Join us on Friday, February 24th from 7-9PM at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, for a viewing of Hawo’s Dinner Party, a 30 minute video that tells the story of a small southern town grappling with new immigrants and refugees and issues relating to their integration, followed by storytelling and discussion.

Hear personal accounts from Muslims in our area and discuss what makes us feel truly welcome - is it a shared meal? Who should make the effort to welcome? We’ll ask and respond to the question, “What can I do to reach out and create a connection?”

Simultaneous Arabic translation of both the video and the entire event will be offered. Please indicate your need for this service when you RSVP.

This event is co-sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Nationalities Service Center (NSC), and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Quakers).

Due to space limitations, we will be able to fit only 200 people at this event, so we ask that you RSVP by email or phone by February 20th to:

Mohammed Makia at 215-893-8400 or mmakia@nscphila.org.

“NSC’s exceptional leadership & amazing track record working with refugees made them a clear choice in what was a competitive selection process” said Sid Mohn, President of Heartland Alliance.

NSC will host one of the Rainbow Welcome Initiative’s regional trainings on March 21 – 23, 2012. The training will cover issues of sexuality and gender and examine the role they play in the resettlement process. Caseworkers, teachers, employment counselors, and health practitioners who work with refugees and immigrants will benefit from these sessions.

Heartlands Alliance received a grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to establish the Rainbow Welcome Initiative, whose mission is to create a safe and welcoming environment for a population whose needs to date have often gone unmet.

“The Obama administration has issued a clear mandate that comprehensive human rights include the elimination of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” said ACF Acting Assistant Secretary David A. Hansell. “Addressing the protection and resettlement challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender refugees is a priority for ACF and US Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and we are pleased to bring on Heartland Alliance as a partner to support this key initiative.”

According to ORR Director Eskinder Negash, “The current resettlement network has limited understanding of the LGBT community. In addition, no information exists in the context of available resource materials specifically for LGBT refugees.  The need for these services is critical to ensure their successful resettlement in the U.S.”

Heartland Alliance’s Rainbow Welcome Initiative issued a needs assessment and recommendations report to ORR, outlining measures resettlement agencies can take to ensure the delivery of comprehensive and culturally competent services that meet the unique needs and concerns of LGBT refugees and asylees.

The Rainbow Welcome Initiative also plans to issue a field manual to resettlement affiliates across the country and launch a resource website for both service providers and refugees, building a network of refugee resettlement agencies that can benefit from best practices.

Individuals interested in attending the Rainbow Welcome Initiative’s training in Philadelphia should contact Daniel Weyl at dweyl@heartlandalliance.org for additional information.

Heartland Alliance is the largest service-based organization in the United States and has nearly 125 years of experience serving immigrant and refugee populations.

For more information please visit:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/

http://www.heartlandalliance.org

http://www.rainbowwelcome.org

http://www.nscphila.org/

The Unsung Heroine Agency Award recognizes, honors and celebrates Ms. Wendel’s tireless work and dedication to help refugee women gain access to health care, and NSC’s work that contributes to a world where women and girls have the confidence and support to realize their dreams, earn a fair wage, and be free from violence, abuse, and exploitation.

We are grateful to all those who have demonstrated enthusiasm for our mission and ongoing financial support. Thank you - your commitment to Nationalities Service Center enables us to create American Success Stories and fulfill our mission of helping immigrants and refugees participate fully in American Society.

CLICK HERE to read a wonderful article written by the Office of Refugee Resettlement from their 2011 Thanksgiving Edition E-newsletter about our successful Thanksgiving dinner!

and Nationalities Service Center’s 90th anniversary celebration a huge success!

Special thanks to our sponsors and participating restaurants.
Please click here to see the full list of sponsors and restaurants.

If you missed the event and would like to make a contribution in recognition of Nationalities Service Center’s 90th anniversary, please click here .

Global Tastes will include an array of international restaurants from our region, serving samplings of their favorite foods to 300 guests. The highlight of the event will be stories shared of those who were successfully resettled by Nationalities Service Center over our 90-year history. This is Nationalities Service Center’s most important fundraiser of the year - raising funds to allow the agency to help the regions immigrants and refugees succeed in their desire to become contributing members of the Philadelphia community.

Click here to see a list of participating restaurants and sponsors.

To buy tickets for Global Tastes, click here.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Debi Hoxter, dhoxter@nscphila.org.

Classes take place Monday through Saturday mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Teachers and teaching assistants are expected to be in class 5 hours per week. Teachers are also expected to create lesson plans for each class.

If you are interested, please contact Ellen Polsky, Director of Education: 215-609-1525; epolsky@nscphila.org.

Make sure you register! Registration days (including placement testing) are: September 14th, 15th, 20th, and 21st from 9:30AM-12:30PM and 4:30PM to 7:30PM.

For more information, please contact Ellen Polsky at 215-609-1525 or epolsky@nscphila.org or visit our Education page to see the full course schedule and fees.

Listen and read more about our new community garden featured on WHYY.org.

Global Tastes is Nationalities Service Center’s most important fundraiser of the year - raising funds to allow the agency to help the region’s immigrants and refugees succeed in their desire to become contributing members of the Philadelphia community.

Global Tastes will include an array of international restaurants from our region, serving samplings of their favorite foods to 300 guests. The highlight of the event will be stories shared of those who were successfully resettled by Nationalities Service Center over our 90-year history.

Help us honor Philadelphia’s refugees and immigrants who lives were touched by Nationalities Service Center as well as our continued hopes for the future.

Or Click Here

For more information,  suggestions, or if you are interested in temporarily hosting the newly arrived refugees, please contact Christian Przybylek, at cprzybylek@nscphila.org, or at 215-893-8400.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 28, 2011

Today, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) will hold the first-ever Senate hearing on the recently re-introduced Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Ola Kaso, a client of Nationalities Service Center (NSC) and potential beneficiary of the DREAM Act, will speak at the hearing.

The DREAM Act, if passed, would create a pathway to legalization for undocumented youth who were brought to the United States as children, provided they meet specific requirements. The bill passed the House of Representatives during the December 2010 lame-duck session but fell five votes short in the Senate. Senator Durbin re-introduced the legislation in May, continuing the fight for this important measure.

Ola will be the only “DREAMer” to speak at the hearing. She was a graduating valedictorian at her high school this year and has been accepted into the University of Michigan Honors Program. Earlier this year, Ola was set to be deported to Albania, a country she hasn’t been to since she was four years old. NSC worked with DreamActivist.org and OneMichigan to stop Ola’s deportation last month. NSC has worked with DreamActivist Pennsylvania on a range of issues that affect undocumented youth in Pennsylvania and nationally.

