Lesson 5: Take Action!
IN THIS LESSON YOU WILL
1. Learn how organizations like LHI get humanitarian work done
2. Learn about how you can work with LHI to help refugees around the world!
Our blog is chock full of stories about how humanitarian aid work gets done. Check out the menus below to read some of our favorites!
-
LHI founder and CEO Hayley Smith tells the story of how she started LHI in this 2018 blog post.
2. An Entrepreneur Becomes a Humanitarian!
When Russia invaded Ukraine, an entrepreneur in Lviv wanted to help. Read this story of how Stas partnered with LHI to create a shelter for women and children fleeing frontline fighting.
3. The Story of Pads 4 Refugees
When Melissa volunteered at the LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece, she learned that refugee women have a great need for menstrual pads. So, she created her own non-profit to help meet that need.
-
1. Gather for Goats: A Path to Self-Sufficiency for Syrian Refugees in Jordan
In 2017, LHI founder and CEO Hayley Smith was distributing aid supplies to Syrian refugees living near the town of Al Mafraq in Jordan in 2017. She asked people what they most needed needed. Find out why they said "goats!" and how LHI's first livestock program got started in this blog post.
This short but poignant post shows that sometimes items that are considered "essential aid" don't always cover what refugees themselves consider essential
3. Humanitarian Aid from Person to Person
LHI staff from various programs share how being on the ground and interacting with beneficiaries helps us make sure we are listening to people and meeting the needs they tell us they have
4. Helping the Helpers in Gaza
Much of the world has seen images of aid trucks held up at the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza and so we think the need is entirely material. But, LHI found out that aid workers in Gaza were desperately in need of psychological support to cope with the daily trauma they experience. In this blog post, we share how we've worked with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine to help the helpers in Gaza.
-
1. How Stuff Works: A Tale of Two Community Centers
How do you open community centers for refugees in two different places with two different circumstances? Resourcefulness and adaptability are key!
Why can small aid organizations often do work that larger organizations cannot? And why did the UNHCR, one of the largest global refugee aid organizations, call LHI for help? Read this post to find out!
3. Building Community and Strengthening Bonds
LHI could not get our work done in Ukraine without the local organizations we partner with daily. We've strengthened that work by establishing a series of regular capacity building conferences. Ukraine Country Director Ihor Tereshchenko reported back from one of these conferences.
-
1. Meet the G.O.A.T.s of Our Gather for Goats Program
Learn how one family found creative ways to raise money to donate goats to Syrian refugees through our Gather for Goats program. As a bonus, get their tips on how to run a successful fundraiser.
2. Volunteer Spotlight: Liam and Esther!
Liam and Esther were visiting volunteers at the LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece. They shared their experience there with us.
3. Meet G!
G is a refugee from Sierra Leone. G also volunteers his time at the LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece to mend clothing for other community center members!
4. Refugee Resettlement: Creating Welcoming Homes
Setting up apartments for refugees resettled in Utah takes an army of volunteers and a warehouse full of donated goods!
How can YOU help us do humanitarian work?
STRATEGY 1: DONATE!
We know you are probably thinking we are talking about money, and its not that we are NOT talking about money, but money is not the only thing you can donate.
You can donate hygiene, school, women’s or baby kits and deliver or send them to the LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse in American Fork, Utah. We include these kits in international and border aid shipments.
If you are near American Fork, Utah, you can also donate items to our Welcome Program. Our Welcome Program stocks apartments with essential items for refugees resettling in Utah. Not near American Fork? We also appreciate gift cards to places like Walmart and Amazon so that we can purchase items for apartments.
There’s no better way to say it than to just say it: one of the most important donations we receive is money. Monetary donations are how we purchase livestock for refugees in Jordan and Uganda, how we keep the LHI Refugee Community Center in Serres, Greece up and running, and how we provide social emotional support for refugees across our programs.
When an emergency like an earthquake, a flood, or a war creates an immediate and critical need for humanitarian aid somewhere in the world, we are able to respond quickly when we have cash on hand.
While any amount helps, setting up a monthly donation through our LHI2G program helps us plan and breathe easy that all of our programs will be fully funded each year.
Almost all of the money donated to LHI goes directly to programs that aid refugees. Less than one penny per dollar goes to overhead, so you can rest assured that your contributions have a big impact.
Refugees around the world need basic hygiene items like toothpaste and soap. You can help us get these items to them by making and donating kits!
The LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse has an entire section stocked with the items needed to meet the requirements the federal resettlement program sets for what needs to be in apartments for resettled refugees. If these items are not donated, the case worker must purchase them out of the small stipend the resettled refugees receive.
Strategy 2: Volunteer!
If you live near the LHI Humanitarian Aid Warehouse in American Fork, UT we welcome volunteers! Our volunteers help us pack and load international aid shipments, organize items for Welcome Program apartment set ups, and set up apartments for resettled refugees ahead of their arrival.
If you are 19 or older, adventurous and have a few months to spare, we are always looking for international volunteers to help with programming at the LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece. You can find out more about volunteering in Serres by reading through the application packet.
These volunteers are loading up supplies for an apartment set up!
The LHI Community Center in Serres, Greece is ready to welcome you!
Strategy 3: Keep Learning!
The LHI Communications team is here to keep you up-to-date on not only our programs, but also news of current refugee and displaced persons crises around the world. To stay up-to-date, you can follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter to get a summary of what we’ve been up to!
Click on the icons above to join us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube!
Strategy 4: Welcome Refugees Into Your Community
You may live in a community that hosts a large number of resettled refugees and want to help out at home. We here at LHI are all for that! We may not have a location near you but we encourage you to:
Find out what agencies and non-profits are working with refugees in your area. Contact the volunteer coordinator and ask how you can help.
Welcome refugees into your community. This might be as simple as offering a smile or helping a neighbor learn about the area.
Advocate for policy that supports refugees in your community. Contact local and state political office holders to support specific legislation or to generally communicate your support for refugees in your community.
Use what you’ve learned in this course to educate others! Share what you’ve learned and encourage others to take this course as well!
