American Refugee Committee
With all that’s been in the news lately surrounding immigration and refugees, we at Hummingbird House thought it pertinent to share an organization making a difference by serving those who are displaced. On the American Refugee Committee (ARC) website, they say, “Refugees share with us what they need, and we work together to create programs that make the most sense for that particular community.”
ARC, around for over 35 years, provides assistance to refugee communities. Started in 1979 by Neal Ball in the wake of atrocities occurring in Southeast Asia, the committee began by opening refugee camps in Thailand offering medical and public health services. Since then, the ARC has grown to support worldwide projects in areas such as agriculture, gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS treatment, small business and vocational training, and sanitation services. Currently, the ARC is working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jordan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, and Uganda.
Historically, the ARC has been active in Pakistan since the 1980s. Pakistan has been an epicenter for civil unrest for decades. Many Pakistani citizens fled their homes after the Soviet invasion and the oppression of the Taliban. In addition to invasions, Pakistanis living in northern Pakistan were subject to a massive earthquake in October of 2005 and monsoon flooding in July 2010. Because of these disasters, millions of people from this area have only known life in camps for years. In response, the ARC traveled to the Middle East to provide primary health care to tens of thousands of displaced individuals. In addition to providing clean water, food, and shelter, members of the ARC work to dig wells and latrines, provide mobile health clinics, educate about AIDS/HIV, and even organize youth clubs and activities to prevent frustration in the camps.
Another notable accomplishment of the ARC in recent years has been attempting to understand the effect they’ve been having in measurable ways. On their “Breakthroughs” page on their website, they state that they are working on case studies to gain a “deeper understanding of co-creating with new people and experimenting with new solutions.”
The ultimate vision of the ARC is to ensure that “every person who participates in an ARC program or project will have a better chance to take control of their life and achieve self sufficiency.” As a charity that rates highly (96.46 out of 100) on Charity Navigator, the committee is trustworthy, legitimate, and worthy of attention and donations. (The ARC has also received high ratings from Reader’s Digest, Money Magazine, GiveSpot.com, and Charitywatch.org.) If providing assistance to refugees is on your heart, consider donating to the ARC by giving at http://arcrelief.org/ways-of-giving/.