Group of Kurdish people dancing at Nawrooz party.

In 2000 the population of Kurdish refugees in Atlanta surpassed 1,200. Kurdish families in the metro-area include those from Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Current Kurdish refugee arrivals include Iraqi Kurds that have been in various countries as refugees.

Since the Kurdish Community Program was establish within IRC, the Atlanta office has become a center for the Kurdish community in Atlanta for social services, ESL training, and facilitation in community organization. In the past year the Kurdish Community Program has tried to address the daily needs of the community as well as organize. The project has progressed as noted below:

Community Development

During the last year the Kurdish community had three community meetings. In these community meetings the participants came up with some long-term goals. In addition, the community elected six new community leaders, and four more community members were helping and assisting in community activities. With all the community members, and they discuss the community issues.

	Kurdish community meeting.

On March 26, 2000 Kurdish community program had organized the first Nawrooz party in Georgia celebrating the Kurdish New Year. The community was very excited about the party. They had a wonderful party. Over two hundred fifty Kurdish people have participated, which includes Iraqi, Iranian, Syrian, and Turkish Kurds.

Specialized computer instruction

Kurdish community program has started adult computer training. Twenty-four Kurds attended training during the year. The class has been conducted Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for ten hours a week. There was morning computer class and evening computer class to give all the Kurdish community a chance to attend the class. Classes were in IRC office and were for people who spoke some English . There was also computer facilitated English learning for community members with lower English skills. All students are familiar now with Windows 2000, email/internet access, and they have some typing skills. Jennifer Sklar, the Education Program Specialist tested the Kurdish people for the class. Gwen Andrews is the computer class teacher.

	Youth at the Kurdish Youth Program with Jowan Sairnay, the Kurdish Program Coordinator.

Youth related activities

Youth Employment Program: As a solution to decrease number of Kurdish children who are dropping out of school the Kurdish community has been cooperating with IRC’s education program. Over the summer there were youth training activities focused on helping at risk students. Ten Kurdish students attended the program. The training focused on the link between education and employment, setting short-term and long-term goals, knowledge about the work place, how to fill out job applications, interview skills, how to behave and dress at work, and how to resolve conflicts at work.

Summer youth computer training:

The Kurdish Community Project has started a youth summer program. The program was computer training for middle and high school students. It was a six weeks class Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Eleven students attended the class. By end of the classes all students were familiar with Windows 2000, email/internet access, some typing skills, and they came up with the first Kurdish teen’s newsletter and a power point presentation.

	Theresa A. Otto was the computer class teacher.

Community newsletter & oral orientation

The Kurdish community had the first newsletter. The newsletter included information about citizenship like requirement, benefits of becoming citizen, and solving problems with their apartments. Also information about car seats and the safety obligation. Some Kurdish people are not familiar with the US law, so it will be helpful to give them this type of information. In addition, the newsletter includes information about housing issues.

The next newsletter will contain health issues and some ways to prevent diseases. There will be different information in the next newsletter specially form the community itself such as stories, announcements, and all other information that the community members want to distribute. The Kurdish community project had organized orientations on family planning, nutrition, and safety.

Immigration and Direct Services

The program continued providing direct services. Through September 2000 there were over 484 Kurds received help under direct services. The program coordinator has up dated the community with INS requirement and the processing. They received assistance in applying for Adjustment of status, Employment Authorization, Refugee Travel Document, I-730, I-130, and other needed information on reunification. The community-received help with health related issues, public assistance, Translation, interpretation, school interventions, and obtain referral to domestic abuse and violence. Solving community problems, housing issues.

Kurdish Social Adjustment Services: The Kurdish social adjustment service is a program that provides direct services to the Kurdish Community. Services have been provided to over 175 Kurds by end of June 2000. The Kurdish community in Atlanta needs counseling interpretation, referral and assistance entering mainstream services, school intervention, family dispute intervention, orientation and other services like locating doctors, find ESL, access employment projects, obtain referral to different programs and other issues where interpretation and intervention are required beside the direct services. Many of the clients require multiple levels of service for an extended period of time, a fact that is lost in the reported number of refugees served. Also lost in the numbers is the fact that a single caseworker is stretched beyond reasonable expectations in order to meet the demand and the need.

	On the left Adeeba Sulaiman with group of Kurdish women at a counseling section.

Referral and Counseling Service: Allow Kurds to access mainstream services, locate doctors and finding specialist and how to get medical insurance, find ESL programs, assistance for higher education, doctor’s offices and special treatment and other obtain referral to domestic abuse and violence. Solving community problems, housing issues and schools issues.

Direct assistance: Interpretation and translation was provided for understanding legal, medical, government, and professional documents. The program was directly involved in resolving housing, budget, schooling, and employment issues.

	On the left Ismail Ahmed with his doctor and the case worker Adeeba Sulaiman.

Orientation and Immigration process: Provided the Kurds with information on about life in the U.S. about the laws and the customs. Update on INS policies and procedures in regard to the green cards, EAD, family reunion and translation of the required documents. Information on Education and employment opportunities and refer the Kurds to other refugee services available in the area.

If you are interested in volunteering time or donating goods to the Kurdish Community programs, your donation can help a Kurdish family to have a better live and get adjusted in the United States.