The very first opening session at this year’s Innovations in International Philanthropy Symposium, hosted by the Network of Engaged International Donors and The Philanthropic Initiative, set the frame for the rest of the two-day session. Aurora Prize winner Jamila Afghani described the progress she made in Afghanistan as a human rights leader, the bewildering, heartrending reversal after the fall of Kabul, how she’s continuing her work under now vastly difficult circumstances, and the 800-1000 whatsapp messages she receives daily from fellow Afghan women struggling under renewed Taliban rule. And then she said: “But we will work, because we are human, so we will work for others.” She described a Dari saying that struck a chord with me: humanity is part of one body. If a finger is pricked, it is felt across the whole of humanity.
Fellow Aurora Prize winner, Ilwad Elman, a peace-builder working under great risk in Somalia, complemented the sentiment perfectly, describing why she was drawn to leave the comfort of her life in the United States to return to Somalia and work for peace: she felt useful. “Who among us doesn’t want to be helpful,” she said, capturing a theme that resonated deeply with why I was there–to share the movement of welcoming that is underway in the United States, and how people who “want to be helpful” are serving as a bridge to safety for refugees who need one.
I was privileged to speak alongside Sasha Chanoff, a leading refugee advocate and CEO of RefugePoint, and Ed Shapiro, Trustee of the Shapiro Foundation, a one-man transformative change agent using his philanthropy to champion community sponsorship as a breakthrough solution for ever-growing refugee crises, on a panel called How Funders can Support Refugees at Home or Abroad During the Refugee Journey
I was there to speak on behalf of Welcome.US, a national initiative to mobilize and empower Americans to help welcome and resettle refugee newcomers, by serving as community sponsors. Community sponsors provide a bridge to safety for someone who needs one, helping them come to the United States and rebuild their lives in their new communities. Community sponsorship sits at the intersection of global refugee crises and what Americans wish they could do about it, tapping into that idea of “who among us doesn’t want to be helpful.”
What’s been inspiring for us at Welcome.US is witnessing the groundswell of Americans–led by our diaspora communities and joined by Rotary Clubs, faith groups, veterans’ groups, and everyday Americans, who, in a world marked by division and uncertainty, are creating a community-based infrastructure to welcome many more newcomers from around the globe. The movement offers a unique opportunity for philanthropists to be a part of the solution: It’s about more than just aiding those in need; it’s a chance to build bridges, bring our communities together, and have generational impact.
There’s nothing more inspiring than hearing from sponsors themselves, and seeing how it is transforming our communities in real time. We shared a video from Middletown, Connecticut, where a group of retirees came together to welcome an Afghan family in partnership with Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS). This welcoming movement is happening all across the country, as with the story of Ihor, who was displaced with his wife and children after the war began in Ukraine, and who ultimately found safety in the United States with the support of their sponsor, Bon Bennett, and his neighbors in Oklahoma; and the story of sponsor Marie, who with her childhood friends from Haiti, Rose and Gina, have paid it forward by sponsoring Berlange, a newcomer from Haiti. There are stories of welcomers like Bon and Marie in every corner of the United States–in 10,000 zip codes across all fifty states.
These stories highlight the incredible impact that individuals and communities can have when they come together to extend a hand of welcome and support. It’s an opportunity for philanthropists to be part of a solution that transcends borders and generations, leaving a lasting legacy of compassion and solidarity. As we continue this important work, let us remember that humanity is indeed part of one body, and by stepping up to help when we are called, we can heal and uplift the whole of us.
Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US
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