Advocacy Sessions

Presenters

Ahmed Abdel Abbas, Manager, CWS Call Center, Church World Service

Ahmed manages the Call Center at CWS- an organization that provides sustainable self-help, development, disaster relief, and refugee assistance around the world. In 2011, Ahmed was a successful stockbroker with a Master’s degree in Finance who took on a leading role in the Egyptian revolution also known as the Arab Spring. Following these events, Ahmed made the difficult decision to flee Egypt to Mexico where he started a new life with his wife. Together they built a successful shrimp farm business, thus catching the attention of the Mexican cartel which were also part of the Mexican government at the that time. Again, Ahmed, now with his wife and a toddler, fled to the U.S. seeking asylum. Ahmed is still an asylum seeker after seven years of waiting. Today he assists other displaced populations like himself through the Call Center. He is very grateful to the universe that made his life meaningful — that it became his work, and his work became his life.

Bilal Askaryar, Communications Coordinator, #WelcomeWithDignity

Bilal Askaryar is the communications coordinator for the #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign, a national campaign for asylum rights in the United States. Before joining WRC, Bilal worked with the Immigration and Refugee Program at Church World Service, where he led major media engagement strategies to rebuild support for the United States Refugee Admissions Program and dismantle the Muslim Ban. He has a master’s degree in International Development.

Josh Leach, Public Policy and Communications Strategist, UUSC

Joshua Leach is the public policy and communications strategist at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), an international human rights organization committed to working in solidarity with people in displacement. He has worked with UUSC for over five years, previously as the organization’s policy analyst. In these roles, he has focused on mobilizing UUSC’s members to take action on issues related to refugee rights, asylum access, and the impacts of climate-forced displacement. Josh holds a BA in history from the University of Chicago and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School.

Rodrigue Makelele, Virginia State Lead, Refugee Advocacy Lab/ Virginia Refugee Community Organizer, CWS

Rodrigue Makelele is the Virginia State Lead for the Refugee Advocacy Lab and the Virginia Refugee Community Organizer at Church World Service. He works with Church World Service’s policy and advocacy team to develop and implement strategies to increase support for refugee resettlement with policymakers in the state of Virginia. He also supports building refugees’ civic engagement efforts in the State of Virginia through capacity building and leadership development. He is the Founder and CEO of Vijana Africa, a youth empowerment organization that promotes youth in Africa and the U.S. He is a Co-Founder and Co-CEO of BioEarth, an organization that is facing Climate Crisis by actively waging peace. He also serves as a council Member at the Welcoming Harrisonburg Council, acting Vice-president of the Congolese Community of Harrisonburg and the Young Community Builder Award Winner. He holds a master’s degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA, and a B.S. in Information Technology from Institut Supérieur d’Informatique et de Gestion in Goma, DRC