April is Immigration and Refugee Issues month at Together We Will (TWW) and in support of this focus, TWW’s monthly meeting will feature Kentucky Refuge Ministries and Beaded Treasures Project along with their tireless efforts to uplift refugees within our community and enable them to become successful community members and citizens.
Since 1990, Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) has welcomed refugees from the world over through its community outreach and advocate services. KRM is committed to promoting diversity for the benefit of the whole community using a comprehensive approach and a dedicated support team of over 80 caseworkers, instructors and attorneys in Louisville and Lexington.
KRM focuses on the following areas:
- Basic Needs -housing, securing ID’s, and school enrollment.
- Self-Sufficiency - teaching English as a second language, assisting job readiness and placement services.
- Integration - cultural orientation, connection with other refugees, and legal support for immigration issues.
During our monthly meeting on April 30. Kentucky Refugee Ministries will share their work in refugee resettlement, explain legislation that has impacted refugees recently, and let us know how we can get involved. Additionally, a client will share their personal story and how KRM benefited them and their family.
Beaded Treasures founder, Surekha Kulkarni, will explain how her organization works to help make women refugees self sufficient.
Founded in 2012, the nonprofit Beaded Treasures Project (BTP) was started with a small group of refugee women as a point in time project. Since that time, Surekha has continued to nurture and grow BTP into a female driven entrepreneurial enterprise while training over 200 disadvantaged women in jewelry making and other home-based skills, and basic financial literacy. BTP’s primary mission is to promote positive social change through the feminist expression of art, and strongly believes that when women and girls advance, so does society. The women working with Surekha and BTP bring skills and traditions from their home countries that they are now able to utilize to overcome barriers to success, build self-confidence and promote economic self-sufficiency. As part of this process, these women are also weaving their art into rich tapestry of Kentucky’s history and tradition of art and craft making. For more information, please visit beadedtreasuresproject.com.
Surekha Kulkarni also deserves special mention for her vision, leadership, dedication, and hard work. Surekha is not only the founder and Executive Director of BTP, but is also a jewelry artist and award winning advocate for disadvantaged women in the community. She accepts no compensation for her work with BTP and donates all proceeds from her jewelry sales to BTP. She also volunteers at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Catholic Charities, Volunteers of America, and any place where “that extra help” is needed. Surekha is truly a phenomenal women who lives the change she wants to see, and strives everyday to be part of the transformation.
Please join us Sunday, April 30 2pm-4pm at Glassworks Lofts Free Event - Register HERE
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