PROVIDENCE — The image was terrible and disturbing, and for many around the world, put a face to the conflict in Syria that could no longer be ignored.
The photo, which depicts a uniformed Turkish police officer gingerly carrying 2-year-old Aylan Kurdi after lifting the Syrian boy’s lifeless body off the beach at Bodrum, Turkey, brought shock to the world and demonstrated the far-reaching consequences of war.
Aylan, his 5-year-old brother Galip and their mother Rehen all died while trying to escape the ravages of the conflict in their native Syria, some 700 miles to the east. The family, Syrian Kurds, made it to the west coast of Turkey in early September and were attempting to cross 150 miles of the open Aegean Sea in a small boat to reach Greece, giving them a foothold on the European continent, and hope for their future. Their craft capsized, and many migrants, some of whom paid thousands of euros to smugglers to help get them to safety, died in the crossing.
Their ultimate destination was Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where other family there had unsuccessfully petitioned to allow their Syrian relatives to join them, but who were redoubling their efforts to get the request approved.
According to the International Organization for Migration, 3,138 people were listed as either dead or missing in the Mediterranean as of October 20. That figure is up from about 2,600 on September 3, when Aylan Kurdi’s body was found on the beach.
The tragedy, one of many happening on a daily basis as Syrians attempt to flee a war zone that has claimed the lives of 250,124 as documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as of October 16. The nonpartisan group was formed in 2006 by a group of trained observers inside Syria with a mission of documenting and disseminating information about the conflict to increase worldwide awareness of the deteriorating situation there.
One consequence of the coverage in the aftermath of the drowning deaths of Aylan, his family and others has been a determination on the part of the international community to help resettle Syrian refugees. Pope Francis also was moved to call upon churches around the world to open their doors with compassion to help those displaced by the war.
In the Diocese of Providence, such work of refugee resettlement has long been the mission of its Office of Immigration and Refugee Services, an agency that contracts with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Migration and Refugee Services to provide resettlement services. The USCCB is the liaison between the U.S. State Department and local immigration offices, and reaches out to dioceses as needed.
According to diocesan Refugee and Immigration Case Manager Luis Peralta, the Providence office resettles about 40 refugees and families per year.
“Some are fleeing political persecution and war,” Peralta said.
Some of the clients served through the years have relocated from countries such as Somalia, Nepal, Liberia, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Myanmar, Haiti and Cuba, along with several Central American countries.
While the Diocese of Providence has not yet been contacted by the USCCB to provide resettlement services for Syrian refugees, the call could come at any time.
“The welcoming of the stranger is one of the oldest ministries in the Catholic Church,” said Kathleen M. McKeon, supervisor of the newly rebranded Catholic Social Services of RI, the diocesan department which oversees its Immigration and Refugee Services.
“This is a significant ministry here in the diocese,” she said of the program which receives support from the annual diocesan Catholic Charity Appeal, as well as some reimbursement from the federal government when providing needed services.
Local parishes also help to support refugees by donating money, clothing and food, along with gift cards, and some have already expressed an interest in helping the diocese to provide relief to Syrian refugees if and when Rhode Island is asked to help in the effort, which could involve the U.S. taking in as many as 85,000 - 100,000 refugees.
As part of any resettlement effort conducted by the Office of Immigrations and Refugee Services, the department’s three case workers — Luis Peralta, Thomas Dedah and Frewoine Kassahun — who are led by Coordinator Stella Carrera, facilitate a broad range of services for each individual or family.
Before the refugees arrive, the case managers work to secure apartments for, and explore employment prospects for them.
When they arrive in Rhode Island, they will meet them at the airport and provide an orientation to their new community.
The case managers work closely with each client, helping them to navigate the seemingly endless maze of paperwork that must be filled out, as well as help them to set up appointments for services.
They also help them to apply for medical benefits and to seek any medical treatment they might need as soon as possible.
The managers remain in contact with their clients for months and even years in some cases to ensure the resettlement is successful.
Some of the younger refugees who arrived in 2009-2011 are now attending college at the University of Rhode Island.
Last year, four refugees resettled locally through the program became U.S. citizens.
“I’m applying for 10 refugees to become citizens this year, including six Iraqi children,” Peralta said.
Case Manager Thomas Dedah, himself a refugee, who came to the U.S. from Liberia in 1994, works tirelessly in the area of job development for refugees.
Dedah, who earned a bachelor’s degree in social work after arriving here from Africa, is constantly interfacing with potential employers to help promote the skills of new refugees in order to secure steady jobs for them.
He helps his clients to secure employment authorization or waivers, and any needed medical checkups so that they can begin work as soon as possible after arriving here.
Dedah has successfully paired refugees with jobs at Walmart, and local bakeries and hotels, as well as hospitals.
“We have to keep track of every refugee and do what is required of us by the Department of Public Health,” Dedah said of the logistics of managing the almost weekly arrival of new refugees in the diocese.
He said he is always in search of suitable apartments to house refugees, and would welcome any assistance from local parishes in helping to find homes in some suburban communities should the diocese be called upon to help relocate a large number of Syrian refugees.
Dedah said the case managers have had very good working relationships with their clients, who often call upon them for advice or even rides if they find themselves stranded somewhere, and he said he is always happy to oblige.
