By SERIAH SARGENTON
Staff Writer
During a time when the government is trying to limit the number of refugees entering the country, assistance programs in Albany are helping newcomers feel right at home.
As a sanctuary city, Albany resettled 4,475 refugees in 2016, according to data from the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance. One of the resources that’s making the city feel like home is Refugees for Camp.
“If it weren’t for camp, I wouldn’t be able to speak English and know how to live in a first-world country,” said Say Wah Htoo, a counselor in training and refugee from Thailand.
Htoo said coming to the United States allowed him to pursue a good education so he can give his family a better life. He is an Albany High School senior who plans to study electrical engineering when he goes to college in the fall. Htoo remembers his life prior to flying into the United States. He lived in a refugee camp, where his home was made from bamboo and leaves.
Htoo started attending camp when he was in sixth grade after he was approached by the former Refugees for Camp director, Neal Andrews, who passed away in December. Andrews motivated Htoo to attend the camp because he believed that Htoo could learn English and give back to the community. The camp taught lessons in how to be more responsible and learn from his mistakes. At the camp Htoo attended, he had to be a leader for the younger children by helping them adjust and learn how to have fun.
Refugees for Camp is a program aimed to help refugee children have an unforgettable summer experience at different camps in the Northeast for between two and seven weeks. At these camps children participate in swimming, hiking, sports, canoeing and other activities that help improve their communication skills and experience what American childhood truly means.
The program was began in 2009 by Andrew, Laura Amedio and Jolene Roosenberg. At the start of Refugees for Camp, Andrews, Amedio, and Roosenberg each worked with a different group of people. Andrews worked with children, Amedio worked with adults and those with special needs, and Roosenberg worked with new mothers and babies.
The camp began with 30 campers, and now has 80 registered campers from Burma, Saudi Arabia, Congo, Afghanistan, Nepal and Mexico, all of whom attend a variety of different camps including ones at Southwoods, Camp Chateaugay and Camp Chingachgook.
Thai refugee Makyi Myint looks forward to attending one of the participating camps this summer for the first time.
Myint learned about the Refugees for Camp program through her older sister. She hopes to make new friends, learn more English and go swimming.
She came to the United States when she was 7 years old because she needed heart surgery. In Thailand, there weren’t enough medical and financial resources to support her surgery.
Now as a sixth grader at Hackett Middle School, Myint is happy with her new life in the U.S. because she lives in a big house with good food and has friends who look after her.
“Many kids have attended who were unsure about what to expect. Many were quiet, shy, and spoke little English. They blossomed into confident English-speaking children over the course of the summer…95 percent return to the camp every year,” said Laura Amedio, director of the Refugees for Camp.
The camp acts as a stepping stone into the future for many of the children. One former camper used the opportunity to better himself and open up his possibilities.
“In the adult world, I know it’s hard and I know I have people who can help me get through it,” said June Moo, a Bishop Maginn ninth grader and Burma refugee.
In Burma, he said he lived in a village that was free and beautiful without a lot of technology. Moo and his family left Burma when he was young to escape a dictatorship and war.
Moo and his older brother were two of the first campers in the program. He met new people from other places and learned about many activities.
Moo hopes to become a counselor one day so that he can be a guide for the younger children.
Refugees for Camp continues to act as a guide for young children and teens to learn about the world in a positive light with the help of understanding volunteers who want to see them grow up in a world where they are accepted.
“Children need to be self sufficient and curious,” Amedio said. It’s clear that this program is working to bring out those qualities in the people who spend their summers with Refugees for Camp.
