Since 2009, Loyola students have reached out to hundreds of these families. We are Loyola Refugee Outreach, an organization of Loyola University Chicago students who are working in collaboration with the Ethiopian Community Center of Chicago, a non-profit, charitable organization committed to serving the cultural, psychological and socio-economic needs of refugees and immigrants in and around metr
opolitan Chicago (tax ID number available on request). We are currently assisting with the needs of refugee families from Nepal, Bhutan, Congo, Eritrea, Burma, and Iraq who have been resettled in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. These refugees have fled extremely difficult circumstances in their war torn homelands in the pursuit of a new life under more secure and peaceful circumstances, but most arrive with little more than a couple bags of clothing and a few personal mementos and their newfound residence in America brings its fair share of hardships. The support of government agencies for these people is limited and most of these refugees live here in the poverty. Their distress can be greatly alleviated through the assistance of community outreach organizations, such as ours. We seek to improve their situations by demonstrating that there are helpful, kind Americans who are willing to assist with their adjustment to life and culture in this country. We provide basic assistance, such as, training in how to use the public transit system, helping the children with their schoolwork, tutoring the adults in ELL, assisting with shopping trips to the grocery store, and generally teaching the daily living skills they will need in Chicago. As part of our efforts to provide material support for this deserving immigrant community, we also regularly solicit material donations to support our efforts to raise funds to purchase CTA cards, gloves, boots, and other household necessities.
