clarkston High School.
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