Agnes Scott College Once Again Provides Refuge for Refugee Families

With constant political upheaval in the world because of war or oppression, millions of people continue to face displacement. Most are forced to flee their homes for uncertainty in an unfamiliar land.

For many, hope awaits on the horizon with programs designed to help build a new life. Agnes Scott College has joined one of those programs, Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR), to assist in the resettlement of refugees.

While the United States does less than many other developed or underdeveloped countries in the resettlement of refugees, effective services do exist to aid those who have been displaced. Receiving refugee status is just the beginning, as these families and individuals face many hurdles upon their arrival to the United States. Atlanta, an international city, is a desirable hub for many refugees and a beacon of hope for a new life.

Agnes Scott College is stepping up to help in the settlement of recently arrived refugees to Atlanta by becoming a chapter of Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR). The organization is a radical reimagining of how campus resources and space can be used to provide housing and other forms of assistance like utilities and internet to refugees seeking resettlement, with little or no cost to the refugees themselves. ECAR chapters make themselves known to local refugee resettlement agencies, which then match them with a family.

Originally founded in 2015 by Diya Abdo, Ph.D. at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., ECAR utilizes campus accommodations (often faculty or staff homes) to provide rent-free temporary housing—usually four to six months—for refugees.

During this time, ECAR volunteers help provide a streamlined transition to permanent housing. This includes arranging free furnishings for both their current campus and future permanent housing, stocking cabinets with culturally appropriate food items, facilitating language translation, assisting in the use of public transportation, and providing education opportunities.

In 2016, Agnes Scott College became the second campus in the nation after Guilford to open one of its homes to a refugee family through a student-run initiative supported by the administration. After the students at Agnes Scott graduated, the chapter became dormant, though it still hosted a refugee family for several years.

Students of the class of 2024 followed in the footsteps of their former peers, proposing the revival of an ECAR chapter. They worked with ECAR Central at Guilford to draft a proposal to submit to Agnes Scott administration while engaging in awareness-raising campaigns among their peers.

In a matter of weeks, their efforts prompted students to sign up as volunteers and receive training to assist with this initiative. The college administration formally accepted the student and faculty’s proposal on Oct. 22, 2022. Agnes Scott College’s ECAR chapter is now working with New American Pathways, a local resettlement agency, to be matched with a refugee family.

Many connected to the college community hope that Agnes Scott’s ECAR chapter continues its work as a conscious and effective measure to address some of the challenges caused by war, political oppression or persecution based on race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. Indeed, this is a remarkable way for students to engage in the current global political climate and be the agents of change they wish to see in the world.

—Mona Tajali and Gia Hall ‘24

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