WRC Blog

Jose-Luis, a Master of Social Work candidate at Rhode Island College, interned with Women's Refugee Care (WRC) for six weeks. During his time with WRC, he assisted with the Saturday food distributions. Every Saturday morning in Providence, local families come together to receive fresh produce, pantry staples, and seafood through Women's Refugee Care. For newly arrived families and also community members in need, navigating these distributions is about more than securing food;

Senator Jack Reed paid a special visit last month: Mr. Reed spent time touring our facility, engaging with members of our community and learning more about the work we do to support refugee and immigrant women and families throughout Rhode Island. Women's Refugee Care was featured in The Providence Journal this month: Check out the article, "How Women's Refugee Care Makes Transitioning to Life in RI Easier", written by Will Richmond. The feature is part of a partnership betwe

Gabrielle Amorelli, a student at Providence College (PC), worked with Women's Refugee Care as a case management intern for over a year. ​ During her time here, she assisted in coordinating the services we provide for our refugee families, helped with our valuable Women's Empowerment Program, and lent a hand in our fundraising efforts. She graduated this year with a degree in Public and Community Service and wrote her thesis about the experiences she had as our intern. ​ Gabri

May was an unforgettable month of connection, recognition, and community growth at Women’s Refugee Care. Thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, and local leadership, we are continuing to pave the way for sustainable support systems right here in Rhode Island. Here is a look back at the incredible moments that shaped our month: May 4th 2026: A Community Dialogue on Gendering Migration Our co-founders, Aline Binyungu and Clement Shabani, had the incredible opportunity to vi

In honor of Black History Month, WRC wrote a 5-part essay with articles to explain the history of the Great Lakes Region and its people. We looked specifically at the history of the conflict in order to provide context to the refugee crisis that is WRC’s focus. Our founders are from the city Bukavu in eastern Congo, and everyone in our community in Rhode Island has their roots in this region and this conflict. We hope it provides some insight into the history of our people an

Hello all! We just sent out our new August monthly newsletter to your inboxes. For those who subscribe - thank you! If you would like to join our newsletter list, you can sign up here: Here is a copy of August's newsletter below: COVID-19 Response Updates If you’ve been following us on Facebook (and we hope that you have), you’ll know that we’ve continued our COVID-19 emergency response program for the past few months. We have consistently delivered basic necessitie

Aline, our Executive Director, participated in the Black Lives Matter protest march in Providence along with her family to show support on June 5th. The largely peaceful but tense protest drew almost 20,000 people to the State House.

WRC's Black Lives Matter Statement During this time of grief, trauma, and call to action, the WRC Staff and Board stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are protesting the gruesome killing of George Floyd in Minnesota at the hands of four policemen. The time to dismantle acts of violence, racism, and police brutalities perpetrated against black and brown communities has been long overdue. It is vital for us to identify ways we can help end the issues that have

Pictured: Executive Director, Aline

This interview was conducted on 16 October 2017 at the house of Katerina. Questions were posed by two students at Brown University, Aliosha Bielenberg and Jeanelle Wheeler. Audio recording and general assistance was provided by another Brown student, Andrew Robbin. Interpretation and a significant amount of contextual information was given by the director of Women’s Refugee Care, Aline Binyungu. The interview was conducted in French, with Aline providing translation from and

We are enormously grateful for the gracious support of refugee families this holiday season. We have made several deliveries to families we serve with gifts to make the season brighter. WRC would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our sponsors: Maria Kasparian, Patricia Ricci, Rebecca Bromberg, Kaeli Sutton, Linda Dicarlo, Sara Davidson Flanders, Jenn Thomas, and Usha Bilotta. Take a look below for some pictures!

This interview was conducted on 4 November 2017 at the house of Sylvie Bokika. Questions were posed by Aliosha Bielenberg and Jeanelle Wheeler, both students at Brown University. Audio recording and photography was provided by another Brown student, Addy Schuetz. Sylvie’s son was beside her throughout the interview. The interview was conducted in French and has been translated, condensed, and edited for clarity. Significant editorial additions have been indicated with the use

This text was compiled from an interview with Aline Binyungu, the founder and director of Women’s Refugee Care. The interview was conducted on 5 December 2017 by Aliosha Bielenberg and Jeanelle Wheeler, both students at Brown University. The interview was conducted in French and has been translated, condensed, and edited for clarity. Aline Binyungu at her home in Providence. Photo credit: Andrew Robbin. In your opinion, what are the roles of men and women in the Congolese com

Thank you to all who contributed to a successful Winter Clothing Exchange! A special thank you to Wheeler School for having a major collection of items, and everyone that volunteered, donated and shopped for a family. Donations from our community helped to prepare families for the cold winter months ahead. We provided for the needs of 20 families located in Providence, RI!

Women's Refugee Care Statement in Response to the Tragic Death of Our Community Member and Sister, Maniriho-Kira Mubanzi Thank you all for showing your support for us and for Maniriho’s children in this tragic moment. Thank you to the State of Rhode Island, Dorcas International Institute, Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment (BRYTE), Women’s Refugee Care volunteers, the African community in Rhode Island, and the general Rhode Island community. This tragedy has made

WRC is mourning the tragic and sudden loss of Maniriho Nkinamubanzi, a beloved member of the WRC community, and the mother of four children. The community is raising funds to pay for funeral costs and to provide any financial security we can to the children. Please consider donating if you can, and sharing this campaign among your own networks: CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUCARING CAMPAIGN Our hearts go out to Maniriho's children, and all those who knew and loved her. #donations

The following text is transcribed from an interview conducted on August 10, 2017 by WRC volunteer Piper French. S lives just off of Broad St. with his seven children. His youngest, A, is three; the eldest, C, is 23 and married himself, though his wife is still in the refugee camp in Uganda where S's family lived for 11 years before finally being resettled. During his time in the camp, S’s back was broken twice; he wants to be able to work in the U.S. but is plagued by persist