Louisa Assibi is the IRC’s volunteer coordinator in Atlanta and a "field expert" for Project SOAR, an IRC program that assists small organizations created by refugees, for refugees. Louisa recently visited Boat People S.O.S. in Camden, New Jersey, where she helped the staff recruit volunteers for its after-school tutoring programs.

What drew you to working with refugees?
I grew up in Ghana and attended an international school during my childhood and teenage years. As a result, I have always enjoyed being around people from various cultures. While I was growing up, I began to realize that some of the people that I saw begging on the streets were refugees from Ethiopia. I also had many friends at school from Liberia whose families had been forced to flee their country in the late 1980s when civil war erupted.

History was one of my favorite academic subjects. When I began to think about going to college and choosing a career path, I decided to pursue my love of history and culture while also following my desire to help people in need. I decided to work toward helping refugees, such as those in my home country, and to help improve the conditions of those whose lives are destroyed by war and violence.

What do you enjoy most about your work at the IRC?
I love the feeling I get when a client lets me know that I have helped him or her, that in some small way I have brought happiness into someone’s life.

What was it like to work with community-based organizations?
It was truly humbling to see how dedicated the Boat People SOS staff is to helping those in need. Working with Boat People SOS was interesting because, unlike the IRC, they focus exclusively on one ethnic population. I gained insight into the particular challenges they face, and also realized what challenges they have in common with the IRC: the need to recruit and retain skilled and dedicated volunteers. Learning about their successful strategies, such as establishing an active board of directors, was one of the most exciting parts of the visit.