Refugees

About 250 community members gathered in Chesterfield on Sunday to celebrate the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Arrey Obenson, former CEO and president of the International Institute of St. Louis, resigned because of misaligned visions and goals. He said the institute’s position as a service provider for immigrants and refugees should be widened.

Arrey Obenson no longer leads the International Institute of St. Louis. The institute’s board of directors is searching for a new leader.

New refugee families are headed to St. Louis over the next few weeks. A local immigrant and refugee nonprofit is working with a national resettlement agency to help families get immediate housing, employment and other resources.

The Naichuk family was forced to flee after Russia attacked their hometown. Now, Olha and Mikhailo juggle multiple jobs in the St. Louis region while raising their three kids and dreaming of their native Ukraine.

The International Institute of St. Louis desperately needs the community to provide monetary donations to bridge the funding gap in resettling new arrivals. Officials say that because of rising costs, federal funding isn’t enough.

SEED St. Louis is helping immigrants and refugees plant and grow fruits and vegetables from their homeland on an urban farm. Immigrant farmers say the farm helps them feel connected to the land they left.

“You cannot move forward if everybody else does not have the opportunity to move forward. That was a major philosophical shift to address racial and spatial inequities that have held this region back for far too long,” said one leader.

Little Amal, a gigantic puppet, is coming to the St. Louis Gateway Arch on Sunday as part of a tour to spark conversations about refugees and the challenges they face.

Refugee and immigrant community advocates say more, and more accurate, resources and data are vital to overcoming the stigma and rising death toll from the opioid crisis.