Ron Ison has been active in the lives of dozens of refugees and other immigrants in Cincinnati for decades. Annie Scheid Jasinski serves as the Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio Refugee Resettlement Director. At the November CARV Gathering, they shared their unique perspectives about this work.
Ron began with a photo of Adau Mou, who many CARV members met as a five year old refugee from Sudan sixteen years ago. She is currently thriving as a student at UC and has five younger brothers and sisters. He went on to talk about his recent trip to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC with six other refugee students from Cincinnati to participate in the NPCA program at the inauguration of the new “The Reach” expansion. Ron participated on a panel and the students worked in a booth where they met other attendees, including many RPCVs. (See earlier Article.)
Ron has been considering various challenges facing the Peace Corps and RPCVs. He referred to the infamous Wall on the southern US border but explained that he feels the actual wall is within people. RPCVs have a special role in helping people understand the refugee experience and their many contributions to the US. He also emphasized the need to solve the various crises around the world that are causing so much migration in so many countries.
Ron also discussed the role of “Appropriate Technology,” as practiced by Mahatma Gandhi and Fritz Schumacher. He suggested that perhaps the Peace Corps should focus more on major technology projects that potentially could have a major impact on economic growth.
Annie Scheid Jasinski talked about the role of Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio in resettling refugees in the Cincinnati area. They are the sole agency working with the US State Department in supporting these newcomers to the community. The numbers are down significantly in the past three years, from 333 in 2016 to 79 in 2019 due to Administration policy. Annie introduced a new program to help those already here as well as newcomers. The Youth Mentoring Program will pair mentors with youth ages 15-24 and is recruiting volunteers. If you are interested, please check out the attached flier and contact Annie at [email protected].
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