ISKASHITAA REFUGEE NETWORK Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement!

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FRUIT OF THE MONTH:  

Information assembled by Isabel Rodriguez, Iskashitaa Nutrition Intern

Common name: Pomegranate

Scientific name: Punica granatum L.

Origins: The pomegranate first grew in Iran (previously known as Persia) and the Himalayas, then traveled to India and Southeast Asia where it was cultivated and harvested. The pomegranate was then imported by Spanish settlers to California in the late 1700's.

Cultural Importance: Some cultures, including Buddhist and Jewish, refer to the pomegranate as a sort of apple. The significance of the fruit was beyond that of a food - it was a symbol. A pomegranate would symbolize strength, marriage, or eternal life in some cultures. Pomegranates were considered a blessed fruit by the Buddha, and in India they consider the fruit as a symbol of good wealth.

Food Uses: People began using the pomegranate as a source of food, but there are other uses as well. In Ancient Egypt, they used the juice from the fruit to make medicine that would kill bacteria, and used the crushed blossom as red dye. Now, the pomegranate is easily accessible to anyone and many people are consuming the seeds raw or in juice or syrup form. Other uses include using the fruit in natural remedies to cure ailments such as diarrhea or mouth ulcers.  

Health Benefits/Warnings

Pomegranates are a good source of fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help support the immune system. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and help to prevent heart disease. Some warnings could include not to consume pomegranates if you are allergic or to limit consumption as too much of the fruit could cause extremely low blood pressure (if already taking high blood pressure medication).

Spread the Word, Share the Surplus

By Michaele Pepe

David recently had a surplus problem. He was troubled about all the limes that would go to waste if he didn’t find help to harvest them. “We’ve had this lime tree for 20 years and this was the first time it has produced fruit, and we didn’t know what to do with all of it.” He was relieved to learn from a friend of a friend about Iskashitaa, and how it helps homeowners like him who also have the fortunate problem of overabundance. David then simply called Iskashitaa and scheduled a harvest, transforming his surplus into a gift.

Word of mouth is a powerful tool for a non-profit like Iskashitaa. The organization has used other forms of getting the word out about reducing food waste and giving support to newly arrived refugees as well, like being featured on the local public broadcasting station, KUAZ earlier this year.

Because of word of mouth, twenty-six pounds of limes were saved and David and his wife were spared the trouble of picking them. “At our age, we can’t get around to pick all of our citrus fruit anymore.” He went on to say how he would welcome Iskashitaa volunteers back in the winter when his oranges were ripe. David won’t be the only one, though. Often during the winter months, Iskashitaa has such an abundance of citrus gleaning opportunities, that they don’t have enough volunteers to keep up.

Iskashitaa relies on having adequate volunteers, refugee and non-refugee alike, to redistribute the remarkable resource of local produce to refugees or other underserved populations. Two of these regular volunteers are Amelia and Emily, who are designated harvest leaders. Harvest leaders help organize and manage weekly harvest trips for volunteers to private residences or organizations such as the University of Arizona.

Jasoda, another frequent harvest volunteer, is a former refugee from Bhutan. She and other refugees further work with Iskashitaa staff in post-harvest activities to learn important job skills, while at the same time becoming more involved in the Tucson community. For instance, the gift of limes from David’s house could go on to be featured in workshops, where Jasoda learns, or even teaches, food preparation and preservation. The products of these workshops could then go on to be sold at a farmer’s market.

Do you know anyone who cultivates a surplus of fruits or vegetables? Or anyone who wonders how they can assist the global refugee situation at a local level?  Tell them about Iskashitaa. With your help to spread the word, Iskashitaa and the Tucson community can welcome refugees through something that unites us all: food. 

Buthania and her husband are refugees form Iraq. They have 4 kids and Buthania is expecting her 5th in about 2 weeks. She is looking for a car seat and a stroller. Can anybody help? If you are able to help, please email to tucsonrefugees@gmail.com with the subject line: BUTHANIA. Thank you!

