We want to express our gratitude to all our generous donors who have purchased items through Amazon to assist the recent influx of refugees in Washington state. Over the past few years, we have found that utilizing an Amazon wish list streamlines our efforts at SCM, enabling us to effectively support these new refugees and raise awareness within the community about their pressing needs.

In comparison to past refugee family arrivals in the Seattle area where we could physically transport donated items to them, the current situation in Spokane presents logistical challenges. With nearly 20 families arriving in the past several months, primarily in Spokane, the demand for essential items is substantial. Therefore, we have established Amazon wish lists to alleviate the burden on refugees, who receive a modest amount of welcome funds upon their arrival in the country. By reducing their expenditure on incidental items, we hope they can allocate these resources towards critical matters such as acquiring a vehicle for emergencies and addressing other unforeseen expenses during their initial three-month period of support provided by NGOs like IRC, Jewish Family Services, Lutheran Family Services, World Relief, and others.

We understand that financial circumstances have been difficult for many individuals this year. However, we earnestly appeal for your assistance in helping these refugees integrate and become active members of our community. Your support will also contribute to our ongoing efforts in aiding other incoming refugees. In the event that you come across items on the Amazon wish list that are relatively more expensive compared to alternatives available at Target, Walmart, or other retailers, we encourage you to purchase those items and inform us. We will promptly provide you with an address to directly mail the donations to our clients.

We kindly request you to review the Amazon wish lists we have created, featuring the most recent five or so families who have arrived. Due to challenges in determining American clothing sizes and their location in Spokane, it would be more practical to provide gift cards for stores like Target, Walgreens, Fred Meyer, or others, where they can select the necessary items, which can be sent to our office in Seattle. However, items such as kitchen supplies, bathroom essentials, hygiene products, kids’ bedroom necessities, bed sheets, towels, and pillows would be greatly appreciated delivered to their doorsteps.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation for the unwavering support you have demonstrated towards SCM over the past couple of years. This collaborative endeavor has been a remarkable achievement, and we value your continued involvement. If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting a family in Seattle or Spokane, or if you have connections with regular visitors or residents of Spokane who might be willing to assist a family in need, please reach out to us. By offering support such as English language tutoring, accompanying them to the store, or simply being a reliable point of contact during emergencies involving their children, you can significantly enhance their journey towards stability and self-sufficiency. Every contribution at this stage is immensely meaningful and greatly appreciated.

While SCM remains actively engaged in various projects abroad, which have been our primary focus for years, the impact of the pandemic and restricted travel has necessitated our attention to the refugees in Washington state. We sincerely thank you for your continued support.

To see the lists click here.

As 2022 comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who has been a part of SCM Medical Missions’ many achievements this year. We have had so many volunteers help with resettled refugees, here in the Seattle area and across Washington state, and also overseas. People have helped in our clothing banks set up for the incoming Afghan refugees, delivered supplies from Seattle to Spokane, helped families with paperwork and job searches, and even obtaining a vehicle. We have a new representative for our Lebanon work who travels between Seattle and Beirut several times a year to organize distributions, take care of the incoming containers and warehouse, and set up our new clinics.

Thank you!

Resettlement

In October we celebrated some of the first Syrian refugees that arrived here over six years ago, becoming US citizens. It was a great event, and we got to hear from some of them about their experiences when they first arrived and what it has been like to be a refugee and come to a new country. We also had presentations by the director of the state’s refugee office, a member of another NGO working with refugees, and the Deputy Mayor of Bothell, a Muslim-American who immigrated to the US with his family as a child from.

We have helped get newly arrived Syrian families set up in their new apartments in Spokane. The Amazon wish lists we have put together for them have been a big help as it allows items to be shipped directly to the family in Spokane. A larger NGO helps the refugees get an apartment and some furniture, but so many household items are left to the family to get, basic things like bedding, towels, dishes and cooking utensils and pots and pans, cleaning supplies. By setting up the Amazon lists, we help them save whatever money they may have, which is usually very little, for things like future rent after the three months provided by the resettlement agency runs out, or utility bills. You have even helped them with groceries and warm winter coats.

