programs
programs
REFUGEE WOMEN'S NETWORK BUILDS UPON WOMEN'S STRENGTHS, SKILLS, AND COURAGE
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION
With concerns related to health issues such as depression and reproductive health, RWN created a program to train female Community Health Workers from multilingual refugee communities to be health navigators, helping newcomers adjust to a new health care system, new food, and new physical and mental health challenges. The CHP program aims to be responsive to the unique needs of each community creating culturally and linguistically tailored resources and meet ups.
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Our MothersXMothers initiative offers community specific gatherings in a peer support model that honors the role of the mother as the health broker of the family and community. We have found that when women hear about the safety and importance of vaccination from other mothers that they relate to (those that share their culture, language and experience,) they are more likely to change their mind about health decisions.
Our communities face three major challenges with regard to participation in these workshops: transportation, childcare, and financial means. RWN aims to provide these three things to each participant in order to support her engagement.
MothersXMothers begins with the topic of vaccine confidence and then lets the women choose which health issue is central. Familiarity, trust and the creation of time and space for the conversation are essential.
Read more about this Promising Practice at the Migration Health Initiative.
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Women in our communities suffer from stress, depression and isolation and often do not have a break from their roles as wife and mother to tend to their own needs.
In response, RWN began a monthly Wellness Group in February 2021. The Wellness Group is an open community classroom led by a health professional and intrepreted into different languages by CHWs.
Wellness Group later expanded to include Women’s Circle; a space that includes yoga, meditation, therapeutic tools for mental wellbeing and creative, artistic and social activities that occur in a women-only safe space.
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In collaboration with the Georgia Conservancy (GC) and REI, RWN launched a Women’s Hiking Group in March 2021 to facilitate health promotion, community integration, and environmental stewardship for a group of women survivors of war, conflict and displacement.
The Hiking Program promotes equity and inclusion by reducing barriers to participation in healthy, outdoor activities.
Through this community-based program, participants build confidence, develop a sense of belonging, and establish positive relationships with peers, outdoor educators and with the natural spaces of their new Georgia home.
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In response to the need to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, RWN partners with the Clarkston Health Equity Coalition membership to provide culturally and linguistically responsive engagement for the refugee, immigrant and migrant (RIM) community.
What began as an initiative to do language-specific workshops with healthcare professionals from different language groups to create accessible trustworthy information and Q&A with community members transformed into large health fairs and community vaccination events in schools and local institutions.
RWN Community Health Promoters help with translation, communication, partnership, and outreach for their specific communities.
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The Healthy Beginnings Program was developed to address high rates of iron deficiency anemia among refugee infants and young children in Clarkston, Georgia. Through a series of community-led discussions, refugee mothers from Congolese, Afghan, and Burmese communities shared knowledge about iron-rich foods, cultural feeding practices, and infant nutrition. These conversations informed the development of culturally relevant educational resources designed to support healthier feeding practices and improve access to nutrition information.
Learn More, here.
SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT
Social Adjustment services are provided to help refugees assimilate into their new lives in the U.S. and to encourage self-reliance so that individuals and families can successfully navigate similar situations in the future.
Social adjustment services include:
Needs Assessment
Work Plan Development and Management
Integration and Emotional Counseling
Home Management
Emergency/Crisis Intervention
Health and Mental Health Services
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Women’s Economic Empowerment services are provided to equip refugee and immigrant women with the knowledge and resources to become economically self-sufficient through employment, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
Economic Empowerment services include:
Needs Assessment and Work Plan Development
Work Readiness Training and Workshops
Financial Literacy Training and Workshops
Business Development Training
Micro-Lending Program
Technical Assistance
Networking Opportunities and Events
RWN’S Chefs club
Chefs Club is an entrepreneurship development program supporting refugee and immigrant women's economic empowerment by addressing the barriers to starting food-based businesses, including access to extensive technical training and licensing.
Services provided by Chefs Club includes:
ServSafe training and certification
Expert advise on product development, pricing, and market understanding
Income and exposure opportunities at community markets, catering events, and hospitality
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
Leadership Training gives refugee and immigrant women the skills and confidence to be advocates for themselves, their families, and their communities. The goals of the Leadership Program are to:
Strengthen women’s abilities to be leaders in their homes, businesses, and communities;
Improve the communities in which refugee and immigrant women live;
Increase advocacy by the refugee and immigrant women and their community members;
Increase their capacity to access community resources; and
Build allies across ethnicities for civic participation and community building.
Past graduates of the Leadership Program have gone on to establish their own nonprofits that serve refugee women, including Tapestri, Fatima's Refuge, and Ujima Collective.
Youth program
RWN's Youth Program provides services for Afghan youth between the ages of 15-24 in multiple capacities. We provide social and cultural knowledge to transition easily into the public school systems, workforce, or college. Services provided include but are not limited to health education, financial literacy, civic advocacy, resume building, job placements, and language support skills for assistance they may need in any steps of the process of adjustment. RWN also provides individual mentorship in the form of 1-on-1 outreach to aid with school assignments and tutoring.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
RWN supported active citizens and residents of Georgia to register in the Census and register to vote in 2020.
This included education as to why civic engagement and social justice were relevant to them and their communities.
RWN participates in the Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance and partners with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Georgia Watch and others to support legislation and policies that amplify the rights and voices of immigrants and refugees state-wide and nationally.
