By Rajesh Gupta, Senior Garden Manager May is always a bittersweet month at Jolly Avenue Garden, as we welcome new additions to the Growing Leaders program, but also say good-bye to graduating members of the team. This year, Boi Sang will move onto the next phase of his life as he embarks on new challenges […]
A child who recently arrived from Afghanistan painted two flags during an art session: an Afghan flag and a US flag. When he shared his painting with the group, he expressed both deep sadness about losing his home and excitement about creating a new one here in the US. “I belong in both places now,” […]
We are emailing to say THANK YOU! As you know, the opportunities to be a friend can change in an instant. Every day, we are hearing of new ways to come alongside New Americans to create flourishing. Responding to these new opportunities is only possible because of the support of people like you. We saw […]
Several months ago, one of our teammates shared about Friends of Refugees at church. Shortly after, Oksana reached out saying she wanted to connect with Embrace. She worked at the Ukrainian Cultural Center near Atlanta. At her request, I agreed to go and share about our work. When I arrived, about a dozen Ukrainian women were at […]
This summer, we welcomed four interns for the summer. One of them was Jessica “Jess” Potter, whose picture you can see above. Today, I want to share about a moment where Jess experienced the power of friendship in our work. For her internship, Jess served with Embrace Refugee Birth Support. She had gotten to know the 50+ […]
Getting to know New Americans is an honor. When we offer a warm welcome and wraparound support, we watch our community grow stronger in real-time. Anousheh is a great example of what this community-building looks like. An elderly woman from Afghanistan, she heard about Embrace’s Moms Circle gatherings and has been a regular attendee ever since. […]
“I like planting. I grew up having a farm in my country, so planting your own vegetables and eating fresh food is something I love very much.” Originally from Myanmar, Boi moved to Clarkston in 2016. He has one sister and three brothers, and Growing Leaders has been a bit of a family affair for […]
Abrihet* is a mother from Ethiopia who has attended our school for three years with her children. During class, our teachers noticed that her daughter might need extra support. They offered Abrihet the chance to do a screening. Abrihet was hesitant at first. Then, she spoke with our teachers, who listened carefully. The teachers shared […]
Lizzie was 13 when she first learned that women in Afghanistan weren’t allowed to go to school under Taliban rule. From that early age, she resolved to support Refugees, especially women. For awhile, she thought that would mean traveling abroad. Lizzie continues, “Then Kabul fell, and a lot of people were suddenly Refugees and traveling […]
At the beginning of June, I marked the end of my first year with Friends of Refugees. When I came, I knew that coming alongside New Americans was a larger, more important task than ever. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of refugees and displaced people worldwide doubled. I could never have imagined that this number would […]