Nearly 59,5 million people around the world are uprooted from their homes and communities by persecution and armed conflict. These refugees’ loss is incalculable: they may lose their home, livelihood, safety, belongings, or family. Currently, less than one percent of these refugees are resettled to a permanent home. Upon arrival, the success of these lucky families depend on the welcome they receive from their new community.  Today’s refugees are often met with indifference, bureaucratic obstacles, and suspicion. Refugees have traveled great distances under terrible circumstances and deserve to be treated with compassion.  They come seeking those same rights our forebears sought: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Iskashitaa hopes to make this vision of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness a reality for Tucson’s refugees.  Please take the time to learn more about Iskashitaa. 

.https://vimeo.com/157371187 

"Lisa,

Thank you so much for this wonderful experience working for Iskashitaa. I have learned so much during my time here this semester and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to work for such an amazing organization. I have really enjoyed getting to know you and the rest of the Iskashitaa staff. You are all such kind and inspiring people, and I have genuinely enjoyed my time here. I think it is great what you all do to help the local refugees and eliminate food waste and I believe the organization is helping the community in so many ways. If you all ever need extra hands after January, I would be so happy to come back.

Once again, Thank you for this amazing opportunity."

Rachel Park

"Dear Barbara and William,

... You are both some of the one of the warmest, most generous people I have ever known. I don't even know hot to begin to thank you for all that you have done for me over the course of the past year and a half. From the moment I arrived in Tucson, you opened your arms, your home and your hearts to me I was in a new place and knew no one but I never felt lost or alone. You became my family, my Tucson parents. I want you to know how much you both mean to e and how grateful I am for everything you have done for me. There is so much I admire about each of you- you have had a huge impact of my life and have left an imprint on my heart :)

Thank you!

Lots of Iskashitaa love,

Chloe"

NO FREEDOM IN SUDAN, NO FREEDOM IN CHAD

 No freedom in Sudan, No Freedom in Chad written by Leishara Ward tells the story of Adam and Dar es Salam Abubakar, Mahamoud and Khadija Isaak, Yaya Daoud and Fatima Ibrahim.  http://ow.ly/10Abw4

Iskashitaa is participating in the Arizona Gives Day ,a state-wide fundraiser for Arizona non-profits. Please help us get the word out! We are eligible for up to $15,000 in prizes for the most dollars raised by a small non-profit. 

https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa/Donate

ANY donation amount will help! We survive with your donations! Help us help refugees and prevent food waste in Tucson. 
It is today and April 5th we need your support the most! Please share, invite your friends, and donate! 
Kuntz Foundation gave us matching funds for $1000 as well so your dollars will be doubled thanks to Kuntz Foundation! 
If you donate to us or to any non profit today, then you are invited to The Rialto Theatre/Tucson, Arizona on April 5th to a big party where you will see the Run Boy Run. The party is for donors and non-profits who participated in AZ GIVES DAY campaign. It will start at 5PM. KXCI will also give-away tickets to see Adele at her sold-out concert in August.

Count Down: 3 DAYS LEFT TO REACH OUR GOAL IN AZ GIVES DAY CAMPAIGN. 
I always found the name false which they gave us: Emigrants.
That means those who leave their country. But we
Did not leave, of our own free will
Choosing another land. Nor did we enter
Into a land, to stay there, if possible for ever.
Merely, we fled. We are driven out, banned.
Not a home, but an exile, shall the land be that took us in.
Restlessly we wait thus, as near as we can to the frontier
Awaiting the day of return, every smallest alteration
Observing beyond the boundary, zealously asking
Every arrival, forgetting nothing and giving up nothing
And also not forgiving anything which happened, forgiving nothing
Ah, the silence of the Sound does not deceive us! We hear the shrieks
From their camp even here. Yes we ourselves
Are almost like the rumors of crimes, which escaped over the frontier. Every one of us
Who with torn shoes walks through the crowd
bears witness to the shame which not defiles our land.
But none of us
Will stay here. The final word 
Is yet unspoken.
Bertolt Brecht
1898-1956
ISKASHITAA needs your support on AZ GIVES DAY. 
https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa
You can watch our promotional video here:
https://vimeo.com/157371187

COUNT DOWN: 5 DAYS LEFT TO REACH OUR GOAL OF $ 30,000 ON AZ GIVES DAY- APRIL 5th. 

