It is with a great honor and privilege to inform you of my new book, My New American Dream: A Personal Story and Perspective of a South Sudanese American Refugee.

I wrote this book for three purposes. First, I want to share my personal story with friends, colleagues, and family members, especially my children and their future children. I want people to know where I came from. In particular, I want to share the richness of my traditional culture and the role of everyone in the family, including children, because I want my children to know how important children can be, even when they are still young. I believe age doesn’t matter much; adults can behave like children and children can act like adults.

Second, I wish to reach other new Americans – refugees and immigrants of this country, young Americans and their parents, as well as those that work with refugees and immigrants, including those who have just returned back home to South Sudan. I frequently use the term “New American Dream” in the book to introduce a different perspective on the concept of the American Dream. “New American Dream” applies more closely to the context of a new world and its meaning extends beyond what those that originally coined the term “American Dream” intended. I believe that new Americans, including young Americans, should rethink and redefine the term to fit their circumstances.

Third, I want this book to be a tool for new Americans and for anyone that wants to positively impact our world. I provide educational information in the last chapter to aid individuals, families, community members, and future leaders. This information includes examples and references about forming effective organizations, collaborating and merging with other organizations or communities, soliciting funding, building meaningful teams, and securing suitable solutions to overcome community divisions and conflicts.

I hope you will enjoy reading my book. Please click the link above to order a copy. Thanks in advance, and I would look forward to receiving your comments.

Sincerely,

Gatluak Ter Thach
Nashville, TN (USA)

80% of the proceeds from My New American Dream will go directly to the Nashville International Center for Empowerment. To order your copy of, My New American Dream: A Personal Story and Perspective of a South Sudanese American Refugee, please click here. If you wish to donate to NICE, please click here. Your donations are appreciated.

Hasta was unsure of what his future might hold. However, he was fortunate to be chosen through U.S. Resettlement Program, which allows certain numbers of refugees each year a chance for a new start in America. That US office in D.C. has a branch affiliated resettlement agency here in Nashville, called NICE. Today, Hasta and his wife are both gainfully employed. They gave birth to their 3rd child at Vanderbilt Hospital on Easter of 2011. Welcome to America.

I, Gatluak (Gat) Thach, founder and President/CEO of Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE), had a similar journey from Sudan. When I arrived, I started with a white board and marker in a living room teaching my Sudanese refugee friends English as a Second Language (ESL). Our At home English classes turned into job placements, citizenship classes, youth development, health preventative, immigration services, and core resettlement services for refugees to make Nashville home.

NICE gives refugees and immigrants chance to embrace America at its best home. Refugees are created when things go wrong. It was due to wars and prosecutions that made refugees fled their former homes. But, we are trying to make things go right with a smooth transition from the time we pick them up from airport, getting them into a furnished apartment and into our classes.

We successfully unified 129 family members last year. You can be part of this unique story and make a global impact on a local basis. Right now we have over 250 students in ESL classes, yet the waiting list remains long. Over 100 refugees taking citizenship classes and 150 refugees have been placed in jobs within the last six months. You can help fund a student for a simple gift of $25. You can fund a classroom for $250. As our faithful partner in this work, for every dollar you mail or pay online, NICE welcomes more refugees into more classes and on their way to more job opportunities. Last year we placed 210 refugees into gainful employments.

We count on you for us to remain assisting vulnerable refugee families.

Sincerely,

Gatluak Ter Thach

How does a graphic design major from Belmont University become a Resettlement Specialist?  For Frances Anderson, the road ran through Southeast Asia, Thailand in particular.

After graduating from Belmont University, Frances had her mind set on moving to England. She tried to convince a friend to join her, but her friend had another idea: Thailand, where her father in law was working at Chiang Mai University.  Thus, Frances began her journey and moved to Thailand.  Upon arrival, she enrolled in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program at Chiang Mai University, one of the most renowned universities in Thailand, and became certified to teach English as a Foreign Language.

With a new set of skills, Frances embarked on another adventure as she began to utilize her skills and work in Thailand. This adventure landed her with several different companies and organizations: helping at English camps for Kindergarten and Pre-K children, and teaching English for Tourism at Payap Technology and Business College. She also used her graphic design background and designed an “inspiring t-shirt and banner” for Payap.

