#RefugeesWelcome

Are you unhappy with the politicized rhetoric around not welcoming refugees to the U.S.? Do you feel supporting and helping the new coming is part of how you express compassion and care? Are you interested in helping refugees that have been vetted and finally settling here a bit more easier?

Upon arriving to the US, in the first 90 days refugees have many needs and responisibilities of which this hyperlocal, multiplatform #welcomerefugees guidebook project will provide to help them navigate through Greater LA - a large metropolitan area where refugees will be overwhelmed without a simple, interactive, and easy-to-use guide. There are many integration barriers refugees face when arriving in the U.S. after escaping years of armed conflict, persecution, and/or oppression. With the lack of access to critical information the financial challenges make it more difficult for a refugee to survive.

The #RefugeesWelcome guidebook will provide resources and information for newly arrived refugees such as geography, basic services, helpline, access to public transportation, places of worship, free entertainment, cost effective shopping cultural awareness. 

Your generosity towards refugees will help us help them once they arrive to America!

Our goal is to create and print 1,000 guidebooks - But we need your help… it costs us $15 a guidebook to research, design and create… that’s not including printing.

We want to be able to provide a small stipend to Syrian refugees and Asylum seekers and community members that are donating their time and skills to make this happen.  In addition we will need to translate the contents into Arabic.

This project is a collaboration between Arab American Civic Council, Activate Labs, and World Relief - one of 9 refugee resettlement agencies in the nation.