Ohio ​Refugee​ ​Leaders​ ​Available​ ​to​ ​Discuss​ ​Refugee​ ​Issues

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Aug. 25, 2017 - PRLog -- MEDIA​ ​ADVISORY

Contact: Solace Duncan

solaceduncan@gmail.com

(202) 907-4775

Ohio's​ ​Refugee​ ​Leaders​ ​Available​ ​to​ ​Discuss​ ​Refugee​ ​Issues

What:​ Refugee leaders from Blacklick, Kettering, and Columbus will gather in Columbus for a statewide meeting to share ideas and strategies for ensuring that refugees are welcomed to Ohio. There will also be refugee leaders from Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Wyoming.

Refugee Leaders are available for interviews on the impact of the travel ban on their communities and on refugee resettlement in Ohio. They are available to share their own stories and talk about their journeys - why and how they came to the US and how they were able to become contributing members of their communities as new Ohioans.

Who:​ ​Refugees and former refugees from Iraq, Bhutan, South Sudan, Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Afghanistan and Democratic Republic of the Congo, including:

Ms.​ ​Norah​ ​Bagirinka​- Norah is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and was resettled to the United States in 2005. In 2007 she founded Refugee Women In Action, a nonprofit organization based in Columbus, Ohio, that assists refugee women and their families to establish social and economic independence.

Mr.​ ​Hari​ ​Niroula​- Hari is a refugee from Bhutan who came to the United States in 2008. He currently lives in Blacklick, Ohio, where he works as a language interpreter and community advocate. Mr. Niroula has worked with several community organizations, assisting refugees as they take their issues to the state legislature and state refugee coordinator.

When/Where:​ The Statewide Refugee Leadership Meeting takes place in Columbus on August 25- 27th.

Refugee Leaders will be available for:

● In-person interviews on Sunday August 27th during a luncheon from 1 pm to 2 pm at St. John's United Church of Christ, 59 East Mound Street Columbus, Ohio 43215  OR

● Phone or in-person interviews in their home cities after the meeting.

Please contact Solace Duncan to request interviews.

###

The Refugee Congress is a national advocacy and advisory organization comprised of refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Our mission is to promote the well-being, integration, and dignity of all refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons in the U.S. and beyond. We do that by bringing our voices and experiences to inform decision makers on domestic and international issues and policies af ecting our lives. refugeecongress.org