From America, what else can I do to help the people of Burma?

In 2006, the United States began allowing people from Burma to resettle in America. Thousands have come in, including Karen, Chin and Burmese. The resettlees are brought in under eight nongovernmental organizations, which are responsible for organizing resettlement.

Most non-profit organizations do a good job given budget challenges, but can only help for a short time following arrival - usually three to six months after arrival. This has left thousands of Burma resettles in pockets around America, still trying to learn a new language, settle a job, and establish families in an unfamiliar place. For us, this is a great opportunity. Burma has arrived at our doorstep!

Are you interested in finding a group to help? 

There may be a community in your area; unfortunately, there isn't a grand database telling where all the Burma resettles are in America, and even if there was, it would likely be inaccurate within a week or two. As the people are desperate for jobs and a home, there is a lot of movement and transiency among new comers.

To help the Karen ethnic group in particular, there is a good website-karenkonnection.org-that has a listing of the areas where some communities have formed. Otherwise, word of mouth is the best way to find out who is close to you. With over 18,000 Karen coming into America in 2008 alone, it is likely for a Burma group to be near you.

How do resettlees arrive in America?

An individual becomes a resettlee when he leaves his home country with a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality”. This causes them to flee their own country without plans or ability to return. Burmese resettlees (of any ethnicity) to Thailand are registered as resettlees with the United Nations and are put into about ten camps along the border. 

The resettlees are then given an opportunity to apply for resettlement in another country, which also allows additional chances for those running in the jungle to enter the resettlee camp. The United Nations High Commissioner for resettlees (UNHCR) then performs screenings to establish that each individual is a legitimate resettlee, safe to enter another country. A list is then composed of resettlees able to resettle worldwide.

America, accepting around 50,000 resettlees per year, takes in more resettlees than the rest of the world combined. Each Wednesday, a meeting is held in Washington, D.C. where ten volunteer agencies accept resettlees and their families to support them in resettlement. These agencies are given $850 per resettlee, half of which goes to administrative costs and half goes directly to the resettlee.

The agency headquarters then look at the files, assure the United Nations that they can handle this family (as each case is unique), and pair the resettlee with one of the agency offices across the United States. The International Migration Office (IMO) organizes transportation, but the cost is often fronted by the volunteer agency and paid for by the resettlee over time. The resettlee is then cared for by the agency for the first six months to various extents. The agency takes care of everything for the first month, keeps up contact and organizes medical needs through the third month, and then maintains contact and aids employment until the first six months is finished.

What are the needs in local communities?

Each resettlee has multiple needs within the first year of arriving to America. The volunteer organizations are often limited in funds and employees, so their ability to comprehensively help resettlees is constrained.

At the foundation of each situation is the essential of learning English and American culture, both of which are best taught as the opportunities arise. Each encounter can be used to teach more vocabulary and cultural tips. The other basic need areas are:

Physical needs. The small amount of money each individual gets does not last long in America. In some places, the funds do not even cover one month of rent. Most resettlees will need help with rent, appropriate clothing for the new climate, food and transportation.

There are numerous practical needs that will arise. Many things are new, such as towels and toilet paper, which are small items that an ethnic resettlee may not know they will need. 

If you plan to help a person or family, it is critical to build relationships and be prepared to be available.

Immigration. Upon arriving in the States, every resettlee must/should apply for permanent residency. This can be done through the volunteer agencies, but often require additional help. In order to apply for permanent residency, each resettlee will need a medical physical (in addition to the physical performed in Thailand before leaving) and a series of immunizations. 

They will also need to meet with a civil surgeon, certified by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), to receive a sealed envelope with their medical information. Upon submission of an application, Homeland Security will set up an appointment date to go over the information. 

A Permanent Residency card (or green card) will then arrive within a few months.This process needs to begin nine months after arrival so it can be completed within the first year. Often, this process is forgotten and complications arise, so any help you can provide is valuable.

Jobs and Schooling. It is important to remember the situation the resettlees are coming out of - the refugee camps were not a working economic society. Applying for and keeping jobs is a challenging task for new arrivals. You can help them by ... preparing their English vocabulary for a specific job, assisting with the application process, and teaching cultural lessons, such as going to work on time, contacting your boss if you are sick, letting the boss know two weeks before quitting, etc. This is another process that will provide more opportunities for English.

It is important to get the children into school, as well, both for legal reasons and the benefits of a schedule, learning English, and even free meal programs. This is yet another process that provides a great opportunity for learning the English language and American culture.

ESL. As Burmese groups continue to settle and relationships are built, there are other vital things to learn. They will continue to need to know and improve their English. Everyday experiences and situations are the most helpful ways to teach applicable English. If additional help is needed, English as a Second Language (ESL) resources can be found on the internet, from lesson plans to worksheets to games. These can be useful and helpful if the right situation arises.

Finances and Other Needs. Money management and banking, driving, medical needs, and much more will be demanded as time goes by. A step-by-step plan is hard to come by, and most things will be taught as the issues surface.

As with all opportunities, there are always surprises in store. Here are some points of advice from my own and others' personal experiences.

Simply be a friend. A friendly face and kind heart can change everything, particularly to someone who has fled everything familiar and clutches a last chance for freedom in a completely foreign land. Multiple volunteers with the Karen have said that this is most helpful thing anyone could do, and it is certainly the easiest, simply requiring a smile.

There are people to help you! Any of the ten volunteer agencies that are helping these resettlees are more than willing to help connect you to a community or get you involved in any way you would like. For a list of the ten volunteer agencies for resettlees in America, go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/. 

Be flexible. Let yourself ebb and flow with each situation.

Pray for and with them. Encourage prayer with the people. Most resettlees have a faith background and this can be very helpful.

Connect them to a local church or community outreach group. Local churches or community groups can provide critical support. It is very helpful to connect families with groups of people that can provide broader help.

Feel free to set boundaries. The needs will feel endless and everything will feel urgent. It is important to set personal boundaries for you and your family. Being available is wonderful, but setting personal limits has proved to be vital.

They have been through more than we can imagine. It is so important to have a grasp of the physical and emotional challenges they have faced in fearing for their lives. Many have faced personal torture, watching the murder of family members, rape, and starvation.  It is important to keep this mind and remain sensitive to it at all times.

The goal is independence. Continually providing for present needs will never be sustaining. Always seek to teach them new things rather than do it for them-even if it is harder to teach! It is tempting to do it for them-both for speed and the role of dependence-but they will have to learn. It will be much better if they can get to a place with less needs and an ability to just form relationships with you.

Is this really something I could be involved with?

Yes! This doesn't require superhuman ability or outrageous skills; it requires a willingness to be available and be flexible. Jesus once said: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Opportunities surround us, and they don't demand extraordinary ability. You just need to jump in and begin helping.

For interest or questions, please contact Partners Relief & Development at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

- Written and organized by Kelli Blunier. Kelli has worked with Burma resettlees and refugees in both America and Thailand.