How to support refugees in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alexandria Bursiek
February 8, 2017
Refugees from Burma, Somalia and other countries attend a holiday party at International Learning Center, a program of Neighborhood House of Milwaukee. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
In January, President Donald Trump banned immigrants and refugees from entering the United States for the next 120 days, and Syrian refugees indefinitely. The ban has been temporarily halted and refugees with visas have been urged to hurry into the country before the ban goes back into effect. The president’s executive order has called attention to the needs of refugees who are already in the U.S. Here are a few places to get involved and support refugees in Milwaukee.
• Lutheran Social Services is looking for donations to help fund its Refugee Resettlement Program and provide for more than 2,200 refugees the organization has worked with during the past five years. Lutheran Social Services is also in need of funding to purchase a new van for transporting goods and refugees. Donations are accepted here.
• The International Institute of Wisconsin is working to help refugees successfully immigrate and become self-sufficient. IIW is accepting cash and material donations, specifically household items. It is also looking for volunteers; all opportunities can be found on the website.
• Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement program offers help to refugees at no cost to them. Catholic Charities is accepting donations and offering opportunities for community members to volunteer. Its Migrant and Refugee Services Program is in need of a volunteer to oversee a computer classroom and help with basic computer functions such as keyboarding, job searching or Google searches.
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• SEA Literacy works to help educate Southeast Asian refugees. SEA Literacy is looking for volunteers who can tutor refugees in computer skills, teach literacy or assist with ACT prep.