Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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The sign is appropriate because Kadel works actively to get people to their destinations. The Idaho native became affiliate director of the High Point Office for World Relief. World Relief is the humanitarian assistance arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. The organization works, in this country and abroad, helping refugees and sending them to safer environments.
“We are bringing in refugees from all over the world,” Kadel said. “Recently, we’ve been getting a lot of refugees from Burma and Iraq.”
Last year, the High Point office of World Relief took in 315 refugees, who were placed in homes in this area. This year, the nearby office expects to receive about 370 refugees. Eight Burmese refugees are expected to arrive later this month. For the past 15 years are so, they have been living in a makeshift refugee camp in Thailand.
The High Point office of World Relief was founded in 1986 by Wayne Wingfield, who retired last year and was succeeded by Kadel. It is one of 22 World Relief offices in the United States. According to Kadel, World Relief is one of 10 agencies in this country that works to resettle refugees. Our country accepts about 50,000 refugees a year. It’s important to note that while all refugees who move to this country from abroad are immigrants, not all immigrants are refugees.
“If the American public was more educated about the refugee process, the people would be more knowledgeable about it and not jump to conclusions,” Kadel said. “These people are here legally, and they have to show that they’re going to contribute to society. They must prove in advance that they are employable and want to become self sufficient.”
A couple of refugees placed by the World Relief High Point office are currently employed at Unilyn Flooring. Some with appropriate skills are in professional positions, such as engineering. Others work in car washes and other places which use lesser-skilled labor.
“Our greatest need right now is employment for these refugees,” Kadel said. “Refugees tend to be hard-working and motivated. They attend job readiness schools, so if anyone has any interest out there to employ refugees, we would like to hear from them.”
Kadel realizes the High Point-Thomasville area has been finding challenges in keeping its existing residents employed in lieu of the loss of manufacturing jobs, but he said, “The amount of refugees that we bring to North Carolina is less that 1 percent of the employable workforce.”
Kadel said that the best solution for a refugee situation is best worked out when the refugees can return to their homeland without fear of persecution. The second best scenario would be for the country to which they flee to accept them. A third country is a last resort. When World Relief sends refugees to the United States, the Baltimore office checks other offices for a proper fit for these refugees. When Kadel’s office is contacted by the Baltimore headquarters he checks to see if there are residential and employment opportunities for these immigrants before giving the go-ahead to send them to the area.
The High Point office is also looking for churches in the area to get involved with this humanitarian effort. Those who wish to help are encouraged to call Tasha Lee, the office’s volunteer coordinator at 887-9007.
“These refugees are on public assistance for a very short time before becoming self sufficient,” Kadel said. “The resettlement program expects them to have jobs within 120 days.”
Staff Writer Kevin Reid can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 230, or at reid@tvilletimes.com.