“They arrived in caravans with or without family, with or without luggage, some having left children behind, some having watched them die before their eyes... They had braved destruction, arson, murder, rape, and riots, had walked for miles and boarded trains toward a new life, but few understood the new order.”
These two lines are pulled from Aanchal Malhotra’s The Book of Everlasting Things. This stunning 450+ page novel pivots around the 1947 partition of British India, and — though I am only halfway through my first read of this story — I wholeheartedly recommend it. Malhotra’s words can’t speak for the people immigrating to Connecticut about their experiences, but they grant us some perspective.
IRIS helps refugees adjust to life in the United States. However, just as these people find themselves thrust into a “new order,” IRIS too is facing challenges under the new administration. This is where we come in! Thank you for choosing to make a difference.
IRIS served more than 2,000 immigrants last year and welcomed over 280 newly arrived refugees! The mission of IRIS is to enable refugees and other displaced people to establish new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut’s communities. Refugees are men, women and children who fled their countries of origin due to persecution on the basis of their race, nationality, religious belief, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Currently, IRIS’s refugee clients come from Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Sudan and other countries. IRIS provides refugees with housing, food, clothing, and services such as education, English training, job preparation and placement, health care, and immigration legal aid.
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/trump_shuts_off_4m_to_iris_emergency_appeal_goes_out
