Refugee & Immigration Services
The Refugee Experience

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WHO ARE REFUGEES?

Refugees are individuals who have been forced to leave their home country because they have a "well-founded fear of persecution". Specifically, this means that they are targeted because of their religious or political beliefs, or their social standing or membership in a particular social class.  Catholic Charities is actively resettling refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Iran, and Cuba.
 

Rwandans head home after genocide.  
©UNHCR/R. Chalasani

WHAT ARE REFUGEES FACING?

Refugees must flee their countries to save their lives, usually leaving with nothing but the clothes on their backs.  They often live in refugee camps for years, enduring harsh weather, very small rations of food, and little or no health care.  Their children often cannot attend school.  Their lives have been torn apart by war.  They've lost their jobs, their homes, and possibly their family.  Now in a strange land with no family, no friends, and little knowledge of the language or culture, they face the harsh reality of resettlement.
 

Sudanese refugees living in refugee camp in Uganda collect jerry cans,
plastic sheeting and other domestic items being distributed by UNHCR. 
©UNHCR/S. Mann

Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya currently hosts more than 100,000 refugees from neighboring Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Uganda; and farther away Eritrea, Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda.  Many of these refugees are awaiting resettlement to the US and elsewhere.  Many of the refugees resettled in Nashville have spent many years in this desolate camp where food is scarce, shelter is minimal, and safety is threatened.
Click here to see more photos of Kakuma Refugee Camp.
 
Kakuma Camp, courtesy of CWS

FROM THE REFUGEE CAME TO AMERICA

Take a look at the Cycle of the Refugee Experience
from the Refugee Camp to Nashville
 

Afghan women lining up for food during the Taliban regime.
© UNHCR/F. Pagetti

ARRIVAL IN THE UNITED STATES

Refugees arrive in the United States with usually just a small duffel bag of belongings.  Within months, however, these refugees are completely self-sufficient, and through their hard work and drive to succeed, studies show that after ten years, refugees are as well off as native-born Americans.  To help ease this struggle, Catholic Charities relies on community members to provide their time, excess household goods, and monetary donations.