A brief Historical Background

Liberia is the oldest independent nation in Africa which origin can be traced as far back as the early 1800s. It came into existence when free negro slaves from America decided to repatriate to the land of their ancestral birth (Africa) through the efforts of American Colonization Society (ACS) and with the help of the US government.

The ACS was a group which comprise of former slave owners and slave abolitionists that were concerned about the growing number of free slaves roaming about in New England and as slave revolts were very common in those days. The first group of free slaves arrived in Liberia in 1816. These free slaves and their descendents were called the "Americo Liberians" or mulattoes because they were fair in complexion than the indigenous tribes they meet in Liberia. Upon reaching the shores of Liberia, the free slaves formed a government and adopted a constitution similar to the United States.

For more information about Liberia, please visit the following websites.

CIA World Fact Book about Liberia

BBC Historical Timeline on Liberia

WHAT IS THE AFRICAN REFUGE PROJECT:

African Refuge is a program of the Liberian Behavioral Health Services. We wiill serve as a drop–in center that promotes and develops crucial linkages between the African community and social service providers in the County of Philadelphia and its sorroundings. Through community outreach, information and referral services, family and youth support programs; we will identify and serve the needs of refugees and immigrants.

THE COMMUNITY:

Philadelphia , especially southwest is home to thousands of African immigrants and refugees facing the challenges of making a home here in the Philadelphia Area. For many, resettlement means starting a new life – a career, a family, and becoming part of a new community, while still striving to hold on to values and previous ways of life and pass them on to their children. Some refugees struggle to cope with memories of violence and the pain of losing friends and family members. Many of the children in the community have missed years of schooling due to the wars they have experienced in their home countries. This is a community in transition. Sustained by the resilience and rich culture of the people, African Refuge seeks to provide an important link to the available resources and services in the community and beyond.

THE DROP–IN CENTER:

The African Refuge is a proposed project geared towards assisting people of this unique community in adjusting to life in Philadelphia by linking people to important services and social supports. Centrally to be located in the Southwest Philadelphia area, the center will serve as a hub for the coordination of events, providing services and disseminating information. African Refuge will be run by dedicated group of skilled professional and volunteers from the community, especially students.

CENTER SERVICES:

• Information and Referral


• Community Bulletin Board


• Employment Assistance


• Resume Preparation


• Healthcare/Insurance Resources


• Financial Counseling


• Legal Referrals


• Immigration Assistance


• Basic Computer Skill Classes


• Internet Access Youth & Family Support Groups


• Community Meeting Center

OUTREACH & EDUCATION PROGRAM:

African Refuge Center will promote awareness on important issues affecting the West African population in the Philadelphia area by hosting monthly educational forums, open houses for employment opportunities, computer classes, linkages to healthcare, and providing meeting space for many community groups. Upon the success of this program, the Liberian Behavioral Health Services through the African Refuge project will seek to organize a consortium of African Community Service Providers in Philadelphia , the first of its kind in the history of the arrival of African refugee and immigrants in the Philadelphia area. The goal is to promote collaboration among the local social service resources to better assist the community.

THE DROP–IN CENTER:

The Drop –In Center will serve as the keystone of the Liberian Behavioral Health Services, Resilience Project, serving as an important hub of activities for people in the community. We will document the visitation of members of the community and establish a data base for the variety of services, training, educational events and information on job related issues, entitlement programs and referral to outside agencies. The Center will provide space for meetings, a comfortable place for people to congregate, computers with access on the internet, a fax machine, a TV and a bulletin board, all free for the community use.

The Center's volunteer will assist people with many types of requests such as resume writing, filing out job applications, financial counseling, information on HIV/AIDS, registration for the green card lottery and numerous other supportive services.

The Center will endeavor to initiate monthly educational seminars and open houses to bring information on job placements, micro-enterprise opportunities, affordable healthcare programs, legal assistance and other issues of concern to members of the community.

Volunteers and staff will also engage in an active outreach campaign, designed to let people in the community know about African Refuge, its services and other vital issues of importance to immigrants and refugees in Philadelphia . The Center will host a website via LIBHS and distribute brochure. Often attending local church services on the weekends would be one of the most effective way of reaching people in this culture, and other local meetings, the volunteers and staff continuously work to promote awareness about the Liberian Behavioral Health Center through the AFRICAN REFUGE CENTER and its services. This outreach will also helps to create a dialogue with community members so that the needs and input of community voices often serves to direct the goals and programming of the Center.

INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES:

The Drop-In Center provide family and psychosocial supports including employment assistance, resume preparation, basic computer skills classes, healthcare/insurance resources, immigrants assistance, legal referrals, youth and family support groups. We will strive to form collaboration with social services institutions, colleges and universities for interns to be placed in conducting case management and counseling services with clients coming into the Center most of whom have endured war, torture, and other forms of political violence.

FAMILY AND YOUTH ADVOCACY PROGRAM:

The Family Advocacy and Support project will engage families in discussions about relevant issues and experiences critical to the African Community; and to develop specific advocacy projects to support families, parents and children in the community. To ensure a more accuracy to this program, LIBHS will conduct a research study in five schools within the School District of Philadelphia where African Refugees youth enroll. The research will focused on parent concerns about their children and how to create a closer collaboration between school and parents. The goal of the group is to empower members to become advocates on issues such as education, housing, and benefit entitlements. The group will meet every other Sunday at the African Refuge Center for discussion and works to create sustainable support for effective parenting skills and recognition of children's difficulties in adjusting to their environments. This advocacy will ensure a stronger collaboration between parents and the schools and the establishment of an after school program for children in the Southwest Philadelphia area that continue to be involved with school violence, drug and other juvenile crimes.

COMPUTER LITERACY TRAINING COURSE:

The African Refuge Center will initiate a formal computer literacy course at the Drop –In Center to train people in basic computer skills. This course will develop a friendly introduction to the world of computers. Trainees will be provided with instruction on computer basics including components of the computer, keyboard basics, using the computer mouse, creating and printing simple documents and introduction to Internet and basic email functions.

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER:

As part of our outreach effort, the Center will develop a community newsletter to inform people about services and activities at the African Refuge, outside affairs and prominent events, about issues of importance to the refugee and immigrant community, and news stories of interest from Africa .

AFRICAN REFUGE DROP – IN CENTER MURAL PROJECT:

The Mural Project is the actual creation of a painted wall mural for inside the Drop –In Center. Engaging volunteers from the community, the project will be designed to build trust, awareness and understanding. The goal is not just mural itself but also the process of drawing the community together across generations, gender and different cultures to reflect pre- and post-settlement experiences in the United States . People will have the opportunity to express their thoughts, emotions, cultural pride, struggles and experiences during the creation of the mural. The symbolism of placing all the represented experiences into the mural model is to bring cohesiveness to the community through visual arts.

COMMUNITY CRIME & DRUG PREVENTION OUTREACH:

With the increase in drug problems and crime in the Philadelphia area, African Refuge will undertake an initiative to outreach to the local police precinct community affairs officer and the housing police. The outcome will be to organize meetings between community members, local business owners and the police to advocate for increase police involvement aimed at reducing the incidence of drugs, crime and violence in the Southwest Philadelphia involving African Refugees and immigrants youth, most of whom are languishing in prisons.