The State Department makes it easier for anyone to help resettle refugees

The State Department makes it easier for anyone to help resettle refugees

Transcript¹

Because refugee resettlement agencies are stretched thin, the U.S. is testing a new approach. Groups of regular people are sponsoring Afghan refugees in communities where they've rarely gone before.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The U.S. has pledged to admit a hundred thousand refugees fleeing from Ukraine. But resettlement agencies in the U.S. are already stretched thin, and that's prompting some refugee advocates to try out a new approach where regular people play a bigger role. NPR's Joel Rose reports.

JOEL ROSE, BYLINE²: When the Ghafoori family arrived in the U.S. a few months ago, they had never even heard of Alabama.

SHARIFA GHAFOORI: (Through interpreter) When they showed us the pictures, I liked it. And now that we are here, we like it a lot. This is the best place for us, and we are not going anywhere.

ROSE: Sharifa and Homayoon Ghafoori fled Kabul last year with their six kids. He had worked as a security guard at the U.S. Embassy. They had no family in the U.S. and no friends. But that changed pretty quickly once they arrived in Huntsville. Sharifa switches from Dari to English when she names all the people who've helped them since January.

GHAFOORI: I made a lots of friend in here (laughter) - Miss Amy, Miss Megan, Mr. Kyle, and Miss Julie's mother-in-law.

ROSE: Miss Julie is Julie Johnson. She's one of the main reasons why the Ghafooris are in Alabama at all. Julie and her husband, Ben, organized what's known as a sponsor circle to host them. It's a new program created by refugee advocates and the U.S. State Department to make it easier for anyone to get involved in resettling Afghan refugees and help fill some gaps in the system.

JULIE JOHNSON: When we saw the withdrawal³ happen over the summer, Ben being a veteran and having worked closely with the community in Afghanistan, I mean, he was just very distressed⁴ and distraught.

BEN JOHNSON: I am fully⁵ aware that a lot of people I served with were - the Afghans I served with were killed. Many of them did not make it throughout the year. So when we got the chance to repay this kind of personal debt, I had to say yes.

ROSE: These sponsor circles do many of the same things that resettlement agencies do for new arrivals. First, though, they have to jump through a lot of hoops⁶ to show that they're ready, and they have to raise money - more than $2,000 for each refugee they resettle - to cover rent and other expenses. Ben Johnson says his family found the money by canceling a trip to Disney World. When he started asking others in Huntsville to help, he was surprised by the positive response.

B JOHNSON: It's a very patriotic⁷ town. People wanted to help, and we presented people the opportunity to help, which I don't think people ever got before.

ROSE: This is part of the idea behind sponsor circles, to get more people involved in helping⁸ refugees who might not have gotten involved before. So far, there are only a few hundred sponsor circles nationwide, but supporters hope the program can scale up quickly.

SASHA CHANOFF: This is kind of the DNA⁹ for what might turn into a broader private sponsorship effort.

ROSE: Sasha Chanoff is with RefugePoint, one of the many nonprofit organizations that have been working to get sponsor circles off the ground. The traditional refugee resettlement agencies that have done this work for years were forced to make deep cuts during the Trump¹⁰ administration. They're struggling to keep up with demand, and that was before the U.S. pledged to take a hundred thousand refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Chanoff says sponsor circles could help the U.S. make good on that commitment.

CHANOFF: I think it has the capacity both to expand the scope of where refugees resettle in the U.S., and I also think it has the potential to help far more refugees come here.

ROSE: For now, the sponsor circle program is still working on the basics. In Huntsville, as in much of the country, the big challenge has been affordable¹¹ housing. Ben Johnson thought he'd found a good place for the Ghafooris. But when the landlords saw them in person, Johnson says, they got cold feet.

B JOHNSON: We were there to sign the lease with the check in hand. Then they decided¹² to change their mind because they would - they wouldn't know how to evict¹³. I would say it was the most difficult, and it was the most frustrating¹⁴ part. And we had some choice words after conversations that we won't say out loud again.

ROSE: But Johnson found another place, renting from a company that had more experience with refugees. The Ghafooris seem thrilled with their new house. Their kids are sleeping in beds for the first time. Homayoon has found a job, and Sharifa is learning how to drive.

GHAFOORI: I like driving (laughter).

ROSE: What are you going to do when you can drive? Where are you going to go?

GHAFOORI: I will go to work and university. I want to go to university also. I like to learn a lot.

ROSE: Ben and Julie Johnson are planning an Independence Day party for the Ghafooris to mark 90 days since they arrived in Huntsville. That's when their formal commitment to the family ends, though they would all agree that it feels more like a beginning.

Joel Rose, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF OMER KLEIN'S "THE FLOWER AND THE SEED")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

4 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

7 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

10 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 evict   

vt.驱逐，赶出，撵走

参考例句：

• The lessor can evict the lessee for failure to pay rent.出租人可驱逐不付租金的承租人。
• The government always says it's for the greater good when they evict farmers from their land.当政府把农民从他们的土地赶出去的时候，总是号称是为了更大众的利益。

14 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》