Meet the 'Cultural Mediators' Who Help Refugees in Germany

Catholic Charities helps immigrants and refugees access housing and transition to life in a new country. Housing is the first step in the resettlement process, but Catholic Charities also helps immigrants find jobs, get their children in school and integrate into the community. In 2007, Fort Wayne welcomed 3,500 Burmese refugees. By 2016 the number had grown to more than 6,000 and counting.

The Heberthausen Asylum Support Group helps incoming migrants and refugees find housing, jobs and learn the German language to integrate with society and work towards citizenship.

The Chicago-based nonprofit New Life Centers helps asylum seekers at city-run shelters move into and furnish new permanent homes anywhere in the state.

Lawyers, clerks, and judges are voluntarily hosting warrant clinics around the United States to help people address active warrants for their arrest — typically small traffic violations and misdemeanors. The clinics offer childcare, too, which is a common barrier for parents looking to address warrants.

Churches in Newburyport, Massachusetts, converted rooms into temporary housing for Afghan refugee families. With support from community donations, the congregations created living spaces and provided the families with necessities like beds and clothes.

The Home for the Needy Foundation’s camp offers accommodations and support for people who are displaced in Nigeria due to terrorism. Along with housing, clothes, food, healthcare, and general support, those staying at the camp receive help and encouragement to continue their education, apply for college, or learn a trade.

The Schools of Sanctuary program aims to provide welcoming, inclusive learning environments for those seeking refuge, teach students about migrants and refugees and engage with the local community. As even more people are seeking asylum, there are currently about 300 local schools signed up to go through the process of becoming an official School of Sanctuary.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, individual citizens stepped up in countries around the world to offer shelter to refugees, often through local volunteering programs that offer stipends to those who sign up. These grassroots efforts helped Aya Aslanova, a 47-year-old Ukrainian grandmother, find stable housing in Switzerland, while in Lithuania, citizens have offered up more than 10,000 places to stay for migrants fleeing Ukraine.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, online home-sharing platforms such as Host a Sister provided an avenue for thousands of people around the world to offer temporary housing to refugees leaving the country. Host a Sister in particular is geared at women looking for a safe place to stay, making it a valuable resource for families who have had to flee while men have stayed behind to fight.

When the rise of Ebola in West Africa strict protocols when handling those who were dying or had died from the disease, public health officials began working with anthropologists and other social scientists to increase trust and influence people’s willingness to seek treatment. At the center of the success was the social scientist's recommendations for burial services which addressed concerns about first responders disrespecting the dead. Today, these social scientists are providing similar consult for the Covid-19 pandemic.