For more information about Nationalities Service Center, or information pertaining to the DREAM Act, please contact Leyla Dursunova at 215.893.8400 or ldursunova@nscphila.org.

Gretchen Wendel,

The award recognizes, honors and celebrates Gretchen’s tireless work and dedication to help refugee women gain access to health care. NSC’s efforts contribute to a world where women and girls have the confidence and support to realize their dreams, earn a fair wage, and be free from violence, abuse, and exploitation.

This article appeared in NSC’s Spring 2011 Newsletter.

Seeds of hope are being planted, and newly arrived refugees from Burma and Bhutan will have a chance to contribute to a neighborhood they are now proud to call home.

The community of some 400 Burmese refugees in South Philadelphia, who were resettled by NSC since 2007, asked for their own garden when they got word of the one in North Philly. The Bhutanese refugees of South Philadelphia, who first arrived in 2009, followed suit.  Elders and mothers have continually asked how they can get their hands back in the dirt. Many still speak proudly of their fields and even who grew the hottest peppers. Both the Burmese and Bhutanese refugee elders long for reconnection to their agrarian roots.

Many of these refugees were subsistence farmers before violence forced them from their homes and countries. By the time they arrive in the US, Burmese and Bhutanese refugees have spent many years living in refugee camps with limited access to health care, food, and clean water. Neighborhood food scarcity, combined with malnutrition among refugees, make it imperative that we work to ensure that they have access to fresh produce!

For more information about the North and South Philadelphia NSC gardens, visit our project blog at www.nscfarming.wordpress.com.

Under the “U-visa” provision in the Violence Against Women Act, added by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, Maria, as a rape victim, was able to file a U-Visa petition with the help of NSC.

Congress created the U-Visa classification in order to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies to detect, investigate, and prosecute cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and other types of criminal activity in which immigrants are victimized.

One of the requirements of the U-visa is a Certification signed by a law enforcement official confirming that an immigrant has been helpful or is expected to help the investigation of a criminal act. In Maria’s case, however, the crime happened in a county where law enforcement officials were reluctant to certify, presuming that they were automatically granting Maria US citizenship. NSC, as Maria’s advocate,  explained to the county’s law enforcement officials that the certification is just one step in a long process that concludes when the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decides whether or not to issue a U-visa. We were thus able to procure the officer’s certification, which we submitted along with evidence of the severe physical and emotional harm Maria suffered. Maria’s U-visa petition was approved in September of 2010.

Soon afterward, NSC helped Maria’s daughter surmount the Dominican Republic’s bureaucratic obstacles so that she can finally reunite with her mother after 10 long years of separation. This case represents one of the many occasions in which NSC helps people to overcome hardships in order to reestablish their lives in the United States.

This article appeared in NSC’s Spring 2011 Newsletter.

Dung C. Huynh, Juan Lara, and Mayra Aguirre, NSC Translation & Interpretation team

This article appeared in NSC’s Spring 2011 Newsletter.

Like many other Cambodians of his generation, Nun survived the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979. He fled to Thailand in 1980 and lived in a refugee camp until 1985. He was then moved to the Philippines for a few months before coming to New York, and eventually settling in the Olney area of Philadelphia, where he lives now.

In 2009, Nun started attending the Senior Center on the advice of a fellow Cambodian elder and Senior Center participant. He visited everyday simply to be around other elders who spoke Khmer and to get out of the house. He said that he was bored and lonely being at home each day and was not able to get out of the house on his own. Nun now participates in almost every activity that the Senior Center provides, including the ESL instruction and chair exercises, and the Center’s celebrations have become an important part of his life.
When NSC started a garden at our Senior Center in 2010, Nun was one of the first elders to participate, and he has been active there ever since. Nun walks with a cane so being able to garden in raised beds, where he doesn’t have to bend over, has made a big difference.

Gardening has also provided emotional sustenance, as Nun’s cultivation of familiar foods has helped him feel more connected to his previous life, while making Philadelphia feel more and more like home. He loves being outside and said that having fresh greens and other vegetables has helped him survive by providing affordable produce that would otherwise be unattainable to him.

Rather than feeling alienated and deprived of the foods and feelings of home, the only thing Nun wishes for now is even more space for the garden that continuously nourishes his spirit and body.

This article appeared in NSC’s Spring 2011 Newsletter.

NSC also works with high school students to help them understand issues affecting Philadelphia’s immigrant community. Sarah Katz, from Friends Central School, recently worked with 12 ESL students at NSC as a final project to receive her high school diploma. She learned about our students’ struggles while helping them improve their English language skills.

In addition, students from the Agnes Irwin School recently participated in a conversation exchange where they practiced the languages that they were studying in school, while helping NSC’s students with English. Our ESL students were very excited, as many of them have limited opportunities to speak English outside of the classroom. NSC’s students enjoy interacting with young adults, and they are happy to share their native language expertise with them.

Interns from Bryn Mawr College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University learn about teaching and working in a non-profit while helping NSC students with their English language skills. Their internships at NSC give them real-life experience working with Philadelphia’s immigrant community. This helps interns better understand the struggles of leaving one’s home country and adjusting to a new language and culture.

NSC trains community volunteer of all ages, from 20 through 70, to teach ESL at our center city location. Some are themselves students, others work in various fields, and some are retirees.  We thank all of our volunteers, of all ages! Without them we would not be able to provide essential language services to students from all over the world.

This article appeared in NSC’s Spring 2011 Newsletter.

NSC has been carrying out its mission since 1921, when we were formed as the International Institute of Philadelphia by a group of concerned women at the YWCA who felt that immigrant women new to the city needed protection from exploitation and unfavorable conditions, and assistance with housing, health care, family relationships, employment, education, and citizenship/ naturalization matters. Consider these highlights of our history:

• In the years following WWI, as nativist attitudes arose, we responded to tensions through intergroup service programs emphasizing respect for differences regardless of language and cultural background.
• Following WWII we carried out a resettlement program of Japanese Americans returning to Philadelphia from internment camps where they had been held during the war. We provided vocational services for Russians, Ukrainians and other Europeans displaced by the war, and in 1956 sponsored Hungarian refugees, providing English language classes and other services.
• In the 1950s we began sponsorship and presentation of the Philadelphia Folk Fair, which continued until 1984. The Folk Fair offered demonstrations of crafts, food, music and dance from more than fifty different nationalities, expressing the ideals of cultural pluralism and celebrating ethnic diversity and internationalism.
• In 1963 our name was changed to Nationalities Service Center. In the 1960s we resettled Cubans, and later responded to the needs of Puerto Ricans who were coming to Philadelphia in search of jobs, education and economic security, and we cooperated with the Urban League and leaders of nationality groups to ease ethnic- racial tensions and improve communication and mutual understanding.
• During the 1970s and 80s NSC carried out significant resettlement of Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian refugees, worked with Ethiopians, Angolans and other Africans, and received Haitians and Cubans.
• In 1986 we established a Senior Center in Logan, responding to the unmet needs of immigrant elderly from Southeast Asia.

