CLEVELAND — Northeast Ohio has welcomed refugees from all over the world for years, but more recently, there's been a large wave of people coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
From Afghanistan to Ukraine, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has been quite busy.
“So, we went from, you know, almost 100 people in one year to 100 people in a week,” said Darren Hamm, the director of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Cleveland office.
But those aren't the only countries people are fleeing from.
“You know, I think in light of many other communities that are arriving to Northeast Ohio and Cleveland proper, I think it's hard for the Congolese to obtain the same attention,” said Hamm.
According to the United Nations refugee agency, fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been going on for decades. But, in 2022, the humanitarian crisis worsened due to a more recent spike in violence, leaving 6.2 million displaced within the country and 1 million seeking asylum in places like Northeast Ohio.
“They make up sometimes upwards of half and in some years more than half of all the arrivals that we see come through the US Refugee assistance program,” said Hamm.
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, in 2023, more than 2,800 refugees arrived in the state; of that, 1,304 were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the May Dugan Center, they are also seeing some of those refugees.
“The 2022 fighting is really why we're seeing a greater number arriving here. You know, the Congo has been on the world's watch list as a conflict-prone area for a while,” said Sue Marasco, the senior director of program and evaluation at the May Dugan Center.
Since September, when the center started processing refugees, they have already settled 112 refugees.
“Our goal is to get them to Cleveland and get them set up in these neighborhoods where they can really find a home, find a community,” said Marasco.
But, as Ohio welcomes more and more people who are displaced, Hamm and Marasco add the need is becoming greater.
“It's actually become more challenging for us because of the volume of people arriving and the needs of those individuals who are arriving,” said Hamm.
This reminds everyone that no matter their country of origin, every person is looking for the same thing: a safe place to call home.
“I want people to know Congolese, Rwandan, Ugandan, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Afghan, Ukrainian Syrian, any, come to this place looking for the same opportunities’ others have for more than 100 years,” Hamm continued. “They keep their head down, they work hard, they overwhelmingly succeed, and they give back. I think it's a really amazing story we get to see play out over and over in this community.”
If you would like to know more information or ways you can help, links are below.
For details on USCRI, click here.
For details on the May Dugan House, click here.
