Annual picnic brings refugee families together

Intermountain Catholic

Photo 1 of 2

The rain stopped in time for the refugee children to play outside games such as ring toss and throwing water balloons.

SALT LAKE CITY — The long-awaited rain did not stop the Parish Refugee Resettlement Ministry from holding its third annual Summer Picnic at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church July 14.

The Parish Refugee Resettlement Ministry (PRRM) program is run by Catholic Community Services.

The picnic was held for all the active refugee families in the PRRM program as well as those refugee families who have become independent. Twelve different ethnic groups attended the picnic.

The PRRM ministry is made up of nine parish ministries from throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City: Blessed Sacrament, Saint Ambrose, Saint Thomas More, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Catherine of Siena Newman Center, Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and Saint John the Baptist. The parishes support the refugee families once they arrive in Utah from various refugee camps.

Nancy Sliwinski and Greg Werking are the PRRM coordinators. Sliwinski is a member of St. Ambrose Parish and Werking is a member of St. Thomas More Parish.

"We hold monthly meetings for parish coordinators to discuss issues and ways we can help the refugee families," said Sliwinski. "The most prevalent issue is teaching the families to speak English so we can communicate with them to teach them basic skills. We use a lot of pantomime, pictures and one- or two-word sentences. Some of the refugees arrive not knowing any English at all. The children learn English a little more quickly once they start school, but the adults need additional help."

PRRM gets its members back to acts of charity, said Sliwinski. "Charity helps the families, but it also helps us grow in that we are giving to other people, learning new cultures and new mentalities because each family is different."

PRRM is always in need of volunteers, Sliwinski said. "We ask people for a two-hour commitment each week, and if that isn’t possible, a two-hour commitment every two weeks will work."

The volunteers teach the families to become independent by showing them how to grocery shop, use public transportation, and participate in other activities.

Ubah Abdi, a refugee from Somalia who spent two years in a refugee camp in Egypt, was among those at the picnic. She has four children ages 3, 5, 10 and 14.

"I take English classes at Granite School and I am also helping another family learn English," said Abdi. "It’s very different here, but the people have been friendly and helpful and I am very happy in Utah."

Edna Yumul, a PRRM volunteer from Blessed Sacrament Parish, took Abdi to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get her Utah identification, and taught the Abdi family how to use public transportation.

"They go to the library, which gives them access to the Internet so they can talk to their friends in the refugee camp," said Yumul. "I took them sightseeing, and to the market for halal meat. (Halal foods are those that are allowed under Islamic law.) It’s a good experience for me, too. I really enjoyed showing them how to budget their money and do comparison shopping."

The Biswa family from Nepal also attended the picnic. They spent 20 years in a refugee camp in Bhutan, where they lived on food rations in a hut with dirt floors and no running water. They arrived in Utah in November 2011.

"Life is good here in Utah," said Bishnu Biswa. "I am working part time at Deseret Industries doing inventory and learning English in English as a Second Language classes."

"I am mowing lawns," said her husband, Kumal Biswa. "I will have to find another job for the winter."