Newly arrived refugee mothers face a particular challenge. Because they must stay at home with young children, they are left out of the social and economic integration process. This isolation can lead to frustration and depression.
In 2002, the International Rescue Committee in Boston addressed this need and launched Project North Star to provide mothers with classroom English instruction while their children attend daycare on site. While mothers learn how to read and write and negotiate their new surroundings, their children learns skills that will help them excel in school. For women who cannot make the classes because of work or enrollment in other programs, the IRC offers in-home volunteer tutors.
In its first two years, North Star served women and children from Bosnia, Afghanistan, Guinea, Cameroon and Congo. Today, North Star has evolved into an ESL and literacy instruction program to meet the unique needs of IRC Boston’s largest group of refugee mothers—the Somali Bantu.
Somali Bantu families began arriving in Boston in early 2004 as part of a nationwide resettlement program initiated by the U.S. government. In Somalia, most of these families survived as subsistence farmers before fleeing violence during the civil war in the early 1990s. Typically, Somali Bantu families have spent more than ten years in refugee camps before coming to the United States, and have had little, if any, exposure to modern conveniences such as electricity and plumbing.
As soon as the families arrive, the IRC brings together a team of skilled mentors to orient Somali Bantu moms to their new apartments and neighborhoods, as well as public transportation, the health care system, and a host of other basic yet critical services. Dedicated staff and volunteers help these mothers gain confidence and independence, while they, in return, take inspiration from their clients’ humor and zest for life in the United States.
North Star’s team of trained literacy volunteers and numerous partnerships with local services allow for increased access to services for this underserved group. Such partnerships enrich the experience of the refugees and offer them further opportunities to advocate for themselves and take advantage of their newfound independence.
For more information on North Star and how you can get involved, please contact Carla Schultz, program manager, at (617) 482-1154 ext. 207, or at Carla.Schultz@theIRC.org.
