It was a 2002 visit to her Peace Corps daughter in Africa's Ivory Coast that inspired Sarah Turner to volunteer with the International Rescue Committee
Common ground links volunteer with refugees
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Kristin Park
Special for The Republic
Aug. 14, 2004 12:00 AM
It was a 2002 visit to her daughter in Africa's Ivory Coast that inspired Sarah Turner to volunteer with the International Rescue Committee.
"My daughter was in the Peace Corps, and her village was so remote that she was the first American the people had seen. The way they were so welcoming and accepting to me is something I'll never forget," said Turner, 55.
The experience caused Turner, of Gilbert, to reach out with that same feeling of warmth and acceptance. In early 2003 she began volunteering with the IRC.
The IRC is a humanitarian aid organization founded in 1933 to provide global humanitarian assistance programs for refugees. IRC staff and volunteers work in 25 countries. The Phoenix IRC is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Turner volunteers as a mentor to newly arrived refugee families. The families typically come from refugee camps after fleeing a country where there is violent conflict and oppression. They arrive with few possessions and depend on donations while becoming settled.
Turner is one of 10 IRC American Friend Program volunteers who help the refugees in a variety of ways, from school registration to arranging health-care visits.
"Sarah really embodies everything an organization looks for in a volunteer. She's always done all that she committed to and more. The families she has helped have fallen in love with her," resource coordinator Joanie Calder said.
Turner admits she had trepidations about working with newly arrived refugees who are unable to speak English. Once she was introduced to her first family, Turner quickly realized that the communication barrier was not as challenging as she had thought.
"You kind of come to a common ground," Turner said.
"It's amazing how you can communicate with gestures and very basic words. It's a learning process both ways and just seems to flow."
Turner has worked with five families so far, meeting with them at least once a week for several months until they are adjusted and self-sufficient. Her families have come from Afghanistan, Sudan and the Congo.
One family, a single mother with six children, had never had dental care. Turner had to convince them that she was indeed a grandmother, even though she still had all of her teeth. It took plenty of encouragement and promises that it wouldn't hurt in order to get them to a dentist.
Turner says she loves her volunteer work, even with the cultural differences.
"You don't talk about religion or wars. At times they'll bring up a bad memory, but mostly we talk about learning English, how to shop wisely and how to get a job," Turner said.
Neel Bhattacharjee, IRC volunteer coordinator, appreciates the effort Turner puts into her volunteer work.
"Each refugee family has unique dilemmas, and Sarah has always met them head-on," he said.
Turner says she doesn't see anything incredible in what she's doing. She simply wants to embrace the refugee families the way the African villagers embraced her two years ago.
"The world community is really the same. We all want the same things: to have a family, a home, be safe and be loved. These people are the kind of people who will turn around one day and give back to our community," Turner said.
