As many in the collaborative heard during last week’s Masses, we have exciting news to share regarding our partnership with Catholic Charities to assist in the resettlement efforts of Immigrant and Refugees into the Boston area. On March 18, 2020 our SJSP POWIR Group will be welcoming Emile and Rosine, and their five children, from a refugee camp in Rwanda. The family fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007. They’ve been living in a refugee camp ever since and their two youngest children were born there. As many of you know we’ve been praying for the opportunity to assist a family from arrival to self-sustainability since this group’s inception almost two years ago. That opportunity has come and we are overjoyed!
We were notified late last week about the family’s impending arrival, leaving just a few days to organize lists of what the family would need upon arrival – everything from furniture to clothes to kitchen items – so we could present those needs to you during last weekend’s Masses. Our POWIR committee was blown away by the generosity of our faith community – by the last Mass on Sunday, every item on the list was taken! On Tuesday, we are taking a Staff Service Day to move all of your generous donations and set up the new apartment before the family’s arrival. Our collaborative has given this family the gift of a safe and stocked home to call their own.
Going forward we are committed to assisting them with transitioning into their new life here. From vocational services, to language acquisition, to school placement to medical appointments, we are going be a part of navigating this new world. We will also be assisting them with their rental payments for their first few months until they are employed, so please consider generously giving to our Lenten Gift, which is being directed to our SJSP POWIR Fund to help this family and future families! As you can see, the time between when we get word of a new family and their arrival in Boston is very short. Establishing a POWIR Fund will ensure that we have the funds available here at the Collaborative to be able to act quickly and respond fully when a new family arrives.
In our next update, we’ll share news about this family’s arrival, as well as stories of other families who have been through this program and are now fully employed and self-sufficient.
If you have questions about POWIR, or if you want to get involved at any level, please contact: Barbara Viechnicki at barbara.viechnicki@bc.edu