Above: Members of the trio-church family prepare the apartment for Maryam and her family to arrive.
This month, we honor our valued volunteer partners First Presbyterian Church Atlanta, Hillside Presbyterian Church and Northwest Presbyterian Church.
First Presbyterian Church Atlanta and Hillside Presbyterian Church began a unique partnership in refugee resettlement more than 15 years ago. Through co-sponsorship with New AP, they strive to walk with newly arriving families in meaningful ways. They have worked together to actively help a refugee family every year since they joined forces. To extend their impact, this year they added Northwest Presbyterian Church and have been able to offer more community with the family they welcomed.
The lucky family who has been enveloped into their first-time, three-church family is Maryam. Maryam, single mom from Afghanistan with two young children, arrived in February and was recently featured with New AP and Mary Martha Myette in this Today.com video. Abdul Haikal, New AP Employment Specialist and new U.S. citizen this year, was also featured in the video. Abdul served as interpreter and driver for the family as they arrived at the airport.
With few refugee families arriving and less staff, New AP does not currently have the capacity to offer new co-sponsorships. During this challenging time, we instead call upon our faith and community members to support us in other ways – with financial support and through volunteer needs like apartment setups, English at Home tutoring, and mentoring in vocational counseling. Together, we will continue to help refugees, and Georgia, thrive.