We survive on your donations! 

https://azgives.givebig.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa 

"I go by the name Asha Adam from Sudan. I was born in western, Sudan, in a beautiful village called Bare Korobo in Morenge. At age 11, I was a refugee in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya for eight years. I went to Catalina Magnet High and studied hard after missing years of my education as a senior. I am the first girl generation to go to college. I have a dream of being a pilot, lawyer or working as a social worker. I love to work with the refugees like Barbara whose work inspired me. ISKASHITAA helped me with several scholarships." Asha Adam, Sudan.

 

Dear Iskashitaans,We are so happy to see how you support us!We reached $2351 with generous supports of our donors! We have $27649 to go until midnight, April 5th. We believe we can do it with your support!HELP US HELP REFUGEES AND PREVENT FOOD WASTE IN TUCSON! https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa

COUNT DOWN: 9 DAYS LEFT  TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF $ 30,000 IN AZ GIVES DAY! ISKASHITAA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!

"There are many places in Tucson to help refugees, but Iskashitaa is the only place I know, if the get the case, they will finish it. I have known Iskashitaa for over five years. They help and advocate the rights for a community that has little voice and high needs. Iskashitaa helps us in many ways, such as legal, medical and social services. Their courage and positive leadership help us overcome our struggles." Shara Hirsi, Somalia

https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa

We are excited at Iskashitaa, because Mark Bishop, host of Mi Casa Es Su Casa on KVOI The Voice; AM 1030 at 10am Saturdays, will mention Iskashitaa on and its goal on AZ GIVES DAY campaign this Saturday, March 26th between 10 am -11 am. 

https://www.facebook.com/markbishopshow/?fref=nf

We thank Mark Bishop for his support to help us spread the word. You can help us spread the word by sharing our message with your friends and family as well!

https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa

Or you can donate:

https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa/Donate

COUNT DOWN: 

10 DAYS left to reach our goal in AZ GiVES DAY.

Help us help refugees and keep working on our food waste prevention projects. 

We need volunteers to help us make phone calls today and next week between Monday and Friday. If you are interested, then come to our office today until 5pm. 

1406 E. Grant RoadTucson, AZ 85719

If you like, you can call for us from the comfort of your home. Email us at:   tucsonrefugees@gmail.comIf you cannot do either of these things,  you can always donate!  :) https://azgives.givebig.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa/Donate

Count Down: 11 Days left  to reach our goal of $30,000 in AZ Gives Day.

"Iskashitaa found a job for my daughter and for me. They found a job for me as a security guard. Now I want to give back to Iskashitaa. That is why I am here today. I will help them with their harvest today." Hamed Akar, Iraq

Support us on AZ Gives Day and give now:https://azgives.givebig.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa

"Then Iskashitaa came, and I thought, finally, the one I have imagined will come, has come. Then I met volunteers Susan and Bahaman ( Many other volunteers that help my family not just me), and things kept getting better. It made me volunteer. When I won a scholarship I had the opportunity to give a part of the money to a nonprofit- I gave it to Iskashitaa.” Hari Nepal, Bhutan

Iskashitaa needs your support between now and April 5th during this period of Arizona Gives Day to reach our financial goal of $30,000. https://www.azgives.org/c/GivesDay/a/iskashitaa

Support us on Arizona Gives Day, April 5!

Notes from U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres

The following are notes from U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, briefing with NGO members of InterAction and Refugee Council USA on Wednesday, October 28, 2015:

The High Commissioner spoke candidly and openly on his perspective of the Syria situation, refugee flows to Europe, U.S. resettlement, changes to the humanitarian system.

Highlights

 The High Commissioner began by expressing regret for the difficulty that UNHCR has had in dealing with the

increased number of refugees globally and segued into its presently tight fiscal situation. He highlighted how the organization has had to decrease its budget by 10% through internal shuffling, while trying not to compromise protection and services to refugees. He said that by the end of the year, the UNHCR will have fewer dollars than they did at the end of 2015 and yet are required to provide for growing numbers of those in need. For example, last week he authorized the building of 17 new refugee camps in Africa, an endeavor there is no earmarked funding for.