We have continued to carry out our core mission through the very difficult years following the September 11 attacks and through the current deep recession. Our refugee resettlement work has expanded in recent years to include resettlement of Iraqis, Burmese, Congolese, and Darfuris. Three years ago we established a program of services to victims of torture. We provide vital legal representation to immigrants from Africa, Latin America, the Arab world and Asia seeking asylum, protection from domestic violence, naturalization and legal status through family relationships. We teach English and literacy, and provide interpretation and translation services, to thousands of immigrants from all over the world. Our Senior Center recently established a community garden where immigrant elders grow vegetables and herbs for Center lunches and for their own families.

Our commitment to providing services to all immigrants in the region, regardless of nationality, religion or circumstances, is stronger than ever.

Dennis Mulligan, Esq.
Executive Director

You are invited to a
Helping Hands Week Fundraiser for
Nationalities Service Center
at Trolley Car Diner
& Trolley Car Cafe!

THE MORE YOU EAT AND DRINK,
THE MORE YOU HELP NSC OBTAIN OUR FUNDRAISING GOALS.

SPREAD THE WORD AND HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Please present this coupon to the cashier &
Trolley Car Diner & Trolley Car Café will donate
15% of your purchase to

Nationalities Service Center

Valid Monday, May 30^th to Sunday, June 5^th

7am to 9pm Monday – Friday

3pm to 9pm Saturday & Sunday

Name____________________________________________

E-mail____________________________________________

Café - 3269 S. Ferry Rd., Phila, Pa 19129

www.trolleycarcafe.com

Diner – 7619 germantown ave., phila, pa 19119

www.trolleycardiner.com

Coupon is valid for dining-in or take-out and is

not valid for the Ice Cream Shoppe.

*May not be combined with other promotions or special offers

When: Wednesday, May 11th, 5:30- 8:00 P.M.
Where: Jose Pistolas, 263 S. 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA

Great Raffle prizes, snacks and happy hour specials! Come to support NSC’s Refugee Community Farm and have a great time!

Fortunately for Maria, Immigration and Customs Enforcement was investigating the traffickers and raided the house. Maria was identified as a survivor of trafficking. She was referred to case management services at NSC. Maria has now applied for a special visa for victims of trafficking to be able to live and work in the United States.

In 2010 NSC worked with six survivors of sex and labor trafficking. NSC case managers help these women heal from their past, build relationships, find employment, reunite with their families, and plan for their futures.

NSC helps around 100 immigrant victims of domestic violence every year. Our office becomes the last resort for many immigrant women who are both victimized by and dependent on their abusers. We help them break through the cycle of violence by developing a safety plan, finding housing, and providing vital legal help. These services are essential for these women and their children to lead economically and emotionally independent lives.

Pushing the Elephant

The film will be followed by a panel discussion with Beth Davenport (co-director of Pushing the Elephant), Dr. Dulivanette Onema (faculty, Community College of Philadelphia), and a representative from the Nationalities Service Center.

Wednesday March 16, 2011 6:30pm (doors open 6:00pm) Community College of Philadelphia Bonnell Auditorium 1700 Spring Garden Ave Philadelphia, PA 19130
Venue is wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation and captioning provided by request.

When civil war came to Rose’s Congolese village, she was separated from her five-year-old daughter, Nangabire. Rose managed to escape with nine of her 10 children and was eventually resettled in Phoenix, Arizona. More than a decade later, mother and daughter are reunited in the U.S. where they must come to terms with the past and build a new future. To watch a preview of the film click here.

A special free workshop “Using Video As A Tool For Social Change” will be offered in the afternoon from 3:00-5:00pm at the Leeway Foundation, prior to the screening at Community College of Philadelphia. For more information about this workshop, please see below.

For more information, and to RSVP, visit whyy.convio.net/pushing

or call (215) 351-0511.

Min Oo spent the first 14 years of his life in a refugee camp. His Burmese family had fled to Thailand from the repressive military junta ruling their native Myanmar before he was born. During the years they were in the camp, they slept in a wooden tent and received scant rations of oil, salt and rice every month to live on. To get meat or earn some money, his dad would risk his life by sneaking outside camp to hunt wildlife and cut firewood. “If the guards caught you, they’d bash your face with their gun,” Oo recalls.

Little did Oo know that his past would make for a classic Amerian success story. Three years ago, Oo, his parents and little brother arrived in Philadelphia as part of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. One of the first Burmese families to arrive in the city, they settled in South Philly.

But they didn’t do it alone. When the family first arrived in the U.S., they were met by representatives from the Nationalities Services Center, one of three refugee resettlement agencies in Philadelphia. Using federal funds for assistance to new refugees, NSC provided the family with a furnished apartment, some pocket money and help navigating paperwork and bureaucracy to gain access to employment, health care and education. “They help us to get everything,” Oo says.

Full article at Philadelphia Weekly

Please come and join our staff and volunteers as we reach out to the legislators to save the funding cuts to the refugee resettlement program! Please contact us at 215-893-8400, or ldursunova@nscphila.org for more information.

If you cannot make it to our office, please take few minutes of your time to make the call. Please check our Facebook page for more details.

The Unsung Heroine Agency Award recognizes, honors and celebrates Ms. Wendel’s tireless work and dedication to help refugee women gain access to health care, and NSC’s work that contributes to a world where women and girls have the confidence and support to realize their dreams, earn a fair wage, and be free from violence, abuse, and exploitation.

• Elderly Immigrants Share the Language of the Garden by Virginia A. Smith, Inquirer Staff Writer
• Philly.com Gardening Blog - Seng Hay’s Lunches, Refugee Garden

Our objectives are:

• Establish additional refugee health clinics
• Conduct regular trainings for medical providers to ensure staff are culturally competent and knowledgeable about refugee health
• Implement a central referral system for scheduling refugees for screening appointments and health orientations
• Advocate with the state for better coordination and funding of refugee health services
• Create a citywide research database to collect and share data on domestic screening results

Please let us know if you have any questions or want to learn more about the Philadelphia Refugee Health Collaborative.

He worked with great energy, wisdom and good humor to make NSC a stronger organization, and his sudden passing is a profound loss not just to Nationalities Service Center but to the immigrants and refugees we serve and to the whole community. Among his many contributions, Bruce helped organize our first Refugee Thanksgiving Dinner in 2005, a tradition which we have continued since.

