Michigan Community Steps Forward to Support Burma's Refugees
Refugee family receives overwhelming support in resettlement effort.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI (PRWEB) December 6, 2007
When a Michigan realtor informed her church congregation that the Htoo family would soon become members of the local community, the plea for help on their behalf was all that was needed to cause dozens of people to spring into action.
In the days that followed her request, an outpouring of support brought about a flood of donations, including clothing, furniture, household supplies and food, as well as donations of time and labor from an army of volunteers who pitched in to renovate what would become the Htoo family's new home.
The Htoos are not just any family that has come to live in Michigan. They are refugees from Burma, victims of one of the oldest - and least talked about - civil wars in human history. Although recent monk-led protests briefly caught the attention of the international community this past summer, the country has been suffering for decades under a repressive government that has caused the displacement of thousands of ethnic Karen and Karenni Christians.
Christian Freedom International, a nonprofit organization that relocated its headquarters from Front Royal, Virginia to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in September 2007, has been on the forefront of the ongoing political and humanitarian effort to resettle Burma's refugees in the United States. CFI president Jim Jacobson recently awarded Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey with the 2007 CFI Freedom Award in recognition of her extensive work on behalf of the refugee resettlement. On a more local scale, CFI initiated the process of resettling the Htoos - a family of 10 that had been temporarily residing in Fort Wayne, Indiana - in Michigan. "The community up here has been awesome in their support for the refugees," says Jacobson.
Volunteers from Central Methodist Church, as well as several other churches and organizations, joined together to paint, fix broken windows, repair plumbing and electrical systems, and scrub floors in the Htoos' rented house before the family's arrival on Friday, November 30. Local department stores and supermarkets donated gift cards, and a Goodwill store has offered donations of free merchandise and clothing for six months. Pending the receipt of proper work papers, jobs have also been secured for several members of the Htoo family.
Like hundreds of other refugees who spent years on the run from the Burmese military or languishing in refugee camps, the second chance at life in the United States is making a world of difference for the Htoos. Mercy Htoo, a 15-year-old former student at CFI's vocational school for refugee children in Thailand, is especially excited about the future. "I want to stay in America to get an education," she says, "because I want to be a missionary teacher."
"When they arrived, their joy and excitement was evident from the smiles on their faces," says Karen Jacobson, wife of CFI president Jim Jacobson. "I could see that their journey had led them from the chains of the refugee camps to freedom and dignity which allows them to work, provide for their families, and contribute something special to this community in the north. They will have many challenges to overcome, but God is watching over them and will help them with the assistance of their brothers and sisters in the family of God."
CFI intends to help additional refugees resettle in Michigan in January 2008. To learn more about the refugee resettlement, or the humanitarian crisis in Burma, visit http://www.christianfreedom.com.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/12/prweb574257.htm
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