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Cultural Orientation helps refugees prepare for U.S. resettlement

Participants in a Cultural Orientation class at JVA-Nairobi

Photo: Carol Fouke-Mpoyo

July 2, 2008

Nairobi, Kenya -- Refugees approved for resettlement to the United States are offered pre-departure cultural orientation (CO) to how things work in their new country and what material and social support they can expect. Then upon arrival, their local resettlement agency provides details specific to their new community.

Last October, the Nairobi-based Joint Voluntary Agency (JVA), administered by Church World Service, took over CO from another agency. Mark Cassini, former director of Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc., the CWS resettlement affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana, heads the new program, which serves the thousands of refugees leaving for the United States each year from Eastern and Southern Africa.

In 18 hours of classes over three days, he said, "we try to develop some expectations of what the United States is like, break down myths, and form a positive attitude to the challenges and opportunities ahead. We give a realistic review of what an affiliate can do, and explain the basics refugees get as mandated by the U.S. Refugee Program."

Beyond those basics, assistance to new arrivals can vary case by case, affiliate by affiliate, state by state, even county by county. So can such specifics as housing costs, educational and employment opportunities, and transportation.

"For instance, 'Do you have to pay to take the school bus?' In some places, you do," Cassini noted. Bottom line: Pre-departure CO must be limited to what is true everywhere in the United States.

Cassini and several of his 12 culturally diverse staff recently welcomed CWS Immigration and Refugee Program Director Joe Roberson, CWS/IRP Information Specialist Carol Fouke-Mpoyo, and Harrisonburg, Va., affiliate head Viktor Sokolyuk to JVA-Nairobi's new CO facilities and shared the CO curriculum and some points they emphasize to their classes.

JVA-Nairobi's Cultural Orientation Curriculum:

United States Overview
Pre-Arrival Processing
Resettlement Agency
Community Services
Housing
Employment
Financial Literacy
Transportation
Education
Health
Cultural Adjustment
Travel
Rights and Responsibilities
The U.S. Law

Trainer Daddy Obware and interpreter Grace Faraja Nkundabantu.
Photo: Carol Fouke-Mpoyo

Mark Cassini: "In America, you start at zero. You can be there 10 years and still be at zero. Your success will depend on your efforts. We emphasize that perseverance plus sacrifice equals upward mobility. We really emphasize English. We say, 'There is a balance between engaging with your own group and with other Americans. Get out into the community. Use the library. Participate.'"

Kenneth Njeru: "I tell them, 'Your caseworker is your most important contact in your new town. He or she will be able to tell you exactly what support you will receive, what things cost and how things work in your new community.'"

Mark Mugo: "People in cultural orientation class often ask, 'Why do we have to pay taxes in America? We are refugees.' We say, 'Once you arrive, you are no longer refugees. You are like ordinary citizens.'"

Nuria G. Abdi: "We urge youth to get 'I am a helpless refugee' out of their heads, work hard, integrate with American culture, but don't forget your culture."

Joanne Mugambi: "I tell elderly refugees that no one is too old to learn – at least English so that you can manage some things on your own and not depend on others to, for example, take you to the shop."

Daddy Obware: "You can expect basics in terms of initial housing, furnishings, food to get you started, and community orientation. If you want more, work hard, save your money. You need to be self-sufficient in a short time. The earlier you get on your own feet, the earlier you get on with your life."

As each new CO class convenes, JVA-Nairobi asks participants several questions. Following are their top responses:

What you know to be true about the United States.

Democracy
Election 2008
Developed country
White/Christian nation
Good education
Jobs
Clean air
Freedom
Food is available
Opportunity

Name an American.

Barack Obama
George Bush
Condoleezza Rice
Tupac Shakur
Michael Jordan
John F. Kennedy
Michael Jackson
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ronald Reagan

What you hope for as you go to the United States.

To study
To be safe
To practice my religion
To get a job
To be reunited with my family
To vote
To have security
To learn English
To become a citizen
To drive

What you fear about going to the United States.

Terrorism
Religious intolerance
Culture loss
No return to Africa
Gambling
Homosexuality
Car crashes
Guns
Winter
Conscription

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