Bruce also served with distinction as a Board member for the U.S. Committee for Refugee and Immigrants, a national organization with linkages to the NSC and 35 other community based organizations serving newcomers around the country.

He was the author of “The Uneasy Alliance: Religion, Refugee Work and U.S. Foreign Policy,” and was the editor of Ethics and International Affairs, the quarterly journal of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.

We express our condolences to the Nichols family for their great loss.

On August 25th and September 15th, the Education Department’s summer intern, Julia Federico, organized workshops on “Your Children in Philadelphia Public Schools” and “Access to Health Care for All Immigrants.” Participants at the sessions received language access cards, a list of community health resources, and information regarding full participation in Philadelphia schools and public health services.

The presenters brought together years of expertise. Our thanks go to Ludy Soderman, from the School District’s Multilingual Family Support Office, Jafar Abdulayev from the ARC of Philadelphia, Natasha Kelemen, Refugee Health Coordinator at NSC, Mayla Henderson Jackson, Outreach Specialist with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and Loraine Iglesias from Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Workshop information was translated into Indonesian, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, and Mandarin Chinese. The Indonesian newspaper Kabar Kilat featured the workshop. Generous donations were also made by Longman Publishing Company and the ARC of Philadelphia.

Bryn Mawr students developed material to provide three additional workshops on health care access this fall. One of the workshops will be on prevention and wellness, one will be on specialty care, and the third workshop will be on access to children’s care. ActionAids and PPCCY (Public Citizen’s for Children and Youth) will be presenting.

“With NSC’s help I am not only learning how to read, write and speak English, but I am also gaining self-confidence about my own abilities” - Antonio, ESL student.

This article was featured in NSC’s Winter 2010 Newsletter.

In our work with Iraqi refugees, NSC has developed many new partners who work with us to ensure that all refugees are afforded opportunities for full integration. groups such as the Arab American Community Development Corporation, Project SHINE, and the Mandaean Society of America.

At the invitation of board members of the Mandaean Society, NSC has joined the international efforts to save the lives and ancient traditions of Iraqi’s Mandaeans. Philadelphia was home to just two Mandaean families in the early 1990s. NSC resettled our first Mandaean family in 2008 with more arriving in the past few weeks. NSC is now one of only a few resettlement agencies approved for Mandaean resettlement.

Dr. Saidi, board member of the Mandaean Society of America, reports that the existing Mandaean community “hopes to establish a viable community in Philadelphia that would embrace American cultural while keeping Mandaean flavors. We encourage newcomers to work and be productive and look for help in making this a success”.

Mandaeans, one of Iraq’s religious and ethnic minorities have been specifically targeted for violence in the current war. There are no more than 5,000 Mandaeans remaining in Iraq while more than 90% having fled for safety in Syria and other countries. Iraqi’s Mandaeans were largely well educated professionals, often working as jewelers and goldsmiths.

NSC and the Mandaean community welcome assistance, especially ideas for entry-level employment for this community. Please support us in welcoming our newest neighbors.

This article was featured in NSC’s Winter 2010 Newsletter.

In 2009, local activist Maria Marroquin and NSC’s staff attorney David Bennion organized a local group, DreamActivist Pennsylvania, to raise awareness of the issues undocumented youth face in Pennsylvania. Members of the group have sponsored or assisted with events at Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Swarthmore College, organized supporters to travel to Washington, D.C., for rallies and lobbying events, and participated in local events to promote immigration reform. In February, NSC co-sponsored showings of the film “Papers,” about the DREAM Act, at Arch Street United Methodist Church and Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church. The efforts of the activists and supporters resulted in several Philadelphia area members of Congress agreeing to co-sponsor the DREAM Act, including Senator Arlen Specter and Representatives Bob Brady, Chakka Fattah, and Joe Sestak.

DREAM Act organizers Maria and Armando meeting with Senator Casey in September.

NSC sponsored a phone bank at which supporters of the DREAM Act called Senators before the recent Senate vote on the bill. Unfortunately, the Senate voted not to move forward. However, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) has announced his intent to bring the DREAM Act up for a vote after the elections this November. The future of the DREAM Act, and of the undocumented youth who would benefit from it, remains uncertain.

Please contact Nationalities Service Center to learn how you can support these deserving young people in their fight for recognition and equality in the U.S.

This article was featured in NSC’s Winter 2010 Newsletter.

On July 15th we celebrated the grand opening of our Senior Center garden, which is located on the grounds of Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church on north Broad Street . Special guests included Ray Prushnok, the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Aging, and Holly Langtie, Senior Vice President of Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. Over 70 guests toured the garden and enjoyed fresh produce graciously provided by Weaver’s Way Farm.

Our thanks go to Philadelphia Green/City Harvest, Baker’s Creek Seeds, and Primex Garden Center of Glenside for helping us with plants, salt hay, raised beds, seeds, tools, and funds to continue the project. Over 1000 volunteer hours were put into building the raised beds, which allow anyone, regardless of physical ability, to work in the garden. Our AmeriCorp and Bridging the Gap members are creating a nutrition/garden curriculum for this winter. NSC’s garden has a mix of plants, herbs, and vegetables from all over Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Eastern Europe, in addition to native plants from the Southern U.S., and Pennsylvania.

Participants made sure to plant native flora around the garden to attract birds and insects and improve the local environment. To reduce our “footprint” and to engage the Center’s members in recycling, we use rain barrels, compost bins, as well as “green” and “brown” plant
material. Our produce doesn’t travel miles to reach our congregate meal kitchen. Our food is being grown without chemicals and does not pollute local water sources.

The garden project is still in its infancy, but we believe that the possibilities for collaborations and innovative projects are limitless. If you would like to tour the gardens or hear more about our project, please feel free to contact us at NSC, or at tarasl@nscphila.org.

This article was featured in NSC’s Winter 2010 Newsletter.

Immigrant Philadelphia:

Stories, Cultures, and Communities

Wednesday, November 10

How does immigration continue to change the face of our city and the campus?

Our speakers will share personal stories and insights into emerging opportunities and challenges.

Networking: 1:00-1:30pm

Community organizations and student groups present tables and posters

Panel Discussion: 1:30-3pm

Moderated by Sherri Grasmuck

Professor of Sociology, Temple University

Dennis Mulligan

Executive Director, Nationalities Services Center

Amanda Bergson-Shilcock

Director of Outreach and Program Evaluation

The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians

Zeina El-Halabi

Associate Director, The Arab-American CDC

Temple University student representative

Breakout Groups: 3-4pm

To Register: www.projectshine.org/forumregistration

For More Information: www.projectshine.org/semesterofawareness

Or Email rachelhowe@temple.edu

Each 4-hour workshop costs $100.00. The 20-hour training, with a certificate of participation, costs $450.00. Workshops require a minimum of 10 participants, or they will be canceled. Act 48 credits will be provided for public school teachers. We also train teachers on-site at their place of work.

