University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Amjambo Africa! Items From the Collection 8-2019 Amjambo Africa! (August 2019) Kathreen Harrison Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/samgen_amjambo Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Africana Studies Commons, African History Commons, African Languages and Societies Commons, African Studies Commons, Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Diplomatic History Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Genealogy Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation Commons, Nonfiction Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Other French and Francophone Language and Literature Commons, Other History Commons, Poetry Commons, Public History Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Recommended Citation Harrison, Kathreen, "Amjambo Africa! (August 2019)" (2019). Amjambo Africa!. 17. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/samgen_amjambo/17 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Items From the Collection at USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Amjambo Africa! by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AUGUST, 2019 | VOL.2 / NO.5 Understanding, Embracing, and Celebrating Diversity in Maine Free WLOE | BEVNE | AI U | UAAE | SODOOW | BMVNO MAINE CELEBRATES WORLD REFUGEE DAY IN STYLE Governor Mills with Djibouti refugees Araksan Egueh & Hassan Guedi at the first-ever Blaine Girls stepping at Southern Maine's World Refugee Day celebration at Westbrook Middle School on House celebration of World Refugee Day on June 23. Photo | Afshin Mahmoodi June 22. Photo | Laura deDoes See page10/11 NEXT STEPS FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS AS DEADLINE LOOMS by Kathreen Harrison In !is Issue... Portland has had a tradition of receiving and welcoming asylum seekers, but we’ve never had this sit- uation before, with so many people arriving at once. I am proud of the City Council, city staff, other Welcome Feast........................Page 8 cities in the greater Portland area and all the non-profits that have responded so swily in order to My Life as a Refugee ............Page 11 support our new neighbors — as well as the Governor for extending her support. – Pious Ali by Veronica Kaluta Wedding of Irene Yao HOUSING & Romeo Adji....................Page 13 With an August 15 move-out deadline looming due to prior contractual obligations at the Expo Building, and an affordable housing crisis that has been intensifying for years through- out Maine, Portland city and community leaders have drawn together a strong coalition to lo- In Every Issue... cate housing for the asylum seekers who began arriving in Maine on June 9. It’s “all hands on H.O.M.E. deck” as the deadline nears. Poem by Kifah Abdulla ......Page 7 Kristina Egan, Executive Director of e Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), convened the coalition, which includes immigrant leaders, faith organizations, Translations representatives from the City of Portland, Council on International Educational Exchange French ..............................Page 4/7 (CIEE), Maine Housing, Avesta Housing, and the Compassionate Housing Initiative in Claude Rwaganje, of Prosperity Maine, discusses housing at meeting Swahili..............................Page 5/7 Yarmouth. Ms. Egan said her staff has pushed other projects aside to focus on this high-profile, convened by GPCOG Photo | Tom Bell Somali ..............................Page 6/7 public emergency. Kinyarwanda...............Page 14/16 “We’ve been happy to do that,” she said. e group has launched “Host Homes,” one important arm of an overall housing plan that also includes moving some of Portuguese...................Page15/16 the approximately 70 families into rental units in the next few weeks, as well as aer seasonal housing stock traditionally opens up at the end of the summer season. Columns - Dr. Amhed ............Page 9 Host Homes has begun to match asylum seekers with host families to provide short-term housing for some families. Immigrant leaders involved in craing Host Claudia Jakubowski ...........Page 17 Homes include Pious Ali, Deqa Dhalac, Papy Bongibo, Mufalo Chitam, Claude Rwaganje, Micky Bondo, Nsiona Nguizani, Baba Ly, and Claudette Ndayininahaze. Emily Erickson ....................Page 17 “Weare seeing significant movement on the volunteer hosting front,”said Chris Hall, Director of Regional Initiatives and General Counsel of GPCOG. “As of July 25, 36 host families had been screened by CIEE, and immigrant leaders had begun meeting with these families to begin the matching