For JFCS, Hirwa will make sure the families are welcomed and work to become a part of the munity. The agency will help with housing, education, transportation, medical services, employment, cultural and community services. Those who have challenging needs, such as the elderly, single parents with children or those who have experienced extreme trauma will have access to intensive case management for one year. JFCS also wants to work in partnership with the Global Jewish Organization for Refugees in providing services.
It is difficult for refugees to enter a foreign world and start a new, trying to fit in and learn English, get a job and learn the customs and every day life in America, said Hirwa. He was age 25 when he and his mother and five siblings left Kenya after their case was approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The family was interviewed by US government officials and went through background checks, applying for refugee status because of the Rwanda genocide that slaughtered hundreds of thousands.
Hirwa said he was 6 years old when he witnessed the bloody bodies in his neighborhood left by military militia. His family fled to the Republic of Congo in 1994, and then returned to Kigali months later when the situation was better. However, their stay was short because Hirwa said his family was threatened by government officials alleging they had ties to the Hutu government. This led them to flee to Nairobi, Kenya, where they carved out a life with much hardship because as refugees they were not allowed to have work permits. They labored in what they could find. He ran errands for people and his mother worked on her own as a hairdresser.
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