Incoming Congolese Refugees

Sanja Bebic

National Refugee and Immigrant Conference: Issues and Innovations

October 10, 2013

Chicago, Illinois

Cultural Orientation Resource Center at CAL

Funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration to:

Research, develop and disseminate resources about refugee training and resettlement;

Provide technical assistance to refugee service providers regarding refugees’ cultures, languages and orientation needs; and

Develop a globally linked network to exchange refugee orientation information, concerns, and best practices.

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Congolese Refugees: Where?

Source : Largely from eastern Congo, in the North and South Kivu regions

Primary countries of asylum:

Uganda – 131,500 (settlements & Kampala)

Rwanda – 59,000 (camps)

Burundi – 47,000 (three camps & Bujumbura)

Tanzania – 63,000 (Nyarugusu camp)

In FY12, RSC Africa resettled Congolese applicants from 75 different locations

in South, West, and East Africa

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Refugees in the doorway of a house, Gihembe Refugee Camp, Rwanda

Gender: Pretty even between males & females

Travel group size: Average 6, but families are extended

Minors: Over 50% of applicants

Young adults and minors:Over 70% of applicants

Education: 19% have completed secondary schooling

English: Nearly 50% of applicants have none; an additional 26% have some

Religion: More than 90% Christian(Seventh Day Adventists 26%; Pentecostals 23%; Catholics 14%; other Protestant Christian denominations 30%)

Congolese Refugees: Who?

Numerous ethnic groups

History of tension

Many languages: Kinyarwanda KiswahiliOthers

Relationship between language and ethnic group

Congolese Refugees: Who (and Who Else)?

Congolese Refugees: What do we hear?

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Congolese Refugees: Cultural Orientation

CO Offered: RSC Africa offers five-day six-hour CO sessions for Congolese in variety of locations

Material tailored to Congolese: focus on group work, discussion, and videos

Focus: general key messages of overseas orientation

Supplemental activities and information on: - parenting and discipline in the U.S. - cultural adjustment - money management - employment - mental health

Response: Group very active, engaged, attentive, and inquisitive

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PRM- and ORR-convened working group, which includes:− National Resettlement Agencies

− State Refugee Coordinators

− Refugee Health Coordinators

− Refugee Council USA

− National Technical Assistance Providers

− UN High Commission for Refugees

Sub-groups− Preparing refugees for U.S. resettlement

− Marshalling appropriate public & private resources

− Preparing communities/stakeholders

Congolese Refugees: Collaborations

Refugees from the DRC backgrounder− Background of the refugee crisis

− Ethnic composition of the caseload

− Conditions in exile

− Cultural and socio-economic characteristics

− Information about CO

− Resettlement experiences

Highlights− High incidence of trauma

− Ethnic group and language considerations

− Key role of religious communities as support networks

− Youth of caseload

− Issues within families

Congolese Refugees: Materials

Congolese Refugees: Additional Materials

COR Center web page on Congolese: www.culturalorientation.net, within Learning About Refugees, Refugee Populations, Congolese Refugees

COR Center CO highlight: within Providing Orientation & Training, Overseas CO, Overseas CO Programs, RSC Africa

Contact COR Center

www.culturalorientation.net

202-362-0700

cor@cal.org

4646 40th St. NWWashington, DC 20016-1859

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