ARDC

I had my first full day of work at the ARDC yesterday. The ARDC is the African Refugee Development Center. It is an organization that works to help refugees and asylum seekers get settled in Israel. They provide English classes, help refugees find the resources they need, provide humanitarian assistance where possible, and assist with visas and status in Israel. This last function is what I am going to be working on. The team is called the Asylum Application Assistance team (AAA). People coming to Israel seeking asylum must register for asylum status. They also must obtain some kind of visa, which could be a temporary work visa, or a temporary residence visa, which are just two examples. The laws in Israel regarding asylum seekers are very complicated, confusing, and sparse. Refugees coming from Sudan and Eritrea get group protection because of where they are from. This means they won’t get deported because of the situation in those countries. However, they have to prove they are from Sudan or Eritrea. This is where I come in. I am working for the Identity Team, a part of the AAA team. I will be interviewing refugees and doing research to prove they are who they say they are and do in fact, come from Sudan or Eritrea. Many people fleeing Sudan or Eritrea, or other African countries, do not have identity papers with them.

I have been studying the conflicts that these people are fleeing for the past four years. So now I’m really excited to actually meet people from the places I have been studying and help them in a more direct way. I know a lot about the conflicts going on in many African countries that create refugees, but not a lot about what happens to these people when they leave their countries. This is going to be an amazing opportunity to learn more and do some important work. 

http://www.ardc-israel.org/en/#take_action

http://www.britolam.org/Index.asp?CategoryID=357

http://www.tikunolamisrael.org/