Montagnard Association helps refugees settle into the Triad
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — World Refugee Day is coming up on June 20. It honors refugees who've settled into new homes around the world, and many of them have chosen the Piedmont Triad to start their new lives.
One of the largest refugee groups comes from the central highlands of Vietnam. The Montagnards allied with U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, then immigrated to the U.S. The largest population is here in North Carolina.
The Montagnard Association of North Carolina, formerly called the Montagnard Dega Association, helps those refugees start over while preserving their culture. 'We're a nonprofit that specializes in immigrants and refugees who have been here in Greensboro for less than five years,' says Sachi Dely, a case worker for the Montagnard Association. 'However, we do help people who have been here for five years or more as long as they are under that status of refugee or asylum….We help with a bunch of things like employment and case management. Our main goal is to help with self sufficiency.'
Dely says they assist refugees by teaching them work skills and helping them find employment while remaining connected with their cultural heritage.
Community health worker Satta Sedi Johnson says she helps refugees sign up for health insurance and social service programs. As a refugee herself, she understands the challenge. 'Some people do not speak English,' she says. 'Some of them have limited access, they're not educated. Some of them they are educated, but they do not know how to navigate.'
Pastor Brince Mushunju agrees. Coming to a new country can be tough. 'So, we know what it means to be a refugee,' he says. 'We know the struggles and the challenges, especially the trauma they go through. So they love coming here to our office because they believe that we understand their situation.'
The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro helps the nonprofit provide training through a community grant. It's also trying to secure funds to purchase 15 acres of land that would serve as a center with gardens and amenities such as a soccer field.
If you want more information, .
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
ESOL Summer Bridge Program to begin in third year helping community
WILLIMANTIC — The English for Speakers of Other Languages Summer Bridge Program kicked off its third year at CT State Community College Quinebaug Valley in Willimantic. The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts funded the program through the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation. The $40,000 grant covers tuition and educational expenses for students with classes, field trips, tutoring and activities. The 10-week program aims to help improve language skills and prepare students for the fall semester as some transition from ESOL to degree paths at Quinbaug Valley. The past two iterations of the program have data that shows incredible gains, which include a 100% completion rate for those who registered for the 2024 fall semester. 'Summer is a long time to go without hearing and speaking English for many English Language Learner students,' said Elkin Espitia-Loaiza, Quinebaug Valley professor of ESOL and Spanish, Arts and Humanities, and ESOL program coordinator. 'This program has proven to be an effective way to bridge that gap; over the past two years, we have seen students gain the knowledge and confidence they need to excel at their studies. Without the Summer Bridge, many students would not be able to make the leap from ESOL to credit courses.' CT State Quinebaug Valley ESOL student Germán Méndez González, who has been in the program, shared their experience and the opportunities it has provided. 'My time in the Summer Bridge program has given me a chance to progress with my education and have more opportunities as I plan my future,' González said. 'I am grateful for the funds that make this experience possible and for what I have been able to accomplish.' CT State Quinebaug Valley Director of Institutional Advancement Monique Wolanin extended her appreciation to the SFFEA. 'Sincere thanks are due to the Scripps and Linda Marshall for their continued investments and confidence in our students, faculty, and the Northeast Connecticut Education Foundation. Your gift is truly transformative,' Wolanin said. The foundation's mission is to provide scholarships and other financial support to Northeast Connecticut residents who want to pursue higher education.
