Pennsylvania's Refugee Leaders Available to Discuss Refugee Issues

PITTSBURGH - Oct. 19, 2017 - PRLog -- Pennsylvania's Refugee Leaders Available to Discuss Refugee Issues

What: Refugee leaders from Philadelphia, Allentown, Erie, Lancaster, and Pittsburgh will gather in Pittsburgh for a state-wide meeting to share ideas and strategies for ensuring that refugees are welcomed to Pennsylvania.

Refugee Leaders are available for interviews on the impact of the travel ban on their communities and on refugee resettlement in Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvanians.

Who: Refugees and former refugees from Liberia, Iraq, Bhutan, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, including:

Joseph Sackor- Mr. Joseph Sackor was two months away from graduating college when war broke out in Liberia and he and his family were forced to flee to neighboring Guinea. He was resettled to the United States in 1999 and currently lives in Levittown, Pennsylvania where he works as a senior systems analyst. Mr. Sackor has organized two medical mission trips to Liberia that brought in nearly $6 million worth of medication and medical supplies to the country combined.

Andy Kalala- Mr. Andy Kalala is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After being resettled in the US, Andy helped children with issues to get back on track through ''Children's Home of Reading'' in Reading, Pennsylvania and through ''Manos Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Services'' in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Andy started his own magazine''Afrimpact'' to raise awareness of the impact of Africans in the world.

Bios of other refugee leaders participating in the meeting are available upon request.

When/Where: The Statewide Refugee Leadership Meeting takes place in Pittsburgh from October 20-22. Refugee Leaders will be available for:

• In-person interviews on Friday, Saturday or Sunday October 20- 22 at:

Homestead Grays Room (Lower Level/LL)
Allegheny County Department of Human Services
One Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

OR

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

Please contact Solace Duncan to request interviews.

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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 affecting our lives. www.refugeescongress.org