International Neighbors

International Neighbors connects closely with refugees and SIVs (Special Immigrant Visa holders, who worked alongside U.S. military during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq) who have been invited by the federal government to begin new lives in Charlottesville, VA. IN is keenly aware of the struggles endured by our newest neighbors, some of whom have chosen suicide or returned to the dangers of their homeland after losing hope in our town. The mission of International Neighbors is to provide our refugee and SIV neighbors with a network of support services, people, and opportunities that fosters progress along their path to independence and productive citizenship. Networks are crucial to success for all human beings, and particularly for these vulnerable individuals who fled danger and persecution, and were forced to leave all prior networks behind.

International Neighbors strives to equip new Americans with tools and opportunities that would otherwise not be attainable. Through grants, private donations, and commitment from volunteers, we offer the following:
-Great Neighbor Guides: We match a refugee/SIV family or individual with a local family or individual. Great Neighbor Guides serve as friends who help along the path of independence. Often times a weekly visit turns into clarity regarding bills or other important documents that are confusing due to language. International Neighbors offers frequent outings with all Great Neighbor Guide pairs in conjunction with our community partners.
-Kids in Camps/Extracurriculars: Refugee/SIV families work extremely hard, often at multiple jobs, in order to afford the high cost of rent in Charlottesville. They have no extra money to afford their children summer and after-school activities that most American children enjoy. This strategy increases the participant's level of language, as well as creating bonds with fellow peers.
-Driving the Dream: the strategy for this program is to assist participants in achieving independent mobility, no longer depending on lengthy and unreliable public transportation. International Neighbors provides professional driving lessons, assists new neighbors in earning driver's licenses, and- when vehicles are donated- automobile ownership.
-Bilingual Buddies: We match a native speaker with an English language learner, for weekly lessons within the home of the learner. This is extremely important as most learners are isolated women at home with small children. Formal English classes offered in our town are cost-prohibitive, and learners must rely on public transportation, which is subpar.

International Neighbors is an entirely volunteer led organization. The Board of Directors (eight individuals) is highly involved, as is our Village of Volunteers which consists of 253 people. We are all very hands on, working directly within neighborhoods and with community partners. Passion is what drives each of us, with the mission of social justice for our city's newest neighbors. International Neighbors has committees for each program area, with a Committee Chair that reports to the Board The Chair of each Committee sends weekly updates and is always available by phone. The support of our community has been amazing, with business and other organizations offering supports and partnerships.

International Neighbors has grown tremendously since our launch in 2015. Each year has seen at least double the amount of donations, volunteers, and clients. We have a steady waiting list of people who want to be involved or assisted by IN, but our limited capacity keeps us from being able to train or serve them. In less that three years we have:
-Acquired a Bus (grant-funded)
-Acquired Rental Space (grant-funded)
-Been Beneficiary of twelve special events
-Received 32 Donated Vehicles, given to Neighbors
-Offered over 1000 Hours of Professional Driving Lessons
-Assisted 73 Adults with Dental Care (as this is not Medicaid Covered)
-Introduced 112 Children to Dental Practice and frequent Dentist Visits
-Advocated to Landlords and Slumlords when neighbors lived in squalor
-Been featured on National Public Radio (https://www.npr.org/2018/03/09/577353905/90-days-to-start-a-new-life-for-refugees-in-the-u-s-what-happens-next)
-And so much more!
We have been Great Neighbors and provided opportunities for many more neighbors to be great as well.