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Shocking anti-ICE riots in LA remind me of two violent mobs I lived through
A new view on old terrors I'm a single person. Scared. This is my country. My entire life. My ancestors came from the old world. Russia. My mother was born in Liverpool. Inheritance? Nothing. Immigrants, they came with nothing. No relatives here — nobody. Grandma, who spoke no English, scrubbed stoops on the Lower East Side. Grandpa, a tailor who made no money, kept just enough to apply for legitimate citizenship. To pay for their taxes, mortgage, children, doctors, schooling, food, old age, transportation, future — no help from the government. Forget stories about immigrants arriving with hidden jewels sewn into their skirts. There were no gems. No hems. Hard-knock life When I was in public school, long ago but so painful that even now I remember it clearly — even though at this moment I can't remember where I left my phone — back then I was given a used secondhand dress. Pale blue. Silky fabric. Garnished with fluffy fake fur. Excited, I paraded in it around our house. Enter tragedy. A stain. From where, how I got it, who knows. Nothing but a scissor would've removed it. I was crazy. Inconsolable. 'No problem,' said my mother. 'I'll wash it.' WASH? Accented with fake fur? The fake-o crapola immediately turned stiff — like cardboard — and peeled off. My mother worked two jobs to be able to feed me, dress me, take me to doctors, buy medicines because I was always ill. But this was my only party dress. I was inconsolable. That's 90 years ago. I still remember it. By the time I could buy my own clothes I was a working reporter in Asia. The recent unrest and turmoil in Los Angeles has reprised two terrors I survived. One in Jakarta, another in Tehran. Jakarta. An ungovernable mob flooded the roads. Barricaded the streets. Angry about some official edict. Came with guns, flames, knives, flags, signs, the usual. We were locked in traffic. Terrified. Me a foreigner. Alone except the driver, who knew to call someone as our car was rocked side to side, bottles thrown at our windows — and people came to save us. Thrilling escape Another time. Iran. A guest of the Shah, I was up country in Isfahan, a hotel owned by his then-Majesty's twin sister Princess Ashraf. I was in their official black car. Their official driver. En route back to Tehran. It was the first days, the exact moment, the move had begun to oust the Shah. A small village through which we drove saw their movie theater set on fire. If not protected by the Shah, who knows what might've happened. His people caught us en route, escorted us with guns to the hotel, watched as I packed up and then threw me at 5 a.m. onto a plane out of Iran and home. That story — and its saga of embassy personnel sheltered by my late friend Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor — I mightn't be here today. He, too, spirited me out and onto a waiting Pan Am jet. The story was immortalized in Ben Affleck's 2012 Oscar-winning movie 'Argo.' It's terrifying. They looking to turn us into Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Russia — the cauldrons from which they fled?
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Mysterious ‘dumped' bodies of woman and child found by archaeologists in picturesque town
Archaeologists recently uncovered a mysterious grave in an idyllic German town with clues that hint at a tragic story. The findings were announced by the German town of Vaihingen an der Enz in a recent press release. The town is located in Baden-Württemberg, a German state known for its scenic landscapes and natural beauty. In the announcement, local officials said a months-long excavation yielded hundreds of archaeological discoveries. The excavation began in Sept. 2024 and wrapped up in April, ahead of the construction of a future industrial park called Wolfsberg IV. The most haunting discovery was the grave of a woman and young girl dating back to 400 B.C. Both of the decedents, officials said, wore jewelry from the Celtic period of German history, which was roughly between 600 and 200 B.C. 'The girl had two bronze arm rings, the woman a necklace with blue glass beads threaded on iron wire,' said the statement, which was translated from German to English. 'These beads could have been easily made many millennia earlier – provided one had the necessary knowledge.' 3 Archaeologists recently uncovered a mysterious grave in Vaihingen, Germany. State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council The arrangement of the skeletons suggests the bodies were 'dumped,' a historian said. The child was found '[lying] over the woman's leg, limbs outstretched,' the release indicated. 'What exactly might have happened to them, even experts can only speculate,' the town said. Felicitas Schmitt, a historian from the State Office for Monument Preservation in the Stuttgart Regional Council, said the grave indicated far from a respectful burial. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters 'Here, we are not talking about a burial,' she noted. 'The two were dumped, rather than laid to rest with dignity.' She observed, 'Perhaps they suffocated due to fermentation gases that developed during the decomposition of the [organic materials] in the pit.' The grave was just one of 1,100 discoveries found during the excavation, according to town officials. 3 The grave is located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Some of the findings were as old as 7,000 years. Eight other graves were found, in addition to a cooking pit, some remains of longhouses and various ceramics. Tools and jewelry were also unearthed. 'In addition to the nine graves, several longhouses up to 20 meters long from the Middle Neolithic period were uncovered,' the town's statement said. 'Particularly interesting for researchers is the cooking pit made of clay and stones, presumably from the early Iron Age (800 to 450 BC).' 3 The grave contains a woman and a young girl that dates back to around 400 B.C., with jewelry that indicates it is from the Celtic period of German history, around the time between 600 and 200 B.C. Stephan Sure / Vaihingen an der Enz Officials also said they uncovered an exceptionally well-preserved axe next to a skeleton, dating back around 5,000 years ago. 'At first glance, it might seem like it came from the hardware store across the street,' the release said. 'But the axe head is not made of metal, but of elaborately polished stone!' In contrast to the grave with the two females, archaeologists do not believe the man died violently; rather, the axe was likely left as a grave offering. While they were interested in the findings, local officials weren't shocked by them overall. The general area is known for Neolithic finds, so excavators expected to dig up some history. '[The findings] contribute to further deciphering the history of the city and preserving the cultural heritage of the region,' the press release noted.