(Note: NSC volunteer teachers attend the first two trainings for free.)

For more information, contact Ellen Polsky, Director of Education at 215-609-1525.

By Seth Zweifler

Meh Sha Lin has only fleeting memories of his father. He remembers the faint outlines of his face, unblemished by raising three children in the rugged jungles of Burma. He remembers the sudden, tight knot that would form in his stomach after his father “just looked at me the wrong way.” And he remembers the night when, at just 8 years old, his fingers felt the bullet holes in his father’s back.

Read full story.

A Burmese refugee profiled in a Villanova documentary becomes the voice of a growing population in the community by sharing his tragic, yet inspiring story.

Meh Sha Lin arrived in South Philadelphia in September 2007. He spoke no English and hadn’t attended school since becoming a teenager. Now, he is on track to graduate from South Philadelphia High next year. “I go to South Philly High. Yes, it is hard because, really different is my life when living in Thaliand — just grade school. This is my first time [and] school [is] not really easy for me,” the 18-year-old said.

The amazing journey Lin took from a refugee camp in Thailand to living at Seventh and Jackson streets is explored in the new Villanova University documentary, “Meh Sha,” which premiered last Saturday at the Ritz at the Bourse.

Read full story.

*Screening to be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Eric Byler

For more information see: http://9500liberty.com/

9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real life showdown in the seat of county government.

The devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution” is felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.

The last time 38-year-old Chandra Gurung was counted in a national census was in Bhutan in 1991, and it led to the expulsion of more than 105,000 Bhutanese of Nepali descent.

Authorities “wanted to know if your parents and grandparents were born in Bhutan,” she recalled. “If they weren’t, you were forced to leave.”

Full story

Where: Nationalities Service Center, 1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor
Date: Friday, April 16, 2010
Time: 6:00 pm

‘9500 Liberty’ Screening Flyer

*Screening to be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Eric Byler

For more information see: http://9500liberty.com/

9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real life showdown in the seat of county government.

The devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution” is felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds.

2010 CITIZENSHIP DAY

WHAT: On April 17, volunteer attorneys will provide free legal assistance to lower income immigrants eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. There is no charge for this application assistance; however individuals are responsible for filing fees, postage & biometrics. Attorneys will also assist those that qualify in filing fee waiver applications.

Citizenship Day Flyer - Arabic Speakers

HOW: Applicants must register for this event in advance and receive an appointment time by calling the appropriate number for the site. Space is limited.

WHEN/WHERE:

Saturday, April 17, 2010 in Philadelphia

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Nationalities Service Center

1216 Arch St., 4th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Call HIAS and Council: Vilma Rivera (se habla español) (215) 832-0900, (215) 832-0900 , or (215) 832-0914 - OR- Nationalities Service Center: Aimee George at (215) 609-1534

2010 Citizenship Day in Pennsylvania is a collaboration between the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Esperanza, HIAS and Council Migration Service of Philadelphia, the Korean Association of Greater Philadelphia, Nationalities Service Center (NSC), and the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC). Local organizations are also cosponsoring the event.

This position is responsible for assisting the Director of Development in administrative and project related functions for donor cultivation and special events planning and execution.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and administer the overall recognition process for donors (i.e. thank you’s and donor birthday communication).
• Monitor web-site donor related statistics
• Assist to revise and maintain a cultivation and solicitation program for assigned current and prospective donors.
• Assist with special donor related events and publications
• Assist to increase annually the number of prospects thru research and identification by networking, publications, and internal procedures.
• Assist in strengthening and maintaining our annual and major gift programs.
• Assist with communication to donors effectively through written letters, reports, proposals, e-mail and other materials related to projects and donor assignments

NSC participates in the PHEAA Work Study Program. PA residency required.

Qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Outlook
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Nationalities Service Center joined together with other local agencies to prepare to provide services and housing for injured Haitians and their companions who might be coming to Philadelphia.  In order to prepare for their arrival, NSC reached out to the community and asked for support, not just in the form of donations, but for volunteers as well.  Thank you to everyone who answered our call and who, without hesitation, offered to give of their time and energy to help those in need.  We were recently informed that Philadelphia would not be receiving Haitians. We will contact all those who expressed interest in volunteering if the situation changes, but for now we would again thank all who responded for your overwhelming support.  It showed the spirit of Philadelphia at its best.

By JULIA PRESTON
Published: February 2, 2010

The United States military airlift of Haitians who were severely injured in the earthquake is expanding this week to deliver patients to hospitals in and around Tampa, Fla., and Atlanta, federal health officials said Tuesday.

Full Article

PAPERS is the story of undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status.

Join us in raising awareness about the lives of undocumented youth and learn how you can support the DREAM Act, a bill introduced in Congress in 2009 that would provide legal status to undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as children, provided they complete two years of college or military service.

According to the film’s website, 65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from high school without “papers” and the door to their future slams shut. There are approximately 2 million undocumented children who were born outside the U.S. and raised in this country. These are young people who were educated in American schools, hold American values, know only the U.S. as home and yet risk deportation to countries they may not even remember.

Screening Information:

Date: Thursday, February 25
Time: 5:30pm
Location Arch Street United Methodist Church, Broad and Arch Streets.

Date: Saturday, February 27
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Chestnut Hill United Methodist Church, 8812 Germantown Avenue

Remarks by Dennis Mulligan, Executive Director of Nationalities Service Center (NSC), and NSC attorney David Bennion, will follow the screening.

$5.00 at the door. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information:

Margaret Harris at 215.568.2206

Kathrin Ivanovic at 215.893.8400 x 1522

By Michael Matza

Inquirer Staff Writer

The alarm clock’s 3 a.m. ring awakened 50-year-old Rudra Kuikel and his eldest daughter, Thagi, 22, in their lightly furnished South Philadelphia apartment.

An hour later they were in a van along with other immigrants headed for the Swedesboro packaged-food plant where father and daughter, working side by side, chopped lettuce for eight hours, netting $50 each after taxes and paying $5 each for transportation.

See full article!

Directed by Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater
2009, 58 minutes

For more information!

BBC Story - Part I

BBC Story - Part II

Dennis Mulligan, Esq., Executive Director of Nationalities Service Center, has been appointed to the Immigrant subcommittee by Mayor Nutter to develop census awareness and outreach throughout Philadelphia’s many vibrant immigrant communities.

