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I hope you are having a great start to 2012. The new year promises to bring many changes at ORAM and I want to share these with you. These changes will help us raise the visibility of LGBTI refugees around the world and increase support for this most vulnerable population.

 

I look forward to continue partnering with you in 2012 as we improve the lives of refugees who have fled persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

 

With best wishes in the new year,

 

Neil Grungras, Esq.

Founder and Executive Director, ORAM

Dr. Max Niedzwiecki

ORAM is excited to announce that veteran refugee & LGBTI advocate Max Niedzwiecki, Ph.D., has joined our team as a Senior Researcher & Community Liaison. Max is overseeing major research initiatives at ORAM and also coordinating our collaborative efforts with other refugee NGOs, and with faith-based and LGBTI communities and organizations. He is also liaising with the NGO community to assure the inclusion of LGBTI refugees in the international protection regime.

Max has worked tirelessly on behalf of refugees for over two decades. Among several prominent positions, he was Vice Chair of the Board at Refugee Council USA, the leading and influential umbrella group of refugee NGOs in the U.S. More recently, he was executive director of Integrity USA, which works for the full inclusion of LGBT people in the Episcopal Church, and he has authored several policy-level publications and has served as a Referee for the Oxford Journal of Refugee Studies. Max holds a B.A. in clinical psychology and Asian studies from Tufts University, and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Boston University. He is an ideal advocate for LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers.

Max's appointment is part of a broader restructuring at ORAM. Effective January 2012, we have closed our Washington office and changed to a circuit ride model. This change allows us to increase ORAM's presence at key events and meetings in Washington on an as-needed basis, while also maintaining a strong presence both within and outside the U.S. The change also enhances our capacity to achieve our intended advocacy impact, while assuring effective intra-organizational management and integration.

We learned a great deal through our advocacy office in Washington over the last year and are proud of our accomplishments there. We will continue to build on the relationships in the U.S. capital as well as expand our global advocacy focus.

Concurrently with Max's arrival, ORAM is looking for a full-time Director of Legal Services, Research & Advocacy and a Director of Funds Development at our San Francisco office. More details on this and other exciting openings at ORAM can be viewed here. Please share this posting with your networks!

Starting in 2012, we are restructuring our Protect-a-Refugee program, which has involved direct support of individual ORAM refugees abroad by our donors. The Protect-a-Refugee program will continue to function and grow, with contributions going directly to support legal and protection work on behalf of all our clients.

 

In 2011, 100 percent of clients we represented in Turkey had their requests for asylum granted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Many are already well on their way to resettlement in safe third countries. The new program will allow ORAM to apply donor resources where they are most effective: Helping clients reach safety more quickly.

 

Along with our direct legal representation, we will continue to expand our work referring refugees for resettlement in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Thank you to all of you who have made Protect-a-Refugee such a success. We look forward to working with you in continued partnership in this program as with all others.

 

We are excited to be presenting the findings of our San Francisco-based resettlement pilot project for LGBTI refugees at the upcoming National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change conference in Baltimore from January 25-29.

Our workshop will be held on Friday, January 27, from 4:45-6:15 p.m. Register online to join us at Creating Change.

ORAM is looking seeking a full-time Director of Development as well as interns to assist in our mission of protecting LGBTI refugees around the world. Click on the links below for more information:

• Director of Development Job Opportunity 
• Director of Legal Services, Research & Advocacy Job Opportunity 
• Legal Internship 
• Communications Internship 
• Translation & Research Internship. We are especially looking for volunteers and interns who speak Arabic, Farsi, and Spanish.

Read about our Fall interns and share links to our jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities with your networks!