Summer 2014
Lancaster Agencies Aid Refugees
Many ended up in refugee camps in Nepal, where they languished for 20 years as the governments of Nepal and Bhutan held talks to try to figure out what to do with them. When an agreement to vacate the camps was reached in 2007, resettlement began and moved quickly, resulting in an influx of Bhutanese of Nepali origin.
Sheila Mastropietro, who has been working with refugees for 27 years and currently serves as Director of the Lancaster Immigration and Refugee Office of Church World Service. “What we need to do is really consider the trauma of what these people have been through.”
Other refugees in the Lancaster area have come from Myanmar, Rwanda, Somalia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq. They all arrive here unsure and anxious about what their new lives will present. While some have spent many years in crowded camps with miserable living conditions, others have been displaced by war or genocide. Some have lost family members to cruel violence.
The Lancaster Immigration and Refugee Office of Church World Service helps to resettle about 300 refugees a year, while Lutheran Children and Family Services’ Refugee Resettlement Program serves about 200 clients annually.
“Some of the people we serve have seen their family members killed and tortured and their limbs cut off and women raped,” said
The challenges of helping the refugees (who have legal status in the United States and are eligible for benefits, including
medical care) are many. Cultural differences can create barriers and trust issues as family members must follow guidelines continued on page 26
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