 He stated that the most vulnerable among the Syrian refugees in Europe were not those who were currently coming from Syria –because these people have the means and the health to do so. He said that the most vulnerable were those we were still inside Syria and in the surrounding countries within the region. If this were an organized resettlement operation, he said that these people (those arriving to Europe) would not be the first priority.

 The High Commissioner cited increased violence in Syria, worsening conditions in neighboring countries, and the cut to the World Food Program as causes for the increased flow of refugees. Couple this with social media giving individuals information about pathways to Europe, he said, and it created a moment where a lot of people had hope to get to Germany.

 The High Commissioner described Europe as a divided continent with a spectrum of opinions towards refugees. The spectrum ranges from Germany to the Netherlands to Hungary. At the center of this division is Greece, a country with complicated relations with the rest of Europe. The High Commissioner frankly stated that Greeks have said they will resettle 500000 refugees but have asked for the help of the UN since they do not trust their government to do so.

 The High Commissioner not surprised that refugees were moving on from EU’s border countries as there “is nothing there”: There is no capacity to protect, no reception for people, and no information being provided by governments to neighboring states so that they, in turn, may better prepare for those coming their way, e.g. Greece is not providing any data on asylum seeker movements to to Macedonia.

 He said that it was the smugglers who are the ones who have taken command of the refugee flow into Europe.

 The HC commented on the partisan nature of refugee resettlement in the U.S. He noted the “Jihad pipeline” rhetoric of right wing politicians at the moment and joked that if the thousands of Syrians coming to the EU every day are terrorists than they must be really bad at it, because no bombs are going off!

Going forward

 The HC stated that for the first time there is a total awareness of the crisis, which he said has been picked up by Populists and certain media outlets to create an environment of fear and to trigger rejection. He stated that it was imperative for politicians to find a solution to these problems by forming a coalition to coordinate an offensive position. He said that those with a humanitarian perspective, “the good side”, are less effective at propaganda than our opposition.

He called for the humanitarian community to organize and mobilize itself better in order to rein in the current chaotic situation. Otherwise, he said, we may see a closure of asylum space.

 He called for a true system to be put in place to facilitate refugee movement this winter. If this doesn’t happen, less people will move over the winter, resulting in a truly overwhelming “explosion” next year in terms of numbers. This can be done by allowing people to work and go to school in the countries of first asylum (which will disincentive movement), partnering with Turkey to manage the flow, and establishing legal avenues (e.g. family reunion, resettlement, and private sponsorship).

Visitors from the Land of the Dragon

Take a moment to enjoy this amazing poem written by local poet Burgess Needle.  He was inspired to write after Iskashitaa came to harvest citrus from his property.  The original poem can be found published here.

• Visitors from the
• Land of the Dragon
• A salute to the volunteers of Second Harvest
• Burgess Needle

My citrus trees bowed with fruit,
double clusters of tangelos and lemons
beyond my capacity to eat,
juice or freeze, crying for a harvest.
Driven to my home by a smiling
blond woman, three delicate young men
dressed in jeans and frayed jackets
seemed unequal to the task.
Namaste, each of the three said, giving
me a slight nod of the head with hands
clasped. We are from Druk Yul, then laughed
as if sharing a secret. Yes, we are from
Land of Dragon, another explained.
Will you need a ladder? I asked.
They’re from Bhutan, the blond said.
And, no, they don’t need any implements.
Folding their jackets on a nearby table
the three silently merged within a
circumference of greenery allowing
a bare scratching of leather on bark
to hint at their progress until a steady
rain of fruit began to fall. A pause.
Then three flattened peels floated
down. Very delicious, said a voice.
After the bushel baskets filled
the leaves shivered and three lithe
figures descended, retrieved their
jackets and once more, Namaste.
Three strangers from the Land of Dragon
took my fruit leaving me wondering
why they were here in Tucson
so far from the ice of the Himalayas.