For decades, the U.S. refugee resettlement program has been a model for humanitarian efforts to help those fleeing persecution, injustice, and war. From Europeans fleeing after WWII, to the Vietnam War refugees of the 1970s, to the Afghans of recent years – refugee resettlement has offered sanctuary to those in dire situations. With the shift […]

3/29/24 Meet our Legal Assistants Sarah (SC), Sammi (SM), and Qahar (QB)! Our Legal Assistants help our Legal team run efficiently and ensure that client needs are being met. We are so grateful for all their hard work and dedication! We asked the team a few questions so you can learn more about them, and […]

12/6/23 Meet the Butler-Tarkington Community Support Team! They were a team of friends who live in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. They were matched with a family from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our Community Support Teams volunteer for a 3-to-6-month period. After being matched with a client family, they help Exodus in numerous ways to welcome […]

Meet Khin Sain, Women’s Program Coordinator. Khin, (also known as Ma Kim) oversees our Women’s Program and Women’s Sewing Circles! To celebrate Khin’s 10-year anniversary working at Exodus, we asked her a few questions about herself. Ma Kim has helped Exodus grow in her time with us, and we are so grateful for her dedication! […]

4/28/2023 Meet some of our LCORE volunteers, Liana, Mary Beth, Sharon and Francia! These volunteers have been working with our LCORE team to help teach English classes and help update curriculum for the different levels of classes offered to clients at Exodus! We are very grateful for all their hard work and have spotlighted them […]

4/15/23 Meet one of our former Community Support Teams, Crawfordsville ARC! Our Community Support Teams volunteer for a 3-to-6-month period. After being matched with a client family, they help Exodus in numerous ways to welcome the family to Indiana and support their life ahead. Crawfordsville ARC was matched with a family from Afghanistan. We spoke […]

January 13, 2023  Lilly Endowment Inc. has made a $1.2 million grant to Exodus Refugee Immigration to support capacity-building efforts during the next three years. The grant is one of 28 grants totaling $41 million that are designed to help human services organizations and community centers in central Indiana enhance their ability to meet the […]

11/7/22 Meet one of our Community Support Teams, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church! Our Community Support Teams volunteer for a 3-to-6-month period. After being matched with a client family, they help Exodus in numerous ways to welcome the family to Indiana and support their life ahead. Good Samaritan was matched with a family from Afghanistan. We […]

5/24/2022 Meet Kari Moore, Director of Self-Sufficiency Programs. Kari oversees many of the services at Exodus, including our LCORE and Employment programs. To celebrate Kari’s 10-year anniversary working at Exodus, we asked her a few questions about herself! Kari has helped Exodus grow in her time with us, and we are so grateful for her […]

4/19/2022 Meet Betsy and Vicki, two sisters who volunteer at Exodus Refugee. Betsy and Vicki have always looked for meaningful ways to be active in the community, and pre-COVID had been involved in organizations that supported migrants and the Red Cross. When the crisis in Afghanistan made headlines in August 2021, they began looking for […]

6/17/2021 Meet Rachel Van Tyle. Rachel is our new Director of Legal Services, and she joined the team earlier this year. Rachel leads our Legal Services Program in advising and aiding our clients with their immigration law needs. 1. Tell us about yourself. I was born and raised in Indianapolis, and I grew up in […]

March 29, 2021 Out of respect for the client’s privacy, this blog post does not have any photos and does not use the name of the client, only initials. S.H.B. was born in Jigawa, Nigeria in 1973 where she grew up most of her life. She loved kids, was a teacher and later owned a […]

1/28/2021 1.Tell us about yourself. I am the eldest daughter of Dominican immigrants. My parents immigrated to New York City from the Dominican Republic two years before I was born. At the age of 12, my family and I moved to Indianapolis and settled in Northwest Indy. I have remained in Indiana since then and […]

Stay connected with Exodus during this time of social distancing by watching movies or documentaries about refugees and asylees.   Amazon Prime After Spring Two filmmakers witness the Syrian refugee crisis by following two families in transition and aid workers fighting to keep the camp running. With the Syrian conflict entering its sixth year, millions of […]

As the Women’s Program Case manager, Khin Sain provides case management, trainings, and social integration activities for some of our most vulnerable refugee women. She is also an accomplished musician and puts her Bachelor’s of Art degree to work directing our Refugee Women’s Art Circle. A member of the Karen ethnic group and a former […]

1. Why did you choose to volunteer at Exodus? Dennis: Having moved to Indianapolis within the past year, Emma Sue and I were looking for opportunities to serve in the community.  We looked at a number of different programs and when we discovered Exodus, it seemed to be exactly what we were hoping to find.  […]

Stay connected with Exodus during this time of social distancing by reading about the refugee and immigrant experience. We have compiled a list of some of our favorite books for adults and children. Books for Adults A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee’s Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming                 […]

In a conference room at the Exodus office, four women sit around a table. They are elders, Congolese grandmothers who have ridden for an hour on the bus to come to English class today. Their heads are bent in concentration, their hands shaking slightly as they copy the letter “b.” Eight, nine, ten times they […]

  “Before I started counseling there was a darkness and it was hard to breathe. After we started talking, even if the problem didn’t change, I have changed for the better”. ~Mental Wellness Program participant, 2019   The transition to life in the U.S. can be profoundly difficult and disorienting for refugee newcomers. With few […]

Time spent enjoying nature can be deeply therapeutic, and the refugee youth who joined their mentors this month for an ecotherapy-inspired evening outdoors can attest to that.  Exodus’ Youth Program hosts an event each month for youth and their volunteer mentors, collaborating with our Mental Wellness Program at least once per year to plan outings […]

For the last six months, Kofi Darku has mentored Congolese teens Aron and Simon as part of our Youth Mentor program. The program pairs youth ages 13 – 23 with an adult mentor who serves as a positive role model and guide to a new culture. It also includes monthly group activities for mentors and […]

Refugee youth are in a unique position within their family. They often adapt more quickly than their parents to the culture and language of their new country. Yet, they are still kids in need of support and guidance as they navigate the challenges of the teenage years. Our Youth Mentor program pairs refugee teens with […]

 Liyema arrived in Indianapolis with her baby daughter Sarah in April 2017, leaving behind her mom and five sisters in a Zambian refugee camp. Her first year in the U.S. was tough without her family. “I was worried about no refugees coming. I saw other families reuniting together and I always asked, “When will I see my […]

This year, we piloted a Teen Women’s program for our young ladies from a variety of countries. The overall goal of the program was to empower refugee girls and young women as they navigate the challenges of adulthood and life in a new country. The program included workshops on topics like budgeting and finance, healthy […]

March 23, 2017 The door swings wide, and I am greeted with open arms and a brilliant smile. Mamma K, an older Syrian woman, pulls me in close for a tight hug and customary kisses on each cheek. She shuffles me inside, and we exchange greetings, quickly exhausting her English and my Arabic. Her husband […]