By Zenovia Campbell The Republic | azcentral Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:44 PM Jabir Aljarawi arrived in Phoenix from Iraq in 1993, two years after the Gulf War ended. There weren’t many Iraqis living in the area, and his first obstacle was bridging the culture gap between how he lived in his country and his new home in Phoenix. But the biggest hurdle he found was skepticism. Many people could not understand why an Iraqi would chose to resettle in the U.S. “It took a lot of time to explain to them why we are here,” Aljarawi said. The U.S. invasion in Iraq led to a new influx of Iraqi refugees. Aljarawi saw that many people were struggling, so he created the Iraqi American Society for Peace and Friendship to ensure that refugees would have help integrating into American society. “We are here to teach them our experience,” Aljarawi said, “and (show them) how they can achieve success and a better life in this country.” At its headquarters in Phoenix, the society helps refugees navigate day-to-day issues such as employment, education and housing. “Our goal is to help every refugee become self-sufficient,” said Therese Paetschow, the group’s executive director. In turn, those who have been helped lend their knowledge to others. On average, 10 to 15 refugees show up at the center every day. Some have been in the country for no more than a couple of months; others have been in the U.S. for a few years. This was the case for Neven Sharak, who, after fleeing Iraq with her son, settled in Michigan, where she worked as an interpreter for the U.S. government. Once she realized that the environment in Michigan wasn’t what she wanted for her son, she moved to Phoenix. “When I came here, I didn’t have anybody,” Sharak said. “Just God and the government.” Sharak found out about the center and was amazed at the amount of assistance available to refugees. Soon, she began helping out as an interpreter. “I know I’m a volunteer, but they still give me a lot,” Sharak said On Thursday, hundreds of refugees who have settled in Phoenix from all over the world met at the headquarters of the Iraqi American Society to celebrate World Refugee Day. They crammed into a strip-mall storefront in northwest Phoenix to celebrate their diversity with food, music, stories and art. Since 1984, 63,423 refugees have been resettled in Arizona, with the largest number from Iraq. World Refugee Day was sanctioned by the United Nations in 2000 as a day to remember refugees and displaced people. A recent report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which advocates for refugees and displaced people, concluded that more than 88,000 refugees resettled in various countries in 2012. The U.S received the highest number of refugees — a little over 66,000. The theme for this year’s World Refugee Day was family. “A lot of families are separated, and they are all going through that same hardship,” said Lindsey Dompier, coordinator of the women’s program at the Iraqi American Society. The women’s program is among the center’s most popular offerings. More than 80 percent of all refugees are women and children. Many of the women have lost their husbands in their home country’s political conflicts and are uncomfortable with performing certain tasks on their own. “When you haven’t experienced something, it’s scary,” Dompier said. One activity that helps the women assimilate is role playing. “We did a role play a while ago in a doctor’s office: What to expect, what’s appropriate, what’s not, things you need to talk to your doctor about, just kind of the whole process,” Dompier said. Besides last week’s celebration, the local refugee group recently arranged a successful youth soccer tournament. Several refugee groups, especially those from Somalia and Bhutan, voiced a request to bring everyone together, Paetschow said. She suggested the soccer tournament. “We put the word out, and it spread,” Paetschow said. “Tell one person, and they tell everybody.” When the tournament came together, Paetschow realized that all groups put their differences aside. “It’s the only way things can work,” Paetschow said. Omar Bader, board adviser for the Somali Association of Arizona, said World Refugee Day celebrated how much the refugee community in the Valley has grown. “Looking back from here, where we came from and what we have achieved so far, and what we could achieve in the future is totally limitless,” he said.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:13:48 +0000
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