Refugee CP Interview Blog

Alex Karni

IHSS

Mr. Roddy

April 26, 2021


Interfaith Ministries

        Interfaith Ministries has been running for over 50 years and it’s coming to its 52nd this year. Kamil Khan, the one I interviewed, has served the greater Houston area and Galveston. There are 4 major programs that Interfaith Ministries works with, one being meals on the wheels which helped 4400 12th graders to receive healthy food for a whole year. The second is called interfaith relationships because they help people of all different religions and faiths. The third is Volunteer Houston that goes out to find organizations to volunteer. Lastly is the refugee services, where Kamil works, which helps people settle that have come from all around the world to the Houston area. Kamil’s job is as the community engagement coordinator. He finds gaps in areas of service, reaches out to community resources, attends speaking engagements, runs programs to help refugees beyond essential services, etc. I asked what pushed him to work at Interfaith Ministries and he said, “It’s a massive organization but what really pushed me is that 90% of the people working there are immigrants themselves.” Some successes that the organization has had are that they’ve helped refugees with medical appointments, signing them for food stamps and documentation, housing, resume prep, and helping refugees continue studies and getting a degree in the US. Leading on to that question, I asked what the hardest part of his job is. Finding people outside who aren’t refugees to work with them is the main difficulty because some communities are not as understanding as others. Perceptions keep communities away from refugees (Xenophobia- Dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries). “You are also working with people that have had a lot of trauma, inexplicable pain. Coming to the USA, they thought that it was the end of their worries. But really, after 6 months, a refugee needs to be self-sufficient, which is impossible.” What this organization has done is pushed as much as they could to change that amount of time to 5 years, which the government has now decided to change, thanks to them and other organizations alike. This interview pushed me into wanting to directly help refugees and their families in need so they can have a fresh start in the US. Talulah and I are working together to raise awareness for refugees who, for example, walk from Venezuela all the way to the U.S. for freedom. As you may imagine, their shoes would be of no use after a walk that long and some wouldn’t have any at all. Our intentions are to put boxes at both campuses and collect shoes to send to refugee organizations. 


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