What does it take to come to Ithaca as a refugee?

Neighborhood Centers, a Houston anti-poverty program has a simple philosophy: “The people are the asset, the source of potential solutions, not the problem.” The non-profit has scaled nationally, employing its bottom-up approach to disburse funds in poor communities.

American humanitarian aid and programs by the United Nations have proved beneficial to equip Middle Eastern refugees with resources for self-settlement outside of camps. The self-settlement model has empowered refugees to become more productive members of society when they return home.

In Germany child refugee homes are overwhelmed with unaccompanied minors. Adoption is one solution to quickly get these kids into homes, but many kids refuse because their family is far away but alive.

Instituto del Progreso Latino, a vocational school in Chicago, is comprehensively helping Latino immigrants living in the U.S. educate themselves, find professional work, and rise above poverty.

When immigrant children come to America, they are faced with culture shock, language barriers, and a system of education different from where their original country. Houston’s Las Americas Newcomer School is designed to ease the adjustment of immigrant and refugee children as they enter the American educational system. Las Americas offers competitive wages for teachers, teaching in several different languages, and preparation for the SAT as the school has the highest rate of minority participation.

Despite their stigma, foreign-born populations are helping the economy of U.S. cities. Welcoming America is a national network of organizations that preach the economic upside of immigration and in this way attract immigrants to certain cities and improve their experience.

Refugee camps typically look like a prison with squalid conditions and barbed wire tops. By contrast, the Kilis refugee camp in Turkey is orderly, secure, and clean; has schools for children; has grocery stores, and is powered with electricity. The camp is not run by the United Nations, but rather it is Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency that oversees every detail and pours billions of dollars into maintaining it every year.

Immigrants are increasingly settling in the United States, but their cultural adjustments present economic and social challenges. Different states have started welcoming initiatives to aid in foreigners in their transition. Welcoming Tennessee has organized community gatherings and public talks, and has publicized how immigrants can contribute to their new neighborhoods.

Diabetes hits US immigrant communities especially hard, with genetics and higher-calorie diets explaining just part of it. Support groups help immigrants with diabetes to find a way to eat healthy in the American high-calorie system.

The Twilight Education Club is a non-profit working to break down the barriers – transportation, child care and cost – that typically prevent the economically disadvantaged from accessing social services such as language classes. While the Twilight program is specifically geared toward the needs of the parents - getting better jobs and securing greater stability - the long-term focus remains on creating future opportunities for their children.