Never one to sit idle, Frances sought out other ways to get involved in the community. On Saturdays she volunteered at an orphanage, playing with the children.  Through a friend, she learned about the We Women Foundation, an organization that serves the needs of Burmese women refugees. Frances volunteered with the organization and helped a student prepare for the TOEFL test.  This experience helped Frances learn about Burma’s history, its conflicts and their effects on the lives of Burmese refugees.

Her experiences travelling throughout the region during the year, including Cambodia, helped Frances learn about the country’s history and its peoples’ struggle to rebuild their lives.  She also got to see how other Southeast Asian countries responded to people seeking refuge and found out various countries’ capacity to help these refugees.

Frances’ time in Southeast Asia shaped her desire to continue learning about and working with refugees. Back in Nashville after a year of living abroad and with a desire to continue to help people who were trying to “build new lives after having experienced extreme struggles,”, she began volunteering for CRIT (Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee). She was then hired as a Site Coordinator for the after-school program and worked with a site that was at first predominantly Burmese refugees, with the Bhutanese population increasing.

Wanting to help refugees even more, Frances applied to become the NICE Resettlement Specialist and continues to serve the refugee population through the work that she does now, helping many refugee families become self-sufficient.

Frances’ adventure continues as she works alongside refugees in Nashville helping them find jobs and learning about their journeys to America. Who knows where the next chapter in the adventure will take her.

NICE began its Reception and Placement (R&P) program in April of 2011. Since that time, the program has developed rapidly, resettling individuals from a variety of nations, including Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Eretrea, Iraq, Iran and more. When refugees first arrive, they generally know very little about everyday life in America. Our team meets clients at the airport, ensures them a home cooked meal and orients them to their new life. We take care of everything refugees need upon arrival, such as finding and furnishing a new home, scheduling initial medical screenings, enrolling in all eligible social services and signing up children for school.

NICE’s R&P team is here to break down barriers and ensure that the transition from life as a refugee to a life of self-sufficiency in America goes as smoothly as possible.

NICE will be here to welcome Nashville’s refugees with open arms and hearts!

Congratulations to NICE February 2013 Volunteer of the Month, Sarah Burke!

Sarah is the Employment Intern for Spring 2013, in addition to being a full time student at Belmont University and working two jobs!  She helps the employment team exponentially by completing various administrative tasks, such as filling out paperwork and keeping the program’s spreadsheet up to date.  Both the staff and the clients thank Sarah for her patience and understanding in completing client enrollments, filling out client job applications, and writing resumes for clients.  The team would not be up to date on paperwork and would not have enrolled so many clients into the employment programs and found them jobs without her help, which frees up the Employment Specialists to do more job development and placement.

Sarah’s dedication to NICE became clear when she was a integral part of the team preparing for a monitoring visit of the Employment Programs.  She helped to audit the files for completeness and immediately had a tangible impact.

Sarah has helped so many families attain self sufficiency, and for that we are all grateful.  Her love of non-profits and their clients is evident to anyone who comes into contact with her and sees her big smile.  In her internship she has taken the initiative to seek out assignments in other departments so she can learn about many aspects of a non-profit.

She continues to live her dream of working in a non-profit.  What more could we ask for?

Even after her internship ended in February 2013, Hattie continued to volunteer with NICE’s after-school program. She has been invaluable and NICE is lucky to have her as part of the family! Hattie is now headed to Ghana for a few months and then will return to Nashville to start the Nashville Teaching Fellows program. We wish her a good trip and look forward to her return to Nashville!

Meet Khin Kyi, NICE Case Worker

Khin M. Kyi, a Case Worker at NICE, is originally from Burma. While in Burma, she attended the University of Yangoon. In 2005 Khin and her family fled to Thailand because of persecution against the Karen.  After arriving in Thailand, they lived in the Mae La Refugee Camp until their resettlement in Nashville, TN as refugees. 

Life in Mae La was difficult.  For the two years they lived there, Khin’s family lived in a temporary shelter made of bamboo, just like the rest of the refugees in the camp.  Every year they had to rebuild their own house and did not have electricity or indoor plumbing.  They used candles to see after dark.  Water was often not clean and caused illness in camp residents, including in Khin’s mother.  In addition, there were a lot of mosquitos, but the refugees were given mosquito nets to protect against malaria. Khin and her family, much like any other refugee, could not leave the camp for any reason as they were at risk of arrest once they stepped out of the camp.

Thanks to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), camp residents had access to medical facilities, including a hospital inside the camp and a special treatment area for TB patients.  NGOs also helped ensure that camp residents received an education, regardless of their age, skill level, or challenges.  While in Thailand, Khin earned a two year degree in Leadership and Management (LMC).

Since Khin’s brother had previously been resettled in Nashville, she and her family were reunited with him when they arrived in Middle Tennessee in 2007. They moved into an apartment in LaVergne and recently purchased a house in Smyrna.  Khin worked at Tyson Foods as an interpreter and trainer for almost two years. In 2012 Khin joined the NICE team as a Reception & Placement Case Worker.  She speaks Burmese, Karen, and English.

Khin’s whole family is heavily involved at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Smyrna. She is responsible for the church’s youth Sunday School program, and she also designed and to this day leads the summer school program for the children at the church.

Khin’s family is unique for a Burmese family; her mother is Mon (Buddhist) and her father is Karen (Christian).  When her older brother was two years old, Khin’s mother wanted to learn about Christianity and started reading the Bible on her own and converted to Christianity. Now the whole family is serving God by helping people at the Church and in their jobs.  Khin’s husband is a refugee Case Worker with Catholic Charities.

Khin’s family has an exciting, new undertaking as the new owners of Kaw Thoo Lei Grocery at 5814 Nolensville Pike, Suite 107, Nashville, TN 37211.  They had prayed to God three times a day to give the family a blessing.  One day, out of the blue the old owner contacted Khin’s family and asked if they would like to take over the business, even though he didn’t know the family well and a lot of other people wanted to buy it.  of Kaw Thoo Lei Grocery is the third Burmese refugee-owned business in Nashville!

It seems fitting that Khin, who has experienced and overcome so much, has dedicated her life to helping new refugees settle in their new community.

NICE proudly presents the first

Music City International Soccer Cup 

Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, 2013
Metro Parks Soccer Complex
Rosa Parks Blvd. (near MetroCenter).

Soccer cup to be presented to the winning team by Nashville Mayor Karl Dean

Teams and individuals are invited to participate
All participants (teams and individuals) must be pre-registered

Registration is now open! To register, click here.

Magnificent sponsorship opportunities are still available

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Rachel Oduka rachel@empowernashville.org or 615.678.4955 – Direct Line/ 615.3153.9681 – Main Office Line .

This past quarter was especially difficult as we were headed towards the end of the year. With several of us rushing to use up vacation hours, it was unusually complicated. So, those of us left behind had to pull as much extra weight as we could possibly manage. Therefore, as one may imagine, trying to determine which one among us stood out in exemplary fashion was no easy task. Yet, as the votes begun to roll in one by one, distant tolling bells could be heard distinctly chiming one name over and over as each was cast: Cindy Cunningham.

And with good reason.

This winter alone, our Cindy offered and took on the work of two people; the Financial Manager’s and to no mean extent, the President’s role; effectively working three jobs including her own. Talk about a team player! This forced her to arrive way too early and leave dangerously late on a daily basis. She did so without complaint. Her efforts guaranteed everyone got their pay on time during the holidays!

Even on a good day when she is only required to run her official title duties, Cindy will be the self-designated “Maintenance Guy” who will fix it. We have a saying in the office, “When all else fails, call Cindy”. This can be said for anything from haggling with a supplier, troubleshooting a computer program, providing language and perspective on a donor proposal, through fixing a jammed door to solving a plumbing issue. Just state your problem. And where would we get our daily morning drive without Cindy’s coffee burst? She has faithfully and dutifully fixed it for the entire office, complete with a variety of delectable, rich, Creamer flavors, all personally bought. On a cold day, look for Cindy; she will probably have soup.

To put down everything great and wonderful about this mighty woman of action would result in a heavy book. Suffice it to say that just knowing Cindy is around, provides an acute feeling of comfort that all will be well.

Enough Said.

Therefore, for looking out for each one; for running quickly to our aid regardless of the task; and for constantly providing all the sweeter things of life (chocolate!) to make the daily grind seem that much lighter; we, the entire staff of NICE, would like to state that having no other exceptional way to express our collective gratitude, we do hereby unanimously and proudly crown Cindy Cunningham, Director of Resettlement & Operations and our Angel of Favor, Staff of The Quarter, Winter 2012.

Thank you Cindy!