Refugee Stories – Open Doors for Refugees

Helping refugees make a home in the Madison area

About
- Who We Are
  - Open Doors for Refugees
    Open Doors for Refugees is an all-volunteer organization based in Madison, Wisconsin whose mission is to help refugees make a home in the Madison area.
- Who Are Refugees?
  - Who are Refugees?
    People who have fled their country to escape persecution, violence, or war are refugees.
    Refugees in Wisconsin
    Between 2019 and 2021, 1,254 refugees have settled in Wisconsin.
- Refugee Stories
  - Refugee Stories
  - Albert & Muhiya
  - Ahmad & Hanan
  - Aziz & Safia
  - Safalani
  - Abdullah – A Father and Son Graduate Together
  - Rasha – Building a Good Life
  - Aziz – Movement and Change
- Resources
  - Resources
  - Our Madison Partners
  - Facts & Data
  - News & Political Organizations
  - Neighboring Organizations
  - Legal Info
  - Media
- Contact Us
  - Contact Us
    General: OpenDoorsForRefugees@gmail.com
    
    Donate Furniture and Household Items: donations@odfr.org
    
    Volunteering Inquiries: volunteers@odfr.org
    
    Events: events@odfr.org
    
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenDoorsForRefugees/
    
    Telephone: (608) 561-7858
What We Do
- Financial Support Programs
  - Financial Support Programs
    We have a variety of financial programs to support refugees.
- Service Teams
  - Service Teams
    We support recent refugee arrivals in a variety of ways, largely through a network of volunteer teams.
    11 activity-focused teams work together to help refugees in the Madison area.
- Upcoming Meetings & Events
  - Upcoming Meetings
    We are once again hosting meetings to keep the community updated on how to help local refugees.
    Upcoming Events
    We host a series of events throughout the year.
Latest Updates
- Upcoming Events
  - Upcoming Events
    Upcoming ODFR events and programs.
- Past Newsletters
  - Past Newsletters
    Every month, Open Doors for Refugees releases a newsletter.
    Sign up to begin receiving email updates every other month.
- ODFR News
  - ODFR News
    News posts about ODFR and our interactions with the local community and updates about past ODFR events.
- World News
  - World News
    Posts about current world affairs.
- Special Topics
  - Special Topics
    Posts that go into detail about major world events and other important topics. We tend to keep these updated over time.
- Related News & Other Media
  - Related News & Other Media
    A timeline of articles and other media that reference our work.

Music with Murishi

Posted on September 24, 2022October 8, 2022 by Alex H.

Murishi was born in Tanzania in 1996. His path as a refugee led him to the Congo, Burundi,and then in 2011, to Uganda. As a child, he could not afford a musical instrument, but he has alovely singing voice and by age 14, he was already writing music. His lyrics are about life, “birth,death, happiness, […]

Sewing with Sifa

Posted on August 21, 2022September 5, 2022 by Alex H.

Attendees at Congolese weddings, parties, or dowry celebrations are likely to see men and women attired in brightly colored African fabrics. Whether original or traditional in design, chances are good that Sifa has had her hand and machine in the garments’ construction. Sifa is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo; as a child […]