Stories of Change

Razaz (top) and Jameela (bottom) teach young refugee women new skills in Henna and Makeup Art

Persevering Through Passions: Jameela and Razaz

Beyond every refugee are stories, passions and hobbies that make them unique. Each newcomer brings to their host country new valuable skills that, when given the chance, can help make our lives a little brighter. This is true for Jameela and Razaz who live in our PURE* Group Home for Youth seeking asylum in Indonesia.

On paper, one might assume the two young women are from completely different worlds. Jameela is from Iraq and Razaz is from Sudan. When you look closely, however, you’ll find that the two women have one very big thing in common: they are driven by their passions.

Jameela is a self-taught make-up artist and talented student. On Saturdays, when she is not working on her schoolwork, she volunteers at the Refugee Talent Project, where she teaches other young refugee women and girls makeup techniques. By doing this, Jameela is not only helping other women develop new skills, but she is empowering them by revealing how talented and capable they are.

Like Jameela, Razaz developed her own passion and artistic talent, henna, at a young age. At the CWS group home, she felt compelled to share her talent with her peers and established her own henna class for the residents. She shared, “I enjoy sharing my skills. It makes me happy. I enjoy seeing my students improve their skills by the week. One of my students at [the] group home initially didn’t know how to draw henna at all. Now she can do it by herself.”

For both Razaz and Jameela, the title “refugee” has never stopped them from pursuing their passions while uplifting others. As Razaz stated, “Being a refugee shouldn’t be a barrier for you to learn new skills, as I believe that all women are strong and resilient enough to break those barriers.” With each brush stroke, these women are taking down barriers and painting new opportunities for all they encounter.

*PURE, which stands for “Protecting Urban Refugees through Empowerment” is a CWS-run program in Jakarta, Indonesia that helps unaccompanied refugee youth and asylum seekers navigate life in their new home. The program provides shelter and community and offers classes and vocational training to teach the youth life skills and help them develop a stable livelihood.

You can learn more about our work in Indonesia by clicking here.

Stories of Change

Participants of Youth Talent Show

Youth Talent Show: WE ARE HERE

This month, the Youth Talent Show titled “WE ARE HERE” brought together an inspiring display of talent and resilience from Ukrainian youth. The name, inspired by Alicia Keys’ song, resonated deeply as these young performers asked a poignant question through their final performance: “WHY ARE WE HERE?” This question, far from being merely philosophical, echoed the lived experiences of these children and teens who have spent over two years away from their homeland, adapting to a new culture and language. 

Despite the hardships and barriers, they sometimes face, these youth stood tall and proud, declaring, “WE ARE HERE.” Their performance showcased not just their maturity and the traumas they’ve endured, but also their incredible resilience and talent. The show had it all—humor, parodies, rock music, classical duets, folk dancing and singing. Each genre was represented, making the event full of hope.

The chant, “We are here, we are here for all of us” echoed from Odesa to Kharkiv to Borodyanka, highlighting the collective spirit of the Ukrainian youth at the show. The talent show commenced with a play depicting an airport scene, symbolizing the start of a new journey as people arrived for the first time, carrying bags and leaving behind the lives they once knew as all of the youth members have recently experienced.

Marina and Alison, case managers at CWS who organized the Jersey City Talent Show, reflected on the event: “We found kids, talented and not, who wanted to do something and show their talents. As a Ukrainian, I could not be happier” Said Marina.

Diana, a participant youth member, shared her thoughts: “Since I became part of the CWS Youth Program, almost everything has changed in my American life—my attitude towards people, my English language skills and I’ve made many new friends. I feel warmth from the people there, and I’m very happy to come every weekend. I expected our performance to be very successful and it happened so, with many people attending. I think it can change people’s attitudes towards Ukrainians and CWS.”

Kirill, another participant, echoed similar sentiments: “My English has improved, and I’ve made new friends, even finding my girlfriend, who is Ukrainian. I’m excited and ready to have practiced the whole show with others. People were happy and excited like me. I want to thank Marina and Alison for their service and work; they are such good people.”

