Partner Focus: Serving Refugee Families with ICNA Relief Georgia
We do some of our best work through our community partnerships because they allow us to reach more of the underserved population in Georgia. For the past couple of years, we’ve assisted ICNA Relief’s Refugee Program, which is dedicated to providing caring and compassionate service to victims of adversities and survivors of disasters. These families come to the Georgia with next to nothing, determined to find a better life in America.
ICNA Relief Georgia: A lifeline for refugees
The national organization ICNA Relief provides a variety of services to underserved communities in the United States, including transitional housing, food pantries, health clinics, and refugee support. Safa Delery is a Refugee Coordinator in their Georgia chapter, working closely with families who have fled regions of conflict and disaster. Safa helps them meet their most immediate challenges—finding shelter and safety—as well as longer-term needs such as education and employment. "Being a refugee means starting over in a place where you can’t easily find your way around," Safa shares. "It’s really a sad situation, so our goal is to assess their urgent needs and then help them rebuild their lives.”
Helping a new generation
Like us, Safa has been involved with ICNA Relief Georgia for the past couple of years. A child of Afghan refugee immigrants, she was born on U.S. soil after the Soviet invasion drove her parents and older siblings out of their homeland. She’s never known a life elsewhere, but she remembers what her parents went through to start over. “When Afghans fled again in 2021, I knew I had to help,” she says. “I know their story, and I know their language, so I was able to communicate with and really understand the families.”
Her community efforts eventually caught the attention of the staff at ICNA Relief Georgia, who recognized her networking and organizational skills and offered her a position. Safa jumped in, helping with the basics like food and shelter, but she knew there were more needs.
“My parents had to learn so much: not only how to speak the language, but how to get a job, pay taxes, and even simply understand how to get around,” she recalls. “The system is very challenging, and my parents’ goal became not only to succeed, but to give me and my siblings access to the best education that they could.”
While opportunity and education are still a goal for today’s refugee families, this new generation needs access to technology and digital literacy skills to navigate American life successfully, something ICNA Relief can’t provide alone.
A chance invitation
Many refugee families today lack basic computer skills and access to devices, which limits their ability to learn English, apply for jobs, or access online education. Safa Delery saw this as a pain point for her clients: “Digital literacy is not just about using a computer—it’s about opening doors to opportunity,” she explains. "When refugees come to America, everything starts online.”
When a friend invited Safa to the 2021 Inspiredu gala, she was intrigued by our mission and saw an opportunity to address the digital divide in refugee services. At the event, she took the opportunity to connect with Inspiredu CEO Richard Hicks, and with a firm handshake and a 10 second introduction, Richard saw an opportunity to form a partnership. He immediately took out his business card from his pocket and it was within two weeks, InspirEDU began assisting Safa in her efforts.
“We offered ICNA Relief digital training workshops, providing laptops for her clients and support to teach them the basics,” Hicks explains. “She was then able to serve as a host interpreter—a digital champion between our organizations.”
Digital workshops address the divide
Today, ICNA Relief’s Georgia chapter offers 40 refugee families per month the opportunity to participate in our digital learning workshops, both at their facility and ours. Safa Delery continues to help lead them, a unique aspect of our partnership.
“The workshops are a cornerstone of our refugee services,” Safa explains. “Inspiredu’s tools and training materials teach our clients how to use laptops for essential tasks like finding housing, writing their resumes, and enrolling in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.”
What’s more, the program helps refugees from all stations in life. A former emergency room surgeon from Afghanistan attended an Inspiredu workshop with Safa. Using a laptop from the program, he was able to refine his resume, secure a residency at Emory University, and eventually become an assistant surgeon. "Seeing someone with the right tools thrive makes me genuinely happy," she shares.
A powerful future
That chance introduction at our gala years ago is now a powerful partnership. And it’s just the beginning. Recently, Safa and some of her team attended the ribbon cutting for the Inspiredu Flagship Lift Zone powered by Comcast at our new Volunteer & Training Center, where we are sure to host ICNA Relief clients for years to come. This year when Safa attended the Inspiredu Gala 2024, she was one of the honorees, receiving the Community Partners Award on behalf of ICNA Relief.
Looking ahead, the organization aims to expand current efforts to address the needs of those suffering from disasters or adversities. "Many American middle-class families struggle to afford a laptop, let alone refugees starting with nothing," Safa notes. "This partnership ensures they have the tools to thrive. It’s a phenomenal blessing."
With our support, the Georgia chapter of ICNA Relief can continue to meet the immediate needs of their clients but also empower refugees to navigate a new life in the digital age.