The word “refugee” is officially reserved for someone with a “well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of his or her race, religion, or nationality…” About 1,000 refugees are legally settled in the Austin area each year.
We believe that all of the great faith traditions call on us to treat the vulnerable with acts of radical hospitality and compassion. Refugees are truly the down-trodden strangers in our midst!
iACT is the only agency in Austin that exclusively teaches English and essential life skills to newly arrived refugees.
They come from Burma where ethnic minorities have been persecuted, chased, and murdered. They come from Africa where families are escaping from genocidal wars in Burundi and the Congo. They come from Iraq where religious minorities are being attacked and those who worked with the U.S. military are threatened.
iACT for Refugees helps all of these individuals establish roots in their new hometown: Austin. We pride ourselves in not only providing essential language and “cultural orientation” skills, but in making these traumatized families feel welcome.
The primary location for the iACT for Refugees school is at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Austin. iACT currently serves over 500 adult refugees from 25 different nations. In addition, The iACT for Refugee Summer Youth Camp provides ESL and math instruction, cultural orientation, outdoor recreation and more to 50 refugee youths.
Get Involved!
Volunteer for iACT for Refugees by sending an e-mail to dwilliams@interfaithtexas.org and please include your full name and how we may contact you.
Thanks to our professional staff and the many volunteers from the faith community and the community at large, iACT for Refugees is a beautiful example of compassion in action.