Marina and Alison elaborated on the logistics: “Our team picked Saturday as the day Ukrainian parents could bring their kids. Some parents traveled over an hour to watch their kids do amazing things. These kids, having been in the U.S. for only this short time, immediately bonded, becoming friends and chatting online while at home. The connection they made was exactly what we hoped to see. These kids are now heard, seen and visible.”

The show included Ukrainian humor, as Marina explained to us, “If you are dating me and come to our house and my mother offers you slippers, do not ever say no to that offer.” A Ukrainian version of Romeo and Juliet, an Egyptian belly dance, and other performances brought a touch of various cultures, even though all performers were Ukrainian. The entire show lasted two hours, leaving the audience in awe.

Marina summed up the event, saying, “The kids’ parents were grateful, and this is a gift to me.”

The “WE ARE HERE” Youth Talent Show was not just a display of talent but a testament to the resilience and hope of the Ukrainian youth, reminding us all of the power of community and the importance of being seen and heard.

To learn more about CWS New Jersey, visit their website.

Stories of Change

Lauren at her CSU graduation

Becoming an Advocate for Unaccompanied Children

Lauren’s journey to becoming an advocate for unaccompanied children is a story of growth and discovery and reveals how we can all be a helping hand to our newest neighbors. Originally from New York, Lauren always valued the diverse groups she was a part of which piqued her interest to learn Spanish. This interest motivated her to move to California where her path would eventually lead her to CWS.

She first moved to California in 2018 to attend Santa Monica College. Uncertain about her future, she found herself drawn to the Spanish language and the complexities of immigration issues. “I started studying Spanish in Santa Monica College and I got an associate degree in Spanish,” she explained.

While at Santa Monica College, she encountered Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and began to delve deeper into immigration policies and their impacts. She also met individuals from Venezuela who were directly affected by these policies. “I started learning about the situation in Venezuela, the refugee situation and global migration,” she recalled. This personal connection fueled her desire to learn more, and she decided to transfer to California State University to pursue a degree in International Studies with a minor in Global Migration Studies.

At CSU, Lauren’s academic journey continued to intersect with her growing interest in refugee and immigration issues. She joined the BUILD program, an undergraduate research initiative, and worked with a faculty mentor on research focused on the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees in Costa Rica. “I had a very firm understanding of the reasons why these children were coming to the U.S.,” she noted. Following this deep educational experience, Lauren accepted an internship opportunity with CWS in Orange County.

Lauren’s internship at CWS allowed her to apply her knowledge and skills in a practical setting. One of her most significant achievements was creating the “Know Your Rights” presentation for unaccompanied children, which aimed to make complex legal information accessible to children. “This presentation was for my capstone course. I’m very happy with the way it came out because it’s going to be used to help the kids,” she said with pride.

The supportive and compassionate culture at CWS made a lasting impression on Lauren. “I feel like I had a really great experience, especially because of the culture at CWS. The Orange County office is extremely supportive, welcoming and very compassionate,” she reflected.

Lauren’s internship also provided her with a deeper understanding of the processes involved in supporting unaccompanied children. “I didn’t understand the process… but it was interesting to find out the processes that exist to reunify the kids,” she said. This newfound knowledge challenged many of the misconceptions she had encountered and revealed support systems in place to help unaccompanied children.

As Lauren looks to the future, her goals remain rooted in helping others. “I want to help people, I don’t know which group of people I’ll help, but that’s my main aim and my main goal,” she stated. With her drive and commitment to supporting our newest neighbors, CWS is sure that Lauren will achieve this goal.

To learn about internship opportunities with CWS click here. You can learn more about CWS Orange County here, and CWS’ HSPRS program on our website.

Stories of Change

Doña Santos with her vegetation

Doña Santos Perseveres

In the community of Cunta, a small rural village in Honduras, Doña Santos, is inspiring change, despite the various challenges she has faced. Doña Santos recently became widowed, something which affected both her and her children drastically, but she did not let grief stop her. In a short time, she went from helping to sell vegetables from someone else’s land to having her own cultivation space. Now, she has a team of young people from the community who support her in distributing the vegetables she harvests, and she is already planning to open her own local enterprise.

