February Update from Our Executive Director

Keith Cooper

I’m writing this in the third week after so many things began to shift under our feet. A number of you have been reaching out, concerned and wondering how we’re doing. And along with that, what are we doing? And is there anything you can do for us? So here’s a quick update:

 

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The Afghan Women’s Project Launches into Year Two!

Beautiful Day

You probably remember that last year, Beautiful Day created a special new program for Afghan women, most of whom had arrived in RI after the 2021 US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. We wanted to provide a space where women with more complex resettlement needs could develop the social connections, job skills, and community support that would help them thrive here.   Last November, we began hosting 15 Afghan women weekly at our Providence headquarters. The goal was to learn the fundamentals of working in a commercial kitchen and explore food-based business ideas through the process of cooking together. We soon discovered...

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Moving Forward after this election

Keith Cooper
Wherever you are on the political spectrum, if you are reading this letter, you probably understand that today’s election results are a huge blow to refugees, the US refugee resettlement system, and to all of us who care about refugees and the positive impact they make on our communities. Our concern goes beyond the discomfort about the racist vitriol we heard throughout this election season.
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DRCongo: A History of Pain and Possibility

Carol Landau 1 comment

By Carol Landau & Rebecca Garland   You might be surprised to learn that one of the largest groups of refugees we serve at Beautiful Day comes originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo). Unlike other countries such as Afghanistan, Ukraine and Haiti, the instability there does not attract many headlines. The country’s history is so complex that most news outlets find it easier to focus on other international crises that are more clearly defined. But while the underlying causes are not well-publicized, the mass exodus of millions of Congolese over the last 20 years makes it obvious that...

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Ukraine: Some Hard Facts

Beautiful Day

by Carol Landau & Rebecca Garland Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, 2022, over 8 million people, or 18% of the population, have fled the country. Approximately 282,000 have ended up in the US. As Beautiful Day welcomes Ukrainians into our adult and youth programs, it's important for all of us to stay informed about what's happening in their home country. This article lays out some of the stark facts. We all need to understand as much as we can in order to best support our new Ukrainian neighbors.  According to interviews conducted by NPR, CBS News and the Washington...

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Update on Afghans in the US

Beautiful Day
Now, a year later, the headlines are largely gone. Public attention has waned, partly eclipsed by the crisis in Ukraine and partly the result of seeing that efforts to support Afghans may involve commitments that last years, rather than months. The simple reality is that it takes a long time to rebuild a life, and unfortunately, this is particularly true for many resettled Afghans.
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