1. Global Friends Coalition
Building Friendships with Refugees in the Greater Grand Forks Community.
The mission of the GFC is to build friendships with refugees in the Grand Forks Community. Our main goal is to help integrate refugees into Grand Forks, helping them become self-sufficient, productive citizens.
11/14/2018
Global Friends Coalition

2. Mission Statement
The Global Friends Coalition brings together individuals and organizations to foster refugee (New American) integration through work with New Americans and the Greater Grand Forks Community.

3. Who are refugees?
A refugee is an individual who has fled his or her home country because of persecution or fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion and has applied for refugee status and been granted it with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).
Definition has come from the U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.

4. Refugee Resettlement in Grand Forks
FY 2010: 93; 2011:91

5. Refugee Resettlement in 2017 and Beyond
FY 2017 (October 1, 2016-September 30, 2017) ended with just 56 refugees being resettled in Grand Forks
FY 2018 projections for Grand Forks: 50 refugees
President Trump has reduced the overall number to 50,000 for the U.S.

6. Bhutanese Refugee Camps in Nepal

7. Somali Refugee Camps in Kenya

8. Daily Food in a Nepal Refugee Camp
400 grams of rice
60 grams of lentils
25 grams of vegetable oil
20 grams of sugar
7.5 grams of salt
35 grams of wheat/corn/soya blend
100 grams of seasonal vegetable

9. Daily Food Portions

10. Common Health Concerns
Change in weather/environment
Lack of fresh fruits & vegetables
Arthritis
Nutrition—an understanding of a healthy diet
Diabetes
Headache, chest pain, leg pain—(choose one)
nutrition, cleaning houses, diet, diabetes, good nutrition, arthritis

11. Health System Concerns
Medicaid for first 8 months is helpful; concern about ongoing medical costs
Insurance is hard to understand
Billing is difficult—need someone to talk with them “face to face”
General concern about what happens if they don’t gain citizenship
Challenges getting to appointments because of a lack of transportation

12. General challenges in Grand Forks
Hard to explain problems to doctors
Would like doctors to know more about life as refugees
They want to work, and be active, but they don’t speak good enough English
They want their children to be well-cared for so they know they need to be healthy

13. If you could change one thing….
Full-time jobs
English language opportunities 5 days a week
Better transportation
Help with insurance and billing
Sewing classes
Closer place to exercise

14. Six Word Memoirs by New Americans…
Former Refugees—All Students at Red River High School

15. I am living between two worlds

16. “I MISS MY PEOPLE IN AFRICA”

17. Sadness is leaving brother in Nepal

18. Robert Wood Johnson’s Culture of Health

19. Everything is interrelated.
Employment
Transportation
Child Care
English Skills
Health Care
Understanding cultural norms

20. Family Mentors and Adult Literacy Program

21. Resilient Youth Program

22. Education and Outreach Program

23. Community Picnic 2017

24. Free Citizenship Class

25. Free Basic English Classes

26. Contact Information
Cynthia Shabb, Ph.D.
Executive Director