Earlier in 2022 we were collecting clothing, bicycles, laptops, hygiene supplies, and sewing machines for the resettled Afghan refugees in the Seattle/Renton area, and you came through for us with your donations and volunteering at the refugee service center where the local refugees in need come come and pick up the clothing and other items they needed. It was a huge success, serving up to 160 refugees each time it was opened. We had bicycle donations from individuals and groups like Holy Spokes and businesses like Harvey’s Bicycles. Sewing machines were brought in to give to the families, along with sewing supplies and tools.

LGBTQ

We have also been assisting LGBTQ community members and Gender Rights Activists get out of Afghanistan and to safety. In Afghanistan they are now subject to execution, and in some of the most horrific ways. They travel via Pakistan before continuing on to either the US or Canada. We are supporting them while they wait in Pakistan to continue their journey, and then there are sponsors we are working with in Canada who will help them locally. In Canada the refugees will receive help for a year from the government, rather than just three months, but they often still need additional assistance for things other than rent and food. The sponsors also help them with paperwork, familiarizing them with their new city, and in general helping them feel welcome and connected to the community. Most of all, they help them discover their freedom to be who they want to be and love who they want to love.

Lebanon

SCM now has two warehouses in the Middle East. One is in Jordan that we have had for many years, and the other one is in Lebanon that was just opened this year. We had shipped several containers to Lebanon during the pandemic, and due to a number of reasons, they were held up in customs for over a year. The shipping costs also rose during the pandemic. A 40-foot container once cost $2500 to send to Lebanon but the price has gone over $7000. We thank you for the continued support as we absorbed these increased costs to sending aid to the people of Lebanon.

One way we have been able to continue to get aid to Lebanon has been to send suitcases filled with needed items such as medications, solar lanterns, and other small items with people traveling to the region. The suitcases are then handed off to our local coordinators who get them to the warehouse and also see to their distribution. Cash donations are also sent to purchase food and medicines locally and distribute to the people in need.

Another impact of the pandemic was not being able to conduct medical missions to Jordan or other areas where we had previously been working. Now that travel is much less restricted, we will be organizing a mission to Lebanon in early 2023 and opening a new women and children’s clinic there alongside our new dental clinic. We have rented a 2500 square-foot space and it will be furnished with a dental suite donated by a dentist here in Seattle along with other medical supplies and equipment sent in our containers from Seattle. Without these donations we would not be able to make this work.

Plans for 2023

In 2023 we will continue to help the resettled refugees in Washington. As they arrive, SCM is notified that there is a new family and we will continue to create Amazon lists and provide other assistance to take up any shortfall they may be facing.

SCM is putting a renewed focus on the LGBTQ refugees and Gender Rights Activists, helping them get to safety. We are working with a group of sponsors that are helping the Afghan LGBTQ refugees make their was through Pakistan and other neighboring countries to get to Canada or the US. We will continue to help with expenses for daily living as well as the costs of visas and other paperwork.

One of our biggest projects for 2023 will be to maintain the clinics in Lebanon. After the explosion at the Port of Beirut and the economic collapse in the country, so many people are still unable to access primary medical and dental care. Our clinic will be for those in need and we will try to help as many people as we can. Be sure to watch for the medical mission announcements and please donate to help the people of Lebanon with our new clinics.

To keep the medical and dental clinics staffed and operating we estimate the cost will be about $5000 per month. Once they are open, we will have regular medical and dental missions there where volunteer doctors, dentists, and nurses can come and help out for a week or so. We need to continue to raise funds for the clinic to ensure that the people in need there will have access and can get general care.

All of us at SCM in Seattle, Jordan, and Lebanon wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season and prosperous new year and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support!

Two new Syrian families have just been resettled in Spokane, WA and need our help to get the essentials for their new homes. We have started Amazon Wish Lists for each of them.

The Al Hussin family has 4 children between the ages of 1 year and 10 years old, with 2 boys and 4 girls. The Al Zoubi family also has for children, but they are older: a 22, 21 19, and 15 year old daughters and a 17 and 9 year old sons. They have traveled a long way and have been waiting a long time to get to a place they can call home. We have included kitchen, bathroom, cleaning basics as well as bedding and a few toys/fun thigs for the kids. If you don’t see an item on the list it has likely already been purchased for them, but if you think of something that should be on the list, let me know and I will add it. Any items ordered from the lists will automatically be shipped to the respective family.

Al Zoubi Family wish list

Al Hussin Family wish list

Thank you for your support!