RISE AMERICORPS
  • Home
  • About RISE
    • Our Mission
    • Our Impact
    • Our AmeriCorps Members >
      • '21-'22 Members
    • Our Host Sites
    • Our Leadership
  • Resources
    • Timesheets
    • For Members >
      • Member Benefits >
        • Health Resources
        • Education Award
        • Living Allowance
        • Loan Forbearance
      • Enrollment and Exit
    • Training Opportunities
    • For Supervisors
    • Reporting
  • Stories
    • Blog
    • In the News
    • Stories App
  • Apply!
    • Become a Member >
      • Why Join RISE?
    • Become a Mentor
    • Become a Host Site
  • Contact RISE

RISE AmeriCorps Members with EMBARC Help the Karenni Community Gain Citizenship

3/14/2022

 
Since January, two RISE AmeriCorps Members have been essential in helping a group of refugees from Burma on their way to U.S. citizenship. Thu Meh and Pray Meh, who serve with EMBARC, host a weekly class to help fellow members of the Karenni community excel on their interviews and tests.

Thu Meh said the citizenship class is extremely important for her community, because passing the interview and civics test are required in order to be awarded citizenship. Citizenship has many advantages for immigrants and refugees living in the U.S., including easier access to public benefits, the freedom to travel abroad, the ability to vote, family reunification for their loved ones in other countries, and more. 
Picture
Karenni community members meet to prepare for the U.S. citizenship test and interview, with help from RISE AmeriCorps Members Pray Meh and Thu Meh.

Read More

RISE Bridges Service Gap for Refugees Impacted Severely & Disproportionately by COVID-19 Pandemic

4/2/2021

 
Story by Julia DiGiacomo

Over a decade after fleeing unrest in Burma for the United States, Aung* was struggling to keep his family afloat as the financial tolls of the COVID-19 pandemic grew heavier and heavier. To avoid drowning in bills, he connected with EMBARC for help. 

Aung represents one of many refugees and immigrants across the U.S. burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic.  While unemployment rates spiked in 2020, immigrants (especially those with less education) faced sharper job cuts than non-immigrants. Meatpacking plants, which heavily rely on immigrant workers, also became a hot spot for COVID-19 in spring 2020. Aung’s workplace wasn’t spared. 

An outbreak at the JBS pork plant in Marshalltown caused Aung to stay home for his child’s safety. One of his young children developed pneumonia at the same time and was considered high risk. While the child recovered and the virus spread at his job, Aung received unemployment aid instead. 

After returning to work at JBS, Aung was hit with devastating news. He was one of hundreds of Iowans who was mistakenly overpaid in unemployment assistance. He would have to pay back a large amount to the Iowa Workforce Development. 

Aung’s wife, Lwe Lwe*, tested positive for coronavirus in October and he was forced to quarantine at home. Subsequently, Aung was laid off from his job for taking two breaks in one year. Since Lwe Lwe cared full-time for their two young children, aged four and six, the family was left with zero income. 

Lal Muani, an EMBARC RISE AmeriCorps member, says Aung reached out to EMBARC while struggling to manage a mortgage and paying back unemployment benefits and a surgery bill from 2019. Aung and his wife, who speak Mizo Chin, had struggled to understand the extent of the dental surgery bill for their son due to the language barrier.

“I can’t imagine how frustrated and stressed they were,” Muani said. “They didn’t have food stamps or any social income at all. They’re going to think of losing the house. ”

Muani, who also speaks Mizo Chin, worked extensively with Aung to complete a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) application. She also helped him overcome English language and technology barriers while submitting job applications. 

With Muani and EMBARC’s help, the odds finally began to turn in Aung’s favor. After about a month of waiting, Aung was approved for PUA. The funds allowed him to pay back all of the unemployment aid and take care of other bills, such as the dental payment.  He was eventually hired at a well-paying company and returned to work to provide for his family. 

“I am really proud of my team and I, that we could step in and help him figure out every situation,” Muani said. “Now he’s back to work and his payments have been settled. I think it’s really a win-win story.”

*Names changed
    View my profile on LinkedIn


    ​About the Blog

    RISE AmeriCorps Members uplift and empower Iowa's refugee and immigrant communities. This blog was created with the intent of sharing these valuable success stories with the public.

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020

    Host Sites

    All
    ArtForce Iowa
    Catherine McAuley Center
    Centro Latino
    Columbus Junction
    Community Youth Concepts
    DREAM Iowa
    EMBARC Des Moines
    EMBARC Waterloo
    Hoover Community School
    IC Compassion
    Jewels Academy
    Kirkwood
    La Luz Centro Cultural
    Latino Community
    Mary Treglia
    Mentorship Program
    Oakridge Neighborhood
    Spanish Helpline
    Tapestry Farms
    YPN

    RSS Feed

Picture
EMBARC | RISE AmeriCorps Program

4801 Franklin Ave.
Suite 1159
Des Moines, IA 50310


515-512-1881
  • Home
  • About RISE
    • Our Mission
    • Our Impact
    • Our AmeriCorps Members >
      • '21-'22 Members
    • Our Host Sites
    • Our Leadership
  • Resources
    • Timesheets
    • For Members >
      • Member Benefits >
        • Health Resources
        • Education Award
        • Living Allowance
        • Loan Forbearance
      • Enrollment and Exit
    • Training Opportunities
    • For Supervisors
    • Reporting
  • Stories
    • Blog
    • In the News
    • Stories App
  • Apply!
    • Become a Member >
      • Why Join RISE?
    • Become a Mentor
    • Become a Host Site
  • Contact RISE