BENNINGTON —- Since opening the doors of its permanent office and community center last December, the Bennington wing of the Ethiopian Community Development Council has welcomed about 75 refugees to the local community and more than doubled its number of staff, said Jack Rossiter-Munley, the council’s director of programs and community engagement.
The Multicultural Community Center of Southern Vermont has also been “completely transformed” with colorful murals on the exterior, rendered during collaborative community painting days, said Rossiter-Munley. There are now spaces for gatherings as well as educational driving simulators and language learning resources, also helping to revamp the center, he added.
Last week, the council hosted its first anniversary open-house to honor the center’s growth over the last year. Supporters stopped by the center on Union Street in downtown Bennington to learn about and celebrate the refugee resettlement work.
Visitors conversed while drinking traditional Iraqi black tea with cardamom and eating Afghani dishes such as bolani, a fried flatbread stuffed with potato and leeks, and aushak, stuffed pasta dumplings with tomato sauce, yogurt and dried mint.
Among those gathered at the open house was Sayed ShirShah Sadat, whose family was the first group of refugees to arrive in Bennington. Now serving as a reception and placement case manager for the council, Sadat helps newly arrived refugees in their first 19 days in the United States find housing, jobs and set up their new lives.
“I can understand their needs, because I know how it feels when somebody is coming to the new community, doesn’t speak the language, and doesn’t know the culture. It’s really difficult,” said Sadat. “It gives me a good feeling after I see some people really progressing in the community.”
Social isolation is a significant challenge people face after arriving in a new country and trying to adapt to a new culture and environment, said Rossiter-Munley. So, the council is working to expand its programming beyond the immediate needs of refugees in order to help people gain a better sense of community belonging.
One initiative the council developed over the past year is a community gardening project, with the goal of bringing the refugee community together with the larger local community, he said.
“It creates a social experience around a shared interest and around these very pleasant, calming, natural spaces that we can create through the gardens,” said Rossiter-Munley.
Sarah Al Janabi — who resettled in Bennington in May and joined the council staff in June as the financial assistant and office manager — said she valued the opportunity to learn from a master gardener and connect with people through working at the community garden. All summer long, Aljanabi had no need to purchase vegetables because of the abundant produce growing in the garden.
“I always dreamed to learn about gardening, but because I didn’t have a chance in my life,” said Al Janabi. “When I came here and when I heard about the project, I was like, let me try.”
The gardening initiative also addresses the fact that downtown Bennington is considered a food desert, which means the community has limited access to healthy foods, Rossiter-Munley said. The group plans to grow the project by planting garden spaces in several locations around town, including Molly Stark Elementary School.
The organization also partners with the Bennington Community Market to provide food for volunteers to cook and bake for the broader community. Rossiter-Munley said any additional produce will be distributed at a garden stand downtown, to help fill the gaps in access to fresh produce for Bennington residents.
Along with social isolation, Rossiter-Munley said other challenges refugees face – particularly women – is a language barrier and lack of formal work experience when searching for employment.
But, the refugee women the council works with often have existing “marketable skills,” such as cooking and tailoring, that “don’t show up in traditional ways on a resume or in a job application or even in a job interview,” he said.
So, the council launched the Global Women Entrepreneurs Program this year to help women navigate language and bureaucratic barriers to gain certifications and employment in Bennington.
Through community partnerships with the Vermont Department of Labor and the Bennington Community Market, the Southwest Tech vocational school and other local businesses, the program has so far helped 12 women obtain three certifications in the food service industry and search for employment.
Rossiter-Munley said the council also provides ongoing mentorship to help participants apply skills to possible start-up business, and he hopes to expand the program to help people with other work experience, such as in the skilled trades.
Tracy Dolan, director of the State Refugee Resettlement Office, said the council in Bennington has been a valuable branch of Vermont’s resettlement work.
While state officials remain committed to refugee resettlement in Vermont, Dolan said the state is also preparing for the potential of a significant reduction or halt of refugee arrivals once Donald Trump’s second term as president begins. But, that means the state should focus its energy on supporting the refugee community that is already present in Vermont, she said.
“Within our state, we’re not going to change our message in terms of how important we see refugees to our community,” said Dolan. “I think it’s our job to even double down more to make sure that our refugees do feel welcome.”
Rossiter-Munley agreed that even as national messaging and policies regarding refugee resettlement may change, the council’s commitment to its goals will remain.
“Much of our time and effort goes into welcoming new refugee arrivals, and it’s one of the most rewarding parts of our work,” said Rossiter-Munley. “But, if that is paused for a year or four years, it means that we have even more time and attention to give to the local community and to build networks within the community that support people of all different cultures, nationalities and backgrounds.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Bennington’s refugee resettlement agency celebrates progress and community building efforts at one year anniversary.