This week, I also read an article called, "Refugees can be an economic engine for small communities" by Stateline.org and Newsela. It is about how some small towns across the country, but more specifically Rutland, Vermont, have been relocating refugees from all over Africa and the Middle East to try to boost their decreasing population and economic issues. In the article, it says, "The mayor, however, sees a solution. He has asked Vermont’s resettlement agency to send refugees to Rutland. He adds that they would help fill vacant housing and entry-level jobs and keep the economy moving. Many small towns across the country are doing the same thing in order to deal with shrinking and aging populations." this means that the population is going down, so they are taking in refugees in order to help it. The connection that I made to Of Beetles and Angels is with the World Relief Organization. In the book, the World Relief Organization, is the organization that helps Mawi and his family relocate to America. They helped with finding sponsors, housing, education, etc. In the book, it says, "My parents could'nt just snap their fingers and conjure up a transatlantic jetliner. They needed help, so they contacted World Relief, a U.S.-based Christian organization that located refugees and helped them resettle in the United States." In the article, the refugees were being helped by three different organizations. The first one is called The Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. In the article, it says, "After considering other cities in the state, the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, the local section of the USCRI, recommended that 100 Syrian refugees be sent to Rutland." I think that the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program is like the World Relief Organization because they are both organizations that help to find refugees and relocate them into America.Another connection from the book and the article, is another organization that helped with relocation. It is called the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). In the article, it says, "U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), a network of groups that help resettle refugees around the country." This relates to the World Relief Organization because they, again, both help to find and relocate refugees into the U.S.
How does war effect individuals and societies?
War can greatly effect individuals and societies. For example, during wars, many people are forced from their homes or villages into refugee camps. This is what happened in Of Beetles and Angels, with Mawi's family, and it is currently happening with the Syrian Refugees. In the book, it says, "I may or may not remember seeing my mother look at our house in Adi Wahla, Ethiopia, just before we left... I remember playing soccer with rocks, and a strange man telling me and my brother Tewolde that we had to go on a trip, and Tweolde refusing to go. The man took out a piece of gum and Tewolde happily traded it for his homeland." Mawi and his family were forced out of the house that they loved, they were forced to go to a Sudanese refugee camp, because of the 30 year war (1961-1991) that took place between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Refugees from Syria, have also been forced out of their homes and into refugee camps. But, it is just one of the ways that war can effect societies and individuals.
