United Muslim Foundation |
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1430 / March 2009
|
LAKE MARY FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATION WELCOMES
REFUGEE FAMILY FROM GAZA
Lake Mary, FL -
Lake Mary
faith-based organization United Muslim Foundation (UMF) is welcoming a refugee
family at Orlando
Regional Airport
tonight. The family was evacuated from their home in Gaza
by the United States during
the last round of attacks on Gaza
by Israeli Forces.
UMF has
been working with the State Dept for the last few months in helping the mother
and her two young children move to the United States. They were living out
of a hotel while waiting in Amman,
Jordan for
almost three months while the US Immigration Dept processed their case.
The
mother is coming to the USA
under Humanitarian Parole and has been issued a work permit. The family is
relieved that their long wait is finally over and that they are moving to
safety and a chance to build a home in Orlando.
UMF will be sponsoring the family and has accepted the gracious offer of the
Budron family in Oakland
to provide housing for several months.
"We are
very excited to finally meet the family," says UMF Executive Director Masuma
Kermalli Virji. "It's been a long and emotional journey for all of us and we
look forward to making the transition as easy as we can for them."
Many
individuals and organizations all over Orlando such as the Arab American
Community Center (AACC) and the Orlando Chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have offered to support UMF in their efforts
to help the family get acclimated.
Interviews
with the family will be accepted by appointment only through UMF. Please
contact Masuma Virji at 407-233-6046 for more information.
|