Rukia, a recent arrival, learns how to knit.

In a supportive, welcoming space, ten women meet weekly and over tea and knitting, but this isn’t just any knitting circle. Bringing together newly arrived refugees and church volunteers, women knit, but they also practice yoga and talk about what is happening in their lives. The women make new friendships, learn from each other’s experiences, and help each other. Mental health professionals and social service providers also attend on occasion to make services available in an informal setting through trusted connections.

In 2008, MCC Refugee Services convened a Refugee Healing Resources Workgroup to explore how to better meet the mental health needs of refugees. The workgroup observed a number of gaps in services and confirmed MCC’s fear that connecting refugees to mainstream mental health services can be difficult. This working group gave rise to the idea for a refugee knitting collective.

With the help of volunteers, the Knitting Collective provides accessible mental health supports and imparts daily skills like taking the bus and, of course, knitting. Women coming to the group have started at all knitting skill levels, and have had fun learning in a supportive environment.

The Refugee Knitting Collective is now in its second year, and meets at a South Minneapolis church. The Collective participants include approximately five members of the church congregation, five refugee women and children, three MCC volunteers, and MCC staff members. MCC Refugee Services plans to expand the project with a recent grant from the Connect for Health Challenge of the Blue Cross Foundation.

Yogurt Coconut Chicken Curry

Consider trying this mouth-watering yogurt coconut chicken curry recipe from Somalia. The yogurt helps tenderize the meat and most of the spices are probably already in your pantry!

Ingredients:

Serves 8

½ c. Canola oil
2 Onions
2 Large garlic cloves
1 T Fresh ginger, grated
1 T Cumin Powder
1 T Curry powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Cardamom powder
1 T Vegeta seasoning or 2 bouillon cubes (Maggi, Knorr etc.) or 2 tsp salt
5 Tomatoes
2 Jalapeno peppers (or to taste) – Remove the seeds if you do not like it very spicy
1 c. Plain yogurt
2 T Tomato paste
1 Potato, cubed
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Sweet red pepper, chopped
2 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cubed)
1 can Coconut milk
1 T Brown sugar (packed)
3 T Butter or ghee (optional)
1 c. Cilantro (chopped)

1. Blend the onions and garlic, then saute in the oil for 5 minutes.

2. Add ginger, other spices, and bouillon cubes.

3. Process tomatoes and jalapenos and then add to the pot.

4. Add the yogurt then cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

5. Add the potato and carrot. Cover and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.

6. Add the sweet pepper, chicken, coconut milk, brown sugar, and butter or ghee.

7. Cover and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. 

8. Add the chopped cilantro. Serve with white rice.

Recipe credit: http://xawaash.com/?p=4301 Visit the website for a step-by-step video and many other great Somali recipes.

For a newly arriving single refugee, arriving alone to the United States with few or no personal connections to Minnesota can be a frightening experience.  Finding affordable housing for single refugee arrivals can also be a challenge when arrivals have few or no family connections with whom to stay, either temporarily or long term.

This spring, MCC Refugee Services initiated a unique partnership with Urban Homeworks , a  Minneapolis based non-profit housing organization, to address the challenges of social connection and housing for newly arriving single refugee men. In collaboration with International Institute of Minnesota and World Relief Minnesota, MCC Refugee Services and Urban Homeworks utilized a vacant 5 bedroom apartment (originally used for Urban Homeworks’ Urban Neighbor program) to house newly arriving single refugee men. Residents of the apartment sign a month to month lease that assigns them to a bedroom in the apartment, while the living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathrooms are shared in common. The arrangement provides flexibility for new arrivals, an opportunity to accumulate rental history and meet new people, and can be a place for transition or long term residence.

For MCC Refugee Services and Urban Homeworks, the partnership is one that provides an opportunity to live out both organizations’ missions—providing an abundant welcome for newly arriving refugees and providing dignified affordable housing for low income people. Together, MCC Refugee Services, International Institute of Minnesota, and World Relief Minnesota have filled all the rooms at the Urban Homeworks apartment!

Mental health providers packed the room in this spring's training on providing competent services to refugees.

