Refugee Women's Network Inc.

There was unusual bustle for an off-season week day morning at the Holiday Inn Select in downtown Decatur, Georgia. The sliding doors leading to the lobby filled with sounds of laughter, greetings, and many conversations. Women lugging bags checked in at the hotel desk and headed towards a sign that read ‘Refugee Women’s Network Inc.’

Around 100 refugee and immigrant women of 35 ethnicities took part in the three-dayNational Conference for Refugee and Immigrant Women sponsored by Refugee Women’s Network Inc. (RWN) in September 2005. They came from 18 states. “I had a chance to celebrate, share experiences of being a refugee woman and network with many incredible women who have been making a difference in the lives of refugees and immigrants,” said Toc Soneoulay from the Catholic Social Services in Alaska.

Participants at the National Conference for Refugee and Immigrant Women held September 22 to 25, 2005.

Back at RWN’s office in Decatur, the atmosphere was charged. The phones rung constantly. This year’s conference marked a milestone in the organization’s history. Ten years ago, the founders of RWN started by building networks with other refugee and immigrant women around the issues they cared about. That network grew into a collective aspiration to form an organization that would help women like themselves strengthen their leadership skills, increase their capacity to access community resources and advocate for better opportunities.

Nearly eighty percent of the estimated 11.5 million refugee andasylum seekers around the world today are women.Often they don’t have a voice in the decision making process that directly affects their lives. “Lack of information and access to national machineries and insecurity can be major obstacles,” said Ramina Johal with the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children based in New York.

The Women’s Commission has been pressing that National Action Plans on implementing Resolution 1325 (third UN Security Council Resolution on Women Peace and Security calling for the participation of women in peace building), to ensure the inclusion of refugee and displaced women in decision-making processes. “Refugee women can work to build links with other locally based NGOs and press for more access to information and decision makers,” said Johal.

Many of these women share common concerns and agree on the importance of working together. Amina Yusuf , who works as Case Aide at the Lutheran Services in Atlanta, Georgia, helps newly arrived refugees settle in Georgia. “The help never stops even after several months,” said Yusuf.

For women like Yusuf this isn’t the first time attending the National Conference. “Many of the women I met have come to the conference more than once,” said Yusuf. “When I talk about my work they understand and we keep in contact and share information on handling cases of newly arrived refugees.”

Every two years RWN invites refugee and immigrant women leaders like Yusuf to gather and engage in dialogue with other diverse voices to discover and share emerging themes in their communities. The conference is held primarily for the benefit of refugee and immigrant women, and others who share the same concerns, like representatives from ethnic mutual assistance associations, state refugee coordinators, local and federal service providers and government agencies.

Workshop topics included conflict management, health promotion, grant proposal writing, project development, personal finance and advocacy. These are selected based on the requirements of refugee and immigrant communities. “We listen to their needs mainly through our training sessions, telephone survey and women who come to our office seeking assistance,” said Mangala Sharma, RWN’s Leadership and Health Promoters Program Coordinator.

It’s easy to identify recurring themes that come up in conversations and workshops over the three days. The last day of the conference participants identified common themes which included wholistic well being, visibility, advocacy, networking, education, access to resources, and the problems of underemployment and unemployment in refugee and immigrant communities.

Everyone has a drive toward wholeness whether it’s health, work, self or family. Soneouly believes its important to talk about the issues that really matter and listen to others do the same. “ I learned that in order to make a difference in the world, I have to first and foremost make sure that I am healthy and able.”

Many participants found the opportunity to network at the conference with other refugee and immigrant women and learn of the work they do in their communities valuable. “These are moments to learn from each other and out of learning to provide those opportunities to others, to ask important questions without feeling intimidated and move on with their lives,” said Mfon Ufot, Board President of Refugee Women’s Network Inc.