What We Do

OUR WORK

OUR MISSION is to equip our refugee neighbors with the network and skills needed to move from surviving to thriving in Charlottesville. We realize this mission through our programs that are focused on four essential areas: Home, Health, Community, and Career.

Of course, the needs of refugees who have fled their home countries are enormous. In many cases, our work with them from their arrival through achieving U.S. citizenship is all-encompassing and can’t fully be captured here. Learn more about these four program areas and how they directly aid our refugee neighbors.

Home

Helping newcomers feel secure and redefine a sense of home

International Neighbors’ Home Program helps families address the pragmatic issues remaining after the initial resettlement process. Our goal is to help our neighbors develop a secure and comfortable foundation in their private homes (so important to us ALL!) as they continue to rebuild their lives and successfully adapt to the challenges of a new culture.

Programs in this area include:

Man shaking hands

Welcome Baskets

Trips to Earlysville Exchange (an IN community partner and quality thrift store)

Appropriate seasonal clothing for all family members

Bicycles for children and adults

Household goods such as cookware
Caring Kits (first aid kits)

Special items requests such as meat grinders, or other culturally appropriate cookware

TVs and computers

Additional key items to make a house a home, such as curtains, rugs, and key furniture

We are all neighbors

"I could not go to English class on the bus after my work and was sad to stop learning. Now my Bilingual Buddy comes to my house every week to teach me. Thank you International Neighbors!"

Health

Creating awareness of and access to existing healthcare resources

International Neighbors' Health and Wellness programs help our neighbors build knowledge and independent access to existing healthcare resources. While we are fortunate to live in a community abundant with healthcare options, learning to utilize these systems can be overwhelming for neighbors with limited English and little experience in receiving medical care through complex modern systems. Programs in this area include:

mother and daughter holding hands
Navigation of Health Care: Access and Scheduling

Navigating various healthcare systems can be difficult for lifelong Americans, so it is understandably difficult to master such a network in a foreign language. Many refugee families have insurance coverage of some sort, but they don’t always know how best to access that care. Having an English-proficient navigator to help neighbors access systems can be crucial, especially in a large setting like the UVa hospital, where many refugees receive primary care and specialist services.  Providers usually have a phone translation service to communicate directly with patients during the appointment, but volunteers can help with follow-up scheduling, finding the lab if blood work is needed, check-in/check-out, filling a prescription, locating a pharmacy, and so forth.

Healthcare Transportation

Resettled refugees typically live on the bus routes in Charlottesville, but with work/childcare schedules and perhaps a stop at the pharmacy required after an appointment, navigating a routine appointment by bus alone can be a daunting all-day task. IN volunteers provide transportation when it is essential to and from medical appointments, and certainly enjoy getting to know our international neighbors better en route!

We are all neighbors

"They taught me to swim! And my mother too!"

Community

Gathering newcomers at events where they are welcomed and engaged

International Neighbors’ Community Connections programs are those that help families build social networks, enhance cross-cultural understanding, and develop lives in a new land in which they feel connected, welcomed, and engaged. Programs in this area include:

great neighbor guide and family
Great Neighbor Guides

One of our most rewarding programs for neighbors and volunteers is being matched with a family or individual. Neighbors get together for social outings, celebrations, and mutually beneficial cross-cultural experiences. Language barriers can be partly overcome with warmth, charades, and use of iTranslate or Google Translate on your phone! As friendships grow, so does understanding and appreciation between neighbors of all backgrounds.

Kids in Extracurriculars/Camps

Involvement of children in extracurricular activities such as ballet, soccer, taekwondo, music, and summer or school break camps helps our neighbors in a myriad of ways. These programs assist with acquisition of language skills, cross-cultural situations, social networks, and positive engagement for children who may be unsupervised while parents are at work.

Community Partner Events

We are grateful to our wonderful community partners who offer many opportunities to International Neighbors! These programs help our neighbors acquire language, develop cross-cultural social navigation skills, build social networks, and engage children in positive and fun activities while their parents may be busy with other obligations." Are you a local business that is able to support our mission? Contact Us

We are all neighbors

"I did not know how to take the medicines. It is very confusing. International Neighbors took the time to teach me, even with names for the days in Arabic! Now I feel healthy and I am thankful to International Neighbors."

Career

Providing access to the skills and networks necessary to find sustainable employment

International Neighbors’ Skills for Success programs are those offered to adults in order to attain skills necessary for leading successful lives in America. Our Skills for Success programs include all of the areas outlined below, as well as assistance with accessing adult education and legal assistance on a case-by-case basis. Programs in this area include:

car donation recipient
Driving the Dream

Resettled refugees and SIVs must rely on Charlottesville’s public transportation, which is not always convenient or reliable. Driving the Dream assists neighbors with earning their driver’s licenses, and receiving professional driving lessons as needed. International Neighbors also welcomes donations of reliable used cars! Donated cars have broadened opportunities for neighbors in employment, higher education, and community engagement. Driving the Dream fosters independence, and achievement of the American Dream.

Employment Assistance

Lack of fulfilling employment is common among those who were educated and trained in their home countries, but cannot continue their careers here in the US for a variety of reasons, including language and transportation barriers, or differences in licensing qualifications between the two countries. Volunteers advocate with community employers willing to hire so that neighbors can get better jobs, which lead to increased financial security, visibility in the community, and overall improved outlook. International Neighbors has also helped our neighbors get employment within walking distance of  home, thus avoiding hours of wasted time en route via public transportation. Through a partnership with PVCC (Piedmont Virginia Community College), some of our neighbors have earned CDLs (Commercial Driver’s Licenses). Neighbors are also learning to become nurses, home child care providers, certified electricians, and school bus drivers.