Refugee mental health can be challenging work for mental health providers. Cultural differences, language barriers, and traumatic histories create special needs in many refugee populations. Beginning in 2010, Refugee Services spearheaded an effort to improve mental health services for refugees through a series of trainings for mental health providers, organized and facilitated by Sue Johnston, LICSW. This spring, Refugee Services hosted five trainings with over 70 participants and wait lists of up to 20! In three full-day and two half-day trainings, psychologists, clinical social workers, and other mental health providers learned about working with interpreters, conducting diagnostic assessments, treating victims of torture, and more. Guest presenters included expert psychologists, professional interpreters, representatives from refugee groups in the Twin Cities, as well as bi-cultural mental health providers from around the state.

The Refugee Mental Health trainings spread awareness of needs and best practices in refugee mental health, connected professionals to helpful resources, and opened up a discussion in the mental health community about how to provide the best help for refugee clients.

One participant commented: “The most helpful part of this training was] the reminder that working with refugees requires creativity and courage. All presenters were excellent- subject matter on DA [diagnostic assessment], diagnosis, medications, documentations, and role plays were all good.”

Due to the high demand, these trainings will be repeated once again in the fall. If you are interested in attending please contact Rachele King at Rachele.king@mnchurches.org or 612-230-3216.

Mina, Green, Jayne, and Jennifer recently finished their AmeriCorps VISTA service at MCC Refugee Services.

MCC Refugee Services has been fortunate for the past 6 years to host 18 members of the AmeriCorps VISTA program. This year the VISTAs impacted the lives of more than 500 refugees by coordinating over $66,000 in in-kind and financial donations for refugees. These projects have included housing, employment, mental health and community outreach. Read on to hear which projects each VISTA enjoyed most during their year at MCC:
Mina: Healing Resources Assistant
“I have been most excited about the surveys with psychologists that I have been conducting along with Sue Johnston, MSW, LICSW. We have been calling all of the mental health providers in Minnesota that health insurance providers have told us are competent to provide diagnostic assessments cross-culturally. It has been interesting and concerning to talk to so many psychologists with so many different approaches to testing and working with interpreters. I am looking forward to compiling all of the information into a report, and hopefully, using the information to demonstrate a need for a standard protocol for psychologists to use in this area.”
In addition to helping coordinate our Refugee Mental Health Trainings Mina launched our second refugee women’s knitting group and applied for & received a $20,000 grant for MCC to expand our knitting groups as a further means of social connection and healing for refugee women.
Green: Refugee Housing Opportunity & Resource Coordinator
“I am most excited about the partnership I was able to help develop between Urban Homeworks and MCC Refugee Services. I am hopeful that that partnership may be strengthened and deepened with continued collaboration in the months to come.” Additionally, Green connected with dozens of landlords, arranged apartment set-ups, coordinated donations, hosted Housing Walk-in Hours, and developed new resources for refugees to better understand US housing.
Jayne: Employment Resource Developer
Throughout the year Jayne established exciting new partnerships with Free Geek Twin Cities and Cycles for Change. After identifying a need for refugees to gain US work experience Jayne connected with Free Geek which allows volunteers to assist in recycling computers while earning points towards taking home a free computer. Jayne’s favorite project has been connecting with Cycles for Change who loaned 25 bikes to refugees and asylees through their Community Partner Bike Library program. Additionally Jayne oversaw our Job Readiness Mentor program, led meetings with our Employer Advisory Committee, and secured the Metro Transit Job Seeker discount which allows us to purchase bus cards at 50% discount for people in our Employment Services. This discount allows MCC to save $8,500 per year!
Jennifer: Outreach Specialist
“As one who likes processes and figuring out how to maximize impact I have really enjoyed building sustainability in our volunteer program. From standardizing volunteer trainings to coordinating ongoing support for volunteers it has been great to see these changes create more abundant support for our refugee families. Additionally I’ve had the privilege of speaking alongside members of our Refugee Speakers Bureau as together we educate the community about the refugee experience. Securing a grant for $10,000 now allows us to give an honorarium for every speaking engagement, a small token of gratitude to these amazing community educators.”

We are grateful to our VISTAs for strengthening the services of MCC Refugee Services and wish them the best on their new adventures! MCC Refugee Services is also pleased to welcome 2 new VISTA members serving in Mankato.

