“Since they couldn’t kill me, they killed my fear.”
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“We have big dreams for the future.”
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“Since I was young, sports were always my greatest joy.”
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Earlier this year, RILA’s leadership team discussed what sort of core values each of our staff members and volunteers embody: Compassion, Committment and Collaboration.
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SIJS is a life-changing benefit to the children we serve because their dire circumstances often leave them with few options to remain safely in the United States. My vision is for every single SIJS-eligible child in Northern Virginia to be represented.
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After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the United States evacuated 76,000 people. An additional 9,000 individuals have been evacuated since then, with more than 5,000 people settled in the Virginia area alone. T
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Thank you to RILA, who helped me obtain status in this country and made me able to get my T visa, so now I have a work permit and can help my family.
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There is something holy and powerful about sharing a meal. It’s an equalizer, a place to share stories and dreams–and sometimes, awkward chit chat. But it’s a way that we leave space for more: space for God to do something–in our hearts, in our minds, in our relationships.
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For all those women who are experiencing domestic violence, I ask you with all my heart not to remain silent, to seek help to get out of that domestic violence that you are experiencing.
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The work I performed at RILA was extremely rewarding. I felt like I was part of a mission to end injustice against those fleeing persecution.
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My country Venezuela daily lives a drama of human suffering which has undermined our basic rights to live our lives in dignity.
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Like refugees around the world, Sonia has lost so much–most significantly the ability to live safely and freely in her home country. Rebuilding a life is slow work, but Sonia has hope
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Sara is a Guatemalan woman and mother of three. Even though her heart has been broken a million times over, she perseveres in humility, courage and love.
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After the collapse of Kabul, for the first time, I realized that I was homeless.
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El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have some of the highest homicide rates in the entire world. None of this is a surprise to the lawyers, note-takers, and interpreters – like me – who are meeting with RILA clients desperate to find refuge in the U.S.
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Like many Afghans, after working with Americans and pursuing a Western education, Ali was considered a traitor and an infidel by religious extremists, many of whom are now governing Afghanistan.
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Mariana identifies herself as a “life-long learner, always wanting to learn new things.” She is overflowing with resilience and tenacity. And she is working hard every day as a single mother to love and provide for her daughter, to grow as a medical professional, and to give back to the community that has supported her.
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I appreciate the opportunity to step away from everything else going on in my life and the world to listen to the life experiences of clients – stories that are full of brokenness, pain, and injustice, but are not without hope.
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Eliza says she’s thankful for RILA’s support and especially thankful for her work permit since it gives her “the opportunity to work and provide for [her] daughters and to support them in their school and their goals.”
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Because of Tatiana’s activism, Tatiana’s property was pillaged and her life threatened, especially after she worked to uncover the names of the Chavistas who killed their beloved neighbor in the street as a message to those speaking out against the regime. But she did not stop advocating for democracy in Venezuela.
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