July Library Series

Resettling Iraqi Refugees in West Michigan:
"I Didn't Know How You Would Receive Me"

July 8th (7pm) Herrick Public Library series meeting

presented by the Lakeshore Women for Peace

The speaker is Elizabeth Smith, the sponsor developer of a refugee settlement program of Bethany Christian Services in Grand Rapids, MI. Ms. Smith also serves as the refugee and immigrations ministries coordinator for the Western Michigan annual conference of the United Methodist Church. She works to train recruit and empower church groups to serve alongside newly arrived refugee families. PARA (Programs Assisting Refugee Acculturation) has resettled over 1,000 refugees in the West Michigan area from Cuba, Sudan, Burma, Bhutan, Liberia, Congo, and now Iraq.

Churches and other groups in the Holland/Zeeland area are invited to send representatives, to learn how they can become involved in supporting the settlement of Iraqi refugees and the special concerns and issues experienced by people coming from the war zone.

June Library Series

The Impact of War on Children and Families
was presented at the Herrick District Library in Holland on June 11, 2008 by Professor Jean McFadden of Grand Valley State University.

Mobilization of troops for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan was correlated with increases in rates of child maltreatment and domestic violence. The impact of deployment and multiple deployments heightened stress on families. Children become traumatized by the war by seeing images on TV, observing parental anxiety, reading newspapers or magazines, and hearing adults or other children talking about the war. It is difficult, if not impossible, to protect children from hearing details about the war. The trauma of military personnel who've seen combat was related to trauma symptoms in children including nightmares, bedwetting, school difficulties, and anxieties about separation.
To date over 4000 US military personnel have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. 700,000 children in the US have at least one parent deployed overseas. Of these children 90,000 to 100,000 have special needs.

The suicide rate of Iraq veterans is twice that of non veterans according to a CBS investigation. Over 100,000 veterans suffer from post traumatic stress syndrom. The impact of military service on women includes difficulties with attachment when separated from their children, loss of custody in some cases, and a greater risk of returning with complicated emotional issues due to rape or sexual abuse by their military colleagues.

While there are 1200 uniformed social workers and other mental health professionals working with military and their families, professional support is not adequet or enough. Support is needed from a concerned community that reaches out to veterans, children and their families. For example, many severely injured veterans are cared for by their elderly parents who exhaust their retirement savings to provide the help needed.