MLK Day Mural with New Arrivals

Yesterday morning was cold. The morning was crisp, with frost on car windows and crunchy grass underfoot. Cold days with outdoor agendas are always a gamble; attendance can fluctuate, and when a significant number of prospective attendees are newly arrived refugees coming from hot weather climates, the numbers could really go any which way on a 30 degree January morning. …

Erin In Austria

Reflections From Europe Amid the Resettlement Crisis Below is a piece written by Erin Edmiston, a CWS Durham Employment Specialist reflecting on her October 2015 trip to Austria on an educational seminar for refugee resettlement staff from around the world.  Erin, at the far right, at HIAS explaining her role as an employment specialist at a domestic resettlement agency.     …

It’s National Welcoming Week

World Refugee Day quilt hangs proudly at One World Market We at CWS are big fans of this movement. All across the country for seven consecutive days (9/12-9/19), American cities mobilize to announce their joy, appreciation, and respect for the array of contributions that refugees and immigrants bring to our communities. National Welcoming Week highlights the successes of New Americans as …

Refugees With New Rides

How many of you can remember buying your first car, or the first time you learned how to ride a bike? It’s a very exciting and proud moment! When refugees arrive in the United States, transportation can be a bit tricky. Newly resettled folks rely almost solely on public transportation for daily life. Though public transit is an excellent resource, everyone who …

Featured in Que Pasa Newspaper!

CWS FEATURED IN QUE PASA NEWSPAPER! CWS Durham is happy to be assisting new populations with Family Reunification!  The new Priority 2 Central American Minor (CAM) Refugee program allows us to help parents from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who have legal presence in the United States to apply for their minor children who are living in danger and persecution to come …

Zita’s Story

An Incredible Journey:   CWS volunteers Suzanne Colton (above, left) and Therese Murray (above, right) had the opportunity to meet with Zita Solange (above, middle), a refugee from the Central African Republic, who was recently resettled in Durham by CWS.  Like many refugees fleeing persecution, Zita became separated from her family, through the conflict in CAR and began the long …

Dinner with Friends and Food!

RECIPES WITH REFUGEES Maha and Seif had the entire room laughing at their banter about Maha’s great cooking. She personally created a two-course meal of eleven dishes for twenty-five people. Homemade hummus, falafel, soup, and various pasta dishes were just a few of the highlights for the foodies in the group. The entire dinner took Maha over a day to …

Global Women’s Group

Global Women’s Group Throughout the world, women gather together to share in conversation, grief, and celebration.  Whether it’s a group of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo coming together over song or a group of women in the US sharing in a cup of tea; the feeling is the same. The feeling is one of solidarity and belonging. …

Family Reunification Success

FAMILY REUNIFIED: 14 YEAR-OLD FROM BURMA REUNITED WITH HIS PARENTS Saw Min smiles with his family at his new home in Chapel Hill, NC. When Saw Min Min Thu (pictured above, second from right) was three years old, his parents fled as refugees from Burma to neighboring Malaysia.  Unfortunately, due to the dangers involved in making this journey, they were …