English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Chinese | Khmer | Additional Languages

There are several other critical ways you can get involved in the 2010 Census.

How can I get a job as a Census worker?
The U.S. Census Bureau’s recruiting efforts for 2009 census taker* jobs have ended. To learn about other census jobs in Philadelphia, please visit the U.S. Census Bureau Philadelphia Regional Office’s web page at www.census.gov/philadelphia. Or you can call them at (215) 717-1800 or 1-800-262-4236.

How do I volunteer to help with the Philly Counts campaign?
To become a Philly Counts volunteer, please send an email to phillycounts@phila.gov or you can fill out the form on the “Volunteer” form on the right side of this page.

…more 2010 Census FAQ!

]]> http://www.nscphila.org/2010/02/12/philly-counts-be-counted-in-the-2010-census/feed/ http://www.nscphila.org/2009/12/07/nsc-news-this-bridge-of-trust/ http://www.nscphila.org/2009/12/07/nsc-news-this-bridge-of-trust/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:10:27 +0000 admin http://www.nationalitiesservice.org/?p=1151 READ - NSC Winter 2009 Newsletter

This Bridge of Trust:
Psychological Support for Asylum Seekers
Work with Torture Survivors “Sobering but Immensely Uplifting”

Psychologist Judy Eidelson has provided pro bono or low cost psychological evaluation services to seventy Philadelphia area asylum seekers, ten of those through NSC, in the past seven years. Through Psychologists for Social Responsibility, she is also creating a project to educate and mentor other psychologists who want to learn how to provide sensitive psychological services to traumatized asylum seekers. Asked about her motivation for this work, she responds, “It seems to me we all have a responsibility to do what we can about the suffering of other people.”

Dr. Eidelson particularly enjoys working with NSC because the issue of trust is so important for asylum seekers, whose experiences have been destructive of trust and hope. She commented, “It’s great to work with the legal staff at NSC. The clients coming to me from NSC have come to trust their attorneys’ advice, because they see how hard the attorneys are working for them.”

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Judy feels an especially direct connection with asylum seekers: “I am very grateful for the refuge my parents found in the United States. This is one reason that I spend some of my time working with refugees who have experienced trauma.”

In the beginning, Judy was concerned that it would be too hard to listen to survivors’ stories of torture and abuse. But after years working with torture and abuse survivors she says, “It’s sobering but immensely uplifting because of the resilience of the human spirit and what people are able to endure because of their commitment to values, to children, to life itself.”

Collaboration with NSC Legal Department

SC’s Legal Department represents many survivors of torture, abuse and persecution. This work is focused on helping these survivors gain a “safe haven” in the US: protection from being returned to their country if they are likely to face further persecution or torture there, and permanent legal status in the US to enable them to rebuild their shattered lives.

We do this by working with clients to document their experiences, applying for asylum and relief under the Convention Against Torture. We also represent many immigrant survivors of domestic violence in the US who are able to seek protection and legal status through applications under the Violence Against Women Act and U visas. Helping these clients toward long-term protection, security, and access to vital services is an important part of NSC’s mission.

All of these applications require proof of the physical and emotional harms that the person suffered. NSC relies on a small but growing network of volunteer psychologists to provide a key component in these cases: the psychological evaluation of the client. Working alongside NSC lawyers, Dr. Eidelson’s pro bono evaluations have helped some of our most severely traumatized clients obtain asylum and other protections.

Dr. Eidelson’s psychological evaluations provide the decision- maker (usually an Asylum Officer or Immigration Judge) with an expert assessment of the client’s state of mind, thus helping the adjudicator evaluate the client’s credibility.

Government decision-makers want clear, linear testimony. But “trauma itself makes it difficult to present the claim: individuals may withhold information, display intense emotions, or become irritable when asked questions over and over by hostile questioners,” Dr. Eidelson explains. “Psychologists know it’s normal to remember different aspects of a traumatic experience at different times, so this is a translation process. We become a bridge between the client and the legal system, where our expertise is respected.” Thanks to this bridge, a trauma survivor is more likely to be understood and found credible.

According to a recent study conducted by Physicians for Human Rights, when a psychological or medical evaluation is included as part of the claim, asylum seekers’ success rates increase from 37% to 89%.In cases where documentation is scarce, especially for people who had to quickly flee their homes without documents to escape harm, the psychological evaluation is often the main way NSC attorneys can corroborate a client’s story.

NSC legal staff views Dr. Eidelson’s support and contributions as vital to their ability to win cases and connect with clients. “Judy really goes above and beyond for our clients,” says Anna Paciorek, senior staff attorney. “I look forward to reading her assessments because, in the majority of my cases, she finds a new, helpful detail that the client was reluctant to share or maybe did not think was relevant.”

During a recent evaluation for a pending asylum claim, Dr. Eidelson recognized that the client may have sustained a permanent brain injury due to repeated blows to the head during armed conflict in his country. She recommended a neurological consult and pointed NSC staff towards potential evaluators. This discovery may prove to be the determining factor in our ability to demonstrate the severity of the abuse suffered by our client. He also gained new insight into his own condition: he had suffered from memory loss, disorientation, and severe headaches for many years without receiving medical attention. Now he has a better chance not only of asylum, but also of accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

For trauma survivors, the psychological evaluation can have additional benefits. Because it involves listening with great interest and compassion to the life experience of a refugee, Judy commented, the psychological evaluation also “can be the beginning of a healing process.”

Asylum Project Helps Psychologists Conduct Evaluations

The need is urgent, yet mental health professionals face obstacles in learning to provide psychological evaluations of asylum-seekers. “These obstacles include unfamiliarity with immigration law, a lack of training in multicultural competence, and limited knowledge of the conflicts and contexts that generate political violence,” Judy explained.

To overcome these hurdles, Dr. Eidelson and her colleague, Dr. Suzan Greenberg, who also conducts psychological evaluations for NSC, launched the Political Asylum Project through Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR). The project enables psychologists interested in assisting asylum seekers to network with more experienced providers. It gathers materials and resources in one easily accessible place, and it provides a forum where professionals can discuss complex, sensitive questions with each other, increasing their multicultural competency along the way.

This support minimizes burnout risk, enables practitioners to organize workshops and symposia, and encourages more psychologists to get involved. To learn more about the project, go to www.psysr.org and click on “asylum,” the first category that pops up under the “issues” heading. To contact Judy Eidelson directly, write to her at judyeidelson@gmail.com.

NSC Support for Torture Survivors

In addition to its ongoing legal work on behalf of torture survivors, NSC created a new program for Survivors of Torture this year. Staffed by Emily Spann in NSC’s Department of Social Services, the program seeks to connect survivors with culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health care, in addition to other vital social services.