process. “GPCOG’s job is to keep the pipeline moving,” he said. His office is developing a list that they hope will be sufficient to meet both current and future needs. Because of the housing shortage in Portland, some families of asylum seekers are being offered housing outside of the Portland area. Some asylum seekers at the Expo m have expressed anxiety about living outside of Greater Portland, without easy access to transportation, immigration lawyers, or friends and familiar services. Despite their anxiety, they understand that housing is limited, and that Portland does not have enough affordable housing for all of them to live in apartments in the city right Continued on page 2 & 3 Coffee by Design co-founders Alan Spear and Mary Allen Linde- Profile: Hannah DeAngelis, Program Director, Catholic Emilie and Celeste at the Welcome Feast Story page 8 mann at the 25th anniversary "Harvest" celebration on June 30. Charities Refugee and Immigration Services. Story page 19 Photo | Sarah Beard Buckley Story page 13 2 amjambo africa! amjambo africa! Ladder to the Moon Network PO BOX 10379, Portland ME 04104 Tel: 207-553-2525 | Fax : 207-553-2526 Publisher Georges Budagu Makoko [email protected] Managing Editor Kathreen (Kit) Harrison [email protected] Graphic Designer Warner Graphics Translators Nathalie Gorey Pastor Maurice Namwira Jean Damascène Hakuzimana Yusuf Muse Yusuf Elisabeth Yala Copy Editor Claudette Ndayininahaze, a cultural broker and co-founder of In Her Presence, and Carla Hunt, of the Compassionate Stephanie Harp Housing Initiative. Photo | Tom Bell Poetry Editor away. Mr. Hall said, “If families who initially leave Portland wish to return, they should feel secure in knowing that their friends and service providers will not forget them. ey will still be there.” Volunteers have stepped in to help the families get established in differ- Gary Lawless ent towns and cities, and some community members who cannot host have offered transportation and other help. Cultural trainings have begun to help local residents and newcomers get to know each other. Asylum seekers who have already moved to Brunswick told Sponsors immigrant leaders they love their new situation. ey say they are sleeping well, and that it feels great to be in a house. Ms. Ndayininahaze, a cultural broker and co-founder of In Her Presence, said that cultural orientations are key for those families that cPort Credit Union move into areas without an established African community. In Her Presence, Catholic Charities, Greater Portland Family Promise, Lee Auto and the City of Portland have already begun leading orientations to help mitigate fear of the unknown on the part of both immigrants and their hosting communities and families. Ms. Ndayininahaze emphasized that small-group orientations work best. e plan is to “fol- Supporters low the families as they move into the community to continue cross-cultural support, to involve schools and neighborhoods, in order to build relationships and trust. Resources is one thing, but the social component is crucial,” she said. Carolyn Graney, program coor- Coffee by Design dinator of Hope Acts, encouraged towns welcoming African newcomers to set up a community center staffed by volunteers, where Law Offices of Joe Bornstein newcomers can gather, immigration lawyers can meet with clients, cultural trainings can take place, and people can build community. MEMIC According to Ms. Ndayininahaze, cultural trainings should include a focus on food preparation. ose staying in host homes will want to know specifics of whether the kitchen is available to them all day, or at certain times only, and when they should cook dishes that may Northern Light Mercy Hospital take many hours on the stovetop. ose living at a distance from stores that sell ingredients used in African dishes will need help get- ting to those stores on a regular basis. In Portland, those stores include Save a Lot on St. John Street; Moriah Store on Cumberland Av- Amjambo Africa! welcomes letters to the editor, notices of enue; Hannaford on Forest Avenue; and L’Africana Market on Brighton Avenue (which offers delivery service). Lewiston has a wide local events, photographs, and suggestions for future stories. range of stores on Lisbon Street. Contributions are published at the discretion To learn more about becoming a host family, visit: https://www.host-homes.com of the editor and as space allows. If someone has a rental unit(s) or a property, please contact the City of Portland’s Social Services Division 207-775-7911. Email: [email protected] Visit our website: amjamboafrica.com ENGLISH CLASSES e first formal English