Members of MIC's Accompaniment Network, which supports immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, gathered with Angel Requena to celebrate his 40th birthday. Angel is a Venezuelan immigrant seeking asylum in the US, and has been accompanied by members of the Interfaith Council since he arrived.
Angel wanted to have a party not only to celebrate his birthday, but to allow members of his support team to try some Venezuelan dishes and meet some of his friends. It was a wonderful time to eat good food, see how well Angel is doing and celebrate this milestone in his life.
MIC created the Network of Accompaniment Congregations in 2017 as a way to support immigrant families who had a loved one who was detained or deported. The network's mission expanded during the pandemic to include a partnership with Marin Community Clinics to assist immigrant pregnant women/new mothers, who ran into financial difficulties due to not being able to work. The network helps fill gaps in the social safety net for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees by organizing faith communities to work in tandem with local nonprofits and government agencies.
The network collaborates with the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity to provide newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees, like Angel, with accompaniment support to secure housing and get connected to legal aid, medical care, educational opportunities, and other essential resources until they become established in Marin County. The network is in constant dialog with those who are being accompanied, who self-determine their own priorities, which then become the priorities of the network’s support.
The network has raised and distributed $54,000 to 85 immigrant families, asylum seekers, and refugees with rental assistance, medical bills, and utilities. If you are interested in supporting this work of "welcoming the stranger,” you can make a donation through the MIC website and specify in the "Note or description" section that your gift is for the "Accompaniment Network Special Fund".