The program is funded by the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, and meets a need which has been evident for some time. Established referral networks typically do not serve low income, non English speakers, or undocumented immigrants. The NSC Survivors of Torture and Trauma Project is establishing new networks with practitioners, such as Judy and Suzan, who do serve this group.

As new networks grow, NSC hopes other mental health professionals will conclude, as Judy has, that assisting torture survivors is “some of the most rewarding work of my professional career.”

For more information about the Survivors of Torture and Trauma Project, please contact Emily Spann: 215.893.8400 x1540, espann@nscphila.org

Rediscovering Ur’s Royal Cemetery

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009

Time: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Location: Penn Museum - 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Annual Peace Around the World: Passport to Culture

Free Family and Volunteer Holiday Celebration!

Visit galleries where Penn Museum International Classroom speakers share holiday traditions of their home countries through music, stories, art, games, and more. The afternoon also features international entertainments and free treats for children!

1:30 pm, Reception and short talk by Richard Zettler, Associate Curator of the Near East Section of Penn Museum, and co-curator of  “Iraq’s Ancient Past: Rediscovering Ur’s Royal Cemetery.” Following the talk, join Dr. Zettler for a tour of this special exhibit.

The event is free for the refugee families and volunteers.

Come and meet Iraqi families, NSC staff and learn about the Iraq’s ancient past!

To reserve tickets, please call Zakariya Ismael: zismael@nscphila.org

(215) 893-8400 ext.1556

For more information please see  here!

Laura and Richard Steel, Honorary Chairpersons - 2009 Global Tastes

One of the most daunting barriers to self-sufficiency that immigrants face is language. Learning to speak, read and write English well is essential to finding a job, supporting a family, and being actively involved in community and civic life. NSC offers a way to meet this challenge by offering inexpensive English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at a variety of levels for immigrants and refugees. For some, however, even this low cost is too much.

Years ago, Richard and Laura Steel set out to provide newcomers to Philadelphia with the opportunity to learn  English. The Richard D. Steel ESL Scholarship Fund was established, allowing NSC to provide a small number of scholarships to qualifying students for each of our 10 week class sessions. Hundreds of immigrants have been helped thanks to the Steels’ generosity.

In the current difficult economic times, the number of scholarship applicants has greatly increased. Each session NSC receives many more applications for scholarships than existing funding can support, causing needy students to be turned away from these necessary classes.

The Steels and NSC are committed to growing this scholarship fund, with the hope that no students are denied access to our ESL classes due to a lack of means. Please join us in this mission by generously donating to the Richard D. Steel ESL Scholarship Fund.

*Please indicate that your gift is for the “ESL Scholarship Fund”*

To contribute to the Richard D. Steel ESL Scholarship Fund, contact Kathrin P. Ivanovic, our director of development at 215-893-8400 or kivanovic@nscphila.org.

Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Director of Development
(215) 893-8400
kivanovic@nscphila.org

NATIONALITIES SERVICE CENTER & the PENN MUSEUM
to host GLOBAL TASTES

A culinary fundraiser celebrating Philadelphia’s Diverse Communities Through Food

PHILADELPHIA, PA August 31, 2009 - On Wednesday, September 30, Nationalities Service Center (NSC) will bring together some of the city’s most distinctive ethnic restaurants to celebrate the exciting diversity of immigrant communities in Philadelphia. Laura and Richard Steel, long time supporters of NSC, are Chairpersons of the Host Committee for this year’s event. The event will take place at the Penn Museum (3260 South Street) from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

For full press release click here!

Amala’s Story

Amala’s husband was a prominent business owner in Baghdad who was kidnapped by insurgents because of his family’s wealth and status. Amala sold the family belongings to collect the ransom, not knowing if she would see her husband again. Months later, her husband was dumped in front of their home. Although he had endured several months of being hung by his wrists and whipped, his physical wounds were never treated because the family was terrified that if he left the house he would be kidnapped again.

NSC resettled Amala, her husband, and their two young children as refugees and continues to provide support to the family. Her husband currently receives treatment for his wounds, Amala receives psychological counseling, and their children will soon have access to art therapy to help them cope with witnessing their father’s kidnapping.

On this day, International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we are given an opportunity to reflect on the needs of survivors of torture who are making Philadelphia their new home. NSC is committing itself to serve survivors of torture and we hope that you will join us. We are eager to offer survivors the chance to become contributing members of the Philadelphia community.

We need your support toprovide survivors of torture like Amala and her family with vital services to rebuild their lives and to transform their experience from that of pain and suffering into a renewed sense of meaning.

• $25 for art therapy session for a child who has witnessed acts of violence so that she/he may begin to express and communicate emotions
• $75 for a psychological and physical health evaluation for one survivor so that the survivors wounds can begin to heal
• $150 for the cost of 2 months transportation assistance to help a survivor get to critical appointments including physical and occupational therapy, counseling, doctors visits, and meetings with their attorney
• $300 40 hours of case management support to help a survivor access needed resources and services

Ways to Give!

• Donate Online!
• Donate via Fax using our Contributions Form!
• Send a check via mail to: Nationalities Service Center, c/o Development Department, 1216 Arch Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

To discuss other ways to give, please contact Kathrin P. Ivanovic, Director of Development at 215.893.8400 x 1522 or kivanovic@nscphila.org.

Benefiting Nationalities Service Center

Nationalities Service Center is partnering with The Urban Momentum Network, Premier Brand Group and OnlyUp to provide you with an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Philadelphia’s newest residents while forging relationships with other connectors, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and movers and shakers in the Philadelphia area.

All proceeds will benefit NSC’s refugee resettlement efforts and will be used to provide household goods, clothing, furniture, culturally and ethnically appropriate food and school supplies to recently arrived refugees.

Event Sponsors:

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2009
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Location: The Rum Bar - Restaurant and Lounge (2005 Walnut Street)

**Happy Hour Special until 8:30**

Suggested Donation: $15 includes 5 raffle tickets (additional raffle tickets may be purchased for $1 a piece)

Raffle Prizes Include:

• Six Group Tickets to Eastern State Penitentiary Tours
• Gift Basket from La Colombe Coffee
• Bowling Party for 16 at Lucky Strike Lanes
• Gift Basket from Lush
• Brunch for Two at Manayunk Brewery
• Gift Basket from Old City Coffee
• Moviet Tickets, Popcorn and Drink for Two at Ritz Movie 5
• Private Dance Lessons for Two at Society Hill Dance Academy
• Two Tickets for performance of Paco Pena at the Kimmel Center
• Gift Basket from Trader Joe’s
• Two Tickets for performance at the Wilma Theater
• Two Tickets for performance at the Allens Lane Art Center
• Signed copy of Kinky Gazpacho by Lori L. Tharps
• Signed copy of The Other Side of Paradise, a memoir by Staceyann Chin
• Two Tickets to Japanese Tea Demonstration at the Japanese House and Garden

……and more!

For more information, please contact Kathrin P. Ivanovic, Director of Development at 215.893.8400 or kivanovic@nscphila.org.

All Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.

NSC is registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations. A copy of our registration and financial statement may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Director of Development
215.893.8400
kivanovic@nscphila.org

NSC Hosts Refugee Resettlement Cultural Orientation Trainers

NSC named as lead Philadelphia agency to welcome Cultural Orientation trainers for  refugee resettlement informational exchange

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 12, 2009 - Nationalities Service Center will host Cultural Orientation trainers from Amman, Jordan and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, May 14 and Friday, May 15 as part of the Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration sponsored Cultural Orientation exchange program. They will have the opportunity to meet with NSC’s staff and staff members of other Philadelphia refugee resettlement agencies, as well as recently resettled refugees.

For full press release click here!

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | April 30, 2009

CAMBRIDGE - Nur Munir was supposed to earn a master’s degree from Harvard in June. But this month he vanished.

Classmates said the slight, gentle divinity student had never missed a session in his seminar on Islamic law, where he sat right next to the professor. He was a fixture at prayers at the Harvard Islamic Society. Students began to ask: “What happened to Nur?”

Soon, one of his professors received an e-mail: Munir was in a Pennsylvania jail fighting deportation to Indonesia.

Now, his classmates and professors are waging a letter-writing campaign to persuade federal immigration officials to grant Munir a stay of deportation, at least until he completes his master’s in theological studies. Munir, who classmates say is a Muslim who passionately supports peaceful relations with Jews, has been fighting to stay in the United States for the past decade.

For full article, click here!

Nur Munir, a student at Harvard Divinity School who had recently been detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, has been released from York County Prison in Pennsylvania so that he may complete his studies at Harvard. The news of Munir’s release came on May 10th, after the Department of Homeland Security granted his application for deferred action, partly due to the tremendous support he received from students and faculty in the Harvard community. Munir had been detained for deportation after the final denial of the appeal of his asylum application, and now will be able to return to Cambridge to complete his studies.

Below is a letter written by Munir from prison on May 3rd, before his application for deferred action was granted, in which he expresses his gratitude to the Harvard community for the support he received.

For full article, click here!

Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Director of Development
215.893.8400
kivanovic@nscphila.org

NSC Joins National Coalition to
Establish Immigrant Family Violence Institute

NSC helps launch the Immigrant Family Violence Institute to facilitate awareness of domestic violence issues among immigrant populations

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 21, 2009 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded funding to Nationalities Service Center and five other immigrant service agencies, to establish the Immigrant Family Violence Institute (IFVI). IFVI is a national coalition of six highly-reputable, ethnically diverse immigrant services agencies and members of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). USCRI, a national non-profit organization, and its member agencies serve more than 1 million refugees annually.

For full press release, click here!

Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Director of Development
215.893.8400
kivanovic@nscphila.org

Nationalities Service Center Announces Chinatown Immigration Law Project

NSC receives Independence Foundation Public Interest Law Fellowship for launch of Chinatown Immigration Law Project, an initiative that provides free immigration legal services to low-income residents of Philadelphia’s Chinese community

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 20, 2009 - Nationalities Service Center (NSC) was awarded a Public Interest Law Fellowship from the Independence Foundation to establish the Chinatown Immigration Law Project. This project will provide free immigration legal services to low-income residents of Philadelphia’s Chinese community. The project is headed by Brian Wang, who graduated from Temple University Beasley School of Law in May 2008. Brian recently passed the bar examination and will be admitted as an attorney in February 2009.

For full press release, click here!

Kathrin P. Ivanovic
Director of Development
215.893.8400
kivanovic@nscphila.org

Nationalities Service Center Launches Refugee
Health Care Initiative

Nationalities Service Center Awarded Barra Foundation Grant for Philly Refugee Health  Care Initiative in Partnership with Thomas Jefferson Hospital

Philadelphia, PA - December 20, 2008 - The Barra Foundation recently awarded the Nationalities Service Center (NSC) funding to launch a new health care initiative for refugees. The grant enabled NSC to recruit Kim Johnson who now serves as NSC’s Health Coordinator for the Social Service Department Refugee Resettlement services. Ms. Johnson brings with her a wealth of programming and advocacy experience gained while developing, managing, and implementing education and training programs abroad, most recently in Liberia and Thailand.

For full press release, click here!

For full Winter 2008 Newsletter, click here!

Iraqi Refugees Heading to Philly
Posted July 31, 2008 at 10:05 AM

When Iraq War casualties are mentioned, the first things that come to most Americans minds are undoubtedly U.S. military deaths - which reached 4124 this week - and possibly the number of Iraqi civilians killed: upwards of 100,000.

But with the war into its fifth year, another type of casualty is only increasing, one not often mentioned by the media and far from most Americans’ minds: Iraqi civilians permanently displaced by the war. It can happen many ways: the bombing of a house, death of a family breadwinner, militia threats or even kidnapping, to name a few. Many Iraqis who can afford it have fled to neighboring Jordan or Syria, but even if they make it there, they often don’t have the finances or the connections to rebuild some semblance of their former lives.

For full article, click here!

Yesterday (June 21st) I was invited to speak at the first-of-its-kind conference in the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia-held conference was an open-borders event between the newly arrived Iraqi refugees to the Philadelphia area and their new American friends and neighbors.

For full article, click here!

Building New Lives Far from Iraq

Now in Phila., he helps other refugees resettle

As a translator for U.S. troops, Mohammed Mustafa al-Tamini faced daily dangers in Iraq, including the bomb disposal mission that nearly took his life.

Now six months after the arduous odyssey that brought him to Philadelphia, the lanky Iraqi refugee has an apartment in Malvern, a job in Center City, and the blessedly humdrum risk of a daily commute on the R5.

For full article, click here.

Refugees from the war-torn Karen state in the eastern hills of Burma enjoyed a lavish Thanksgiving feast on Saturday. A group of over 50 Wharton student volunteers and partners joined with the Nationalities Service Center (NSC), a local refugee resettlement NGO, to welcome these new Philadelphia residents.

Since their arrival to the United States three months ago, the Karen Burmese have faced difficulties adjusting to their new home. Most of the older refugees do not speak English, several are suffering from serious illnesses, and many are struggling to find employment of any kind.

For full article, click here!