Iraqi Refugee Resettlement Project
Sep 10, 2008
The Al Gadban family arrived in Columbia, SC on Aug 6th from Aman, Jordan. They originally fled from Baghdad, Iraq on Feb 12, 2007. Mohammed (Hammed) Al Gadban is a 28 year old physician that has completed 1 year of a general surgery residency. His 27 year old wife, Hibah Al Nasiri, is also a physician. They both worked in Iraq and Jordan as physicians. Their son, Faisal, just turned 2 years old. Their family is Muslim and they are celebrating Ramadan this month with fasting from sunrise to sunset. They both speak English, but will be taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to improve their speaking and writing skills. They have friends in North Charleston (an Army husband, an Iraqi wife who is Hibah’s good friend, and their 2 year old daughter) which facilitated their move to this area.
This refugee family came to South Carolina sponsored by Church World Service and Lutheran Family Services. Their co-sponsorship was allocated to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination and our church was asked to coordinate the resettlement here in Charleston by Disciples Home Missions. The federal government gave the family $1275 initially and they will also eventually be receiving a Federal Matching Grant of $440/month and rent for ~3 months to help with their relocation.
First Christian Church and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church furnished a 2 bedroom apartment near the church for the family. Donations from First Christian Church members were used to rent the apartment for 5 days in August and the month of September. We also placed the deposit for SCE&G services and purchased a cellular phone and minutes for their family use. Church members set up the apartment for Hammed, Hibah, and Faisal and they spent their first night there on August 27th. They were very excited to finally be in their “own home”. Several women in the church brought in cooked meals for the first 3 days to make the transition easier. Also, we provided the initial food for their pantry and refrigerator. They have food stamps for future food purchases ($426/month), are eligible for Medicaid for the first eight months and will be going for a WIC appointment the end of September.
So far we have raised ~$1,400 of the $2,000 needed. We will be paying their October’s rent ($625) in a couple of weeks. After they receive their first government check, we will help the family establish a bank account and budget for living in this area. Our first priority now that they are settled is to locate employment for Hammed. Both Hammed and Hibah understand that they have to pass 3 tests (taking a minimum of 2 years and over $1,000 each) to become physicians in this country. Hammed in the shorter term, would like to work in clinical medicine to stay in his field (i.e. medical assisting, nursing assisting, etc.). We are also trying to locate a donated or extremely low cost vehicle for their eventual use. They understand that they can use the bus, walk or arrange for a ride by a church volunteer in the mean time. The regional Disciples of Christ churches in the area are being solicited for help with financial and clothes donations.
The family is very delightful and is extremely appreciative about what they have received already. They have met several volunteers and others from church in the ~2 ½ weeks that they have been in West Ashley. We will be inviting the family to come to a church Fellowship Dinner in October so that more people can meet them. We hope they will eventually be able to tell us their stories.
Lynda Grossman Gonzales is the Coordinator at our church for the Al Gadban family refugee resettlement in Charleston. She has a small team working with her to cover all the areas of the transition. Her contact information is below:
Phone: 843-376-3131
E-mail: Lynda@mikelyndagg.net
Please do not hesitate to contact her if you have any questions or would like to help in this project.