Doña Santos is part of CWS’ program in Honduras which supports nutritional food security and family agriculture, focusing on health and nutrition training for rural families to strengthen their capabilities and promote their development. “Water problems have always been an issue around here. I didn’t know how to use the water pump before; everything was much harder. Then, we started learning more,” Doña Santos shares. In addition to her main project of fruits and vegetables, Mrs. Santos has a chicken coop and is already preparing another space to receive a pig.

Families like Doña Santos’ receive technical support and participate in various production activities, environmental sanitation and sustainable practices. Participants also attend meetings with local government and engage in activities related to women’s rights, entrepreneurship and self-care.

After Doña Santos started participating in these training sessions, she learned to use organic fertilizers, improved the quality of her crops and learned to manage her income. She said, “I feel happy because now that I’m in this project, I’ve prospered a bit. I don’t have to buy food for my family anymore; everything comes from the land. We only buy chili. I’ve already been with a group of women learning how to make pickles.”

After many years with a routine that starts at 4:30 in the morning, Doña Santos’ work has become exhausting for her health. Recently she’s experienced knee pain which prevents her from going out to sell her vegetables. Always perseverant, however, Doña Santos already has a solution. “I plan to have a mini market to sell my things. I always try to reinvest the income back into the business,” she said.

Through her perseverance and resilience, Doña Santos is building a legacy for her family to be happy and healthy.

Doña Santos is one of the 21 families in the area participating in the ‘Produce Verde’ project, implemented by our local partner, Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM), with the support of Growing Hope Globally. In total, 750 families are participating across the municipalities of Macuelizo, Nueva Frontera and Azacualpa (Santa Barbara, Honduras). Click here to learn more about our work in Central America. 

Reflections on the NVOAD Conference


May 30, 2024

This May, CWS’ Emergency Preparedness Response and Recovery (EPRR) team participated in the annual National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) conference. Below are reflections from each of the EPRR team members: Zach Wolgemuth, EPRR Program Director: Though I’ve attended over a dozen National VOAD Conferences throughout my career this specific conference was special because it was my first conference …

From 3,000 Miles to a Three-Mile CROP Hunger Walk


May 29, 2024

About two years ago, Celine Woznica, who had spent 40 years of her life working in public health, began to have an inescapable feeling that she needed to support the migrants arriving at the border. As someone who had lived in Mexico for six years and was fluent in Spanish, she considered leaving Chicago to apply her skills and knowledge …

Proposed Border Bill would Forego U.S. Law, Leaving the Persecuted at Risk


May 22, 2024

Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today expressed its alarm over the announcement of an upcoming vote in the Senate that would severely inhibit the legal right to seek asylum in the United States. The legislation includes dramatic expansions in the use of expedited removal, detention, and deportation, reinstatement of Trump-era border wall construction funding, and the ability to turn families away …

New Proposed Asylum Rule Would Further Erode U.S. Commitment to Those Fleeing Danger


May 15, 2024

Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today expressed its alarm by the Biden administration’s announcement of a proposed rule currently under consideration which could further curtail due process for arriving asylum seekers and deny certain individuals any chance to make a case for protection before an immigration judge. The rule—which has not yet gone into effect and is currently open for public …

Plataforma NNAPES Raises Call to Action as Children of Incarcerated Parents Passes Two Million in Latin America


May 14, 2024

San Pedro Sula, Honduras—Across the Latin America and the Caribbean, governments are increasingly looking to incarceration and accelerated detention processes to combat violent crimes and weaken criminal organizations involved in a range of illicit activities. Many look to El Salvador and the “Bukele Model” as an example of how harsh sentencing and the suspension of due process can rapidly improve …

One Man, 1,000 Trees


May 8, 2024

Claude and the CWS Plant Nursery he manages *Warning: this story mentions violent incidents which may be difficult to read.* Over two decades ago, CWS program participant Claude came face-to-face with death. Like many of his fellow Congolese, this close encounter was unexpected and came as a result of the civil war that erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo …