wfn.org | Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Places First Darfuri Refugees

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Places First Darfuri Refugees
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>July 31, 2009  

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Places First Darfuri Refugees
09-174-CD*

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A widow, her six children and one grandchild were
the first refugees from the Darfur region of western Sudan to be welcomed
by a U.S. refugee resettlement agency, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee
Service (LIRS).

The family arrived in Atlanta, where they were received by Lutheran
Services of Georgia, an affiliate of LIRS.  LIRS is a cooperative agency
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-
Missouri Synod, and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

"The crisis in Darfur has left countless victims in its wake --
children orphaned, entire villages destroyed," said Susan Krehbiel, LIRS
vice president for protection and programs, in an LIRS news release.  "We
are honored to be among the first to open our arms to our brothers and
sisters from Darfur as they begin their lives anew."

The widow and her family are the first Darfuri refugees to be
resettled in the United States, the release said.

According to LIRS, refugees from around the world leave their
homelands because of "systemic persecution and prolonged conflict."
There are an estimated 13.6 million refugees and asylum seekers
worldwide, including as many as 2.7 million displaced from the Darfur
region, the release said.

"We stand with Lutherans and other concerned Americans to welcome
this family to its new community, and we look forward to lighting the way
for others fleeing war and persecution," Krehbiel said.

LIRS began work in 1939 to create "welcoming communities for
America's newcomers," the release said.

>---

* Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a
concentration in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.
This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.

Information on Lutheran Immigration and Refugee service is at
http://www.lirs.org on the Web.

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog