Incoming Congolese Refugees Sanja Bebic National Refugee and Immigrant Conference: Issues and...
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Transcript of Incoming Congolese Refugees Sanja Bebic National Refugee and Immigrant Conference: Issues and...
Incoming Congolese Refugees
Sanja Bebic
National Refugee and Immigrant Conference: Issues and Innovations
October 10, 2013
Chicago, Illinois
Cultural Orientation Resource Center at CAL
Funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to:
Research, develop and disseminate resources about refugee training and resettlement;
Provide technical assistance to refugee service providers regarding refugees’ cultures, languages and orientation needs; and
Develop a globally linked network to exchange refugee orientation information, concerns, and best practices.
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Congolese Refugees: Where?
Source : Largely from eastern Congo, in the North and South Kivu regions
Primary countries of asylum:
Uganda – 131,500 (settlements & Kampala)
Rwanda – 59,000 (camps)
Burundi – 47,000 (three camps & Bujumbura)
Tanzania – 63,000 (Nyarugusu camp)
In FY12, RSC Africa resettled Congolese applicants from 75 different locations
in South, West, and East Africa
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Refugees in the doorway of a house, Gihembe Refugee Camp, Rwanda
Gender: Pretty even between males & females
Travel group size: Average 6, but families are extended
Minors: Over 50% of applicants
Young adults and minors:Over 70% of applicants
Education: 19% have completed secondary schooling
English: Nearly 50% of applicants have none; an additional 26% have some
Religion: More than 90% Christian(Seventh Day Adventists 26%; Pentecostals 23%; Catholics 14%; other Protestant Christian denominations 30%)
Congolese Refugees: Who?
Numerous ethnic groups
History of tension
Many languages: Kinyarwanda KiswahiliOthers
Relationship between language and ethnic group
Congolese Refugees: Who (and Who Else)?
Congolese Refugees: What do we hear?
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Congolese Refugees: Cultural Orientation
CO Offered: RSC Africa offers five-day six-hour CO sessions for Congolese in variety of locations
Material tailored to Congolese: focus on group work, discussion, and videos
Focus: general key messages of overseas orientation
Supplemental activities and information on: - parenting and discipline in the U.S. - cultural adjustment - money management - employment - mental health
Response: Group very active, engaged, attentive, and inquisitive
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PRM- and ORR-convened working group, which includes:− National Resettlement Agencies
− State Refugee Coordinators
− Refugee Health Coordinators
− Refugee Council USA
− National Technical Assistance Providers
− UN High Commission for Refugees
Sub-groups− Preparing refugees for U.S. resettlement
− Marshalling appropriate public & private resources
− Preparing communities/stakeholders
Congolese Refugees: Collaborations
Refugees from the DRC backgrounder− Background of the refugee crisis
− Ethnic composition of the caseload
− Conditions in exile
− Cultural and socio-economic characteristics
− Information about CO
− Resettlement experiences
Highlights− High incidence of trauma
− Ethnic group and language considerations
− Key role of religious communities as support networks
− Youth of caseload
− Issues within families
Congolese Refugees: Materials
Congolese Refugees: Additional Materials
COR Center web page on Congolese: www.culturalorientation.net, within Learning About Refugees, Refugee Populations, Congolese Refugees
COR Center CO highlight: within Providing Orientation & Training, Overseas CO, Overseas CO Programs, RSC Africa
Contact COR Center
www.culturalorientation.net
202-362-0700
4646 40th St. NWWashington, DC 20016-1859
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