Jessica O’Brien is the new Associate Director for the Mankato office.

Minnesota Council of Churches opened a Refugee Services office to serve the Mankato area on April 1^st, 2012. The primary goals of  the MCC Mankato Area Refugee Services office is to serve refugees who have chosen to make the Mankato area a home for their families, and to strengthen community partnerships with local service providers, public entities, and faith based communities to support their transition to self-sufficiency. Jessica O’Brien has been hired to serve as Associate Director of this new MCC Mankato Area Refugee Services office.

This spring the Mankato Free Press published an article highlighting our new office. Click here to read the full story.

“When the Minnesota Council of Churches was deciding where to build its first outstate office for refugee assistance, Mankato stood out.

She heard good things about Mankato, both as a place to live and one that helps refugees.” Read on…

Photo credit: www.grouprecipes.com

This week, we bring you a new recipe to try featuring Bhutan’s famous red rice. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 c. red rice (http://www.lotusfoods.com/Bhutan-Red-Rice/p/LOT-00160&c=LotusFoods@All )
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• ½ bunch green onions, finely chopped
• ½ c. carrots, diced
• ½ c. shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• ½ tsp. thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 c. vegetable stock

Directions:

• Wash rice with cold water. Soak in warm water for 1 hour.
• Heat butter in a pot, stir in onions and cook 5 minutes.
• Add carrots, mushrooms and rice, stir for 5 minutes.
• Add vegetable stock, thyme and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil then put it in an oven dish, cover and cook at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Marisol and Roberto head out to enjoy their new bicycles, courtesy of Cycles for Change.

Working at MCC Refugee Services has opened my eyes to many things I take for granted, including bikes. I am embarrassed to say that since I got my driver’s license, my bicycle has been hanging up in my parents’ garage. However, bicycles reentered my life in full force when 25 refugees from MCC Refugee Services were given the opportunity to borrow bicycles from the Community Partner Bike Library program at Cycles for Change. I was excited to see the health and environmental benefits it would provide to newly arrived refugees and the freedom from dependence on bus schedules it would give them. But once the bicycles were distributed, I began to really understand what it means for refugees to have access to bicycles.

Marisol and her son Roberto* are Cuban parolees who arrived in Minnesota in 2011 and they both received bicycles.Marisol said that before she left Cuba she was a social studies teacher and used a bicycle almost exclusively for transportation. She explained that having a bike again means she does not have to depend on anyone else, “I can go anywhere now, without asking anyone else… I feel more free.” She explained that she uses her bicycle to “go to English class, to look for a job, to go everywhere!” One of her favorite bike destinations is the Spanish immersion school where she volunteers. Roberto spends many afternoons biking up and down their block. He also enjoys biking to the dollar store to buy coloring books, which he happily showed off.

This summer 25 refugees experienced the new freedom and opportunities available as a result of having their own bicycle. I am inspired by the work of Cycles for Change and cannot express enough my appreciation for their great work. To learn more about their programs visit www.cyclesforchange.org. And in case you are wondering, I took my bicycle out of the garage and out for a spin around the neighborhood too.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Jayne is an Employment Resource Developer for MCC Refugee Services.

Ali and Zainab are among the dozens of families who are arriving this summer in Minnesota. With so few belongings, these refugees need a variety of things to set up their first American home, and to start their new life here. Right now, Refugee Services needs YOUR help, and new or gently used household items. Together, we can give each of these newcomers the warm welcome they deserve.

We are in particular need of:
Blankets/comforters
Dining tables and chairs
Dressers
Unscratched pots and pans
Kitchen cooking utensils (especially can openers and knives)

Donations can be brought during business hours to the MN Church Center (122 W. Franklin Ave, Minneapolis). Please call ahead to arrange for furniture donations or with questions (612-230-3249).

You can DONATE instead if you don’t have time to look for things. Help us purchase these items by clicking here: http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Mcc-Refugee-Services

Or you can VOLUNTEER and use your free time this summer to make a difference. Do it on your own, or engage others in your church or community group. To get started, attend a Volunteer Orientation on July 9th, August 6th, or September 6th. Or just contact Jennifer Pins at rsvolunteers@mnchurches.org or 612.230.3221, for information.