Columbia welcomes Somali refugees

Lutheran Family Services plans to help 25 Somali Bantu families relocate from a refugee camp in Kenya to Columbia by 2005. The Midlands effort is part of the United States national refugee resettlement program.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service along with Church World Service are also part of the Columbia relocation program, which started a little more than a year ago. 

Lutheran Family Services and Ebenezer Lutheran Church welcomed one of the Somali Bantu families to Columbia recently at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Members of Ebenezer were anxious to meet the family that was originally scheduled to come to the Midlands in February.  

Volunteer Diane Jones said, "We are just delighted to be a part of this. I think this is just a wonderful endeavor to help people who have no other chance in life except to come here. So we feel very honored to be a part of this," when asked how she and her fellow church members felt about meeting the refugees.  

This warm welcome was a big change for the family, which had spent the last ten years as unwelcome refugees. That's also why church volunteers like Caroline Overcash are trying to make the family's move as smooth as possible. To put it in her words, "They've had a life of persecution, and we should be opening and flexible. There is going to be some cultural differences and some changes and we need to be open to that."  

After the airport welcome, the refugees were taken to an apartment that the church congregation had prepared. The apartment is in the Eau Clair neighborhood where several other relocated Somali families already live. Within the next few months, volunteers will assist the Bantus in becoming acquainted with American culture. They will also help the adult members of the family find jobs. 

Lutheran Family Services has already welcomed six refugee families to Columbia. The next family is expected to arrive in either June or July of this year.t

Reported by:

DavidCurrence

David is a senior from Clover, South Carolina. He enjoys finding that “perfect” shot for his stories, and he likes to focus on feature pieces. David is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). He looks forward to graduation, and hopes to find a job near Charlotte, NC.