Latest Updates

Volunteers Needed for Donation Pickup and Data Migration

Update 1/13/23: Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help with data migration! Open Doors is no longer seeking volunteers for the data migration team, but welcomes you to visit the Volunteer page to find out about other ways you can support Open Doors’ mission. Open Doors is looking for volunteers to pick up […]

Fall Fun with WNIM

Who’s New in Madison (WNIM), one of Madison’s oldest and most active social clubs, has selected Open Doors for Refugees as its 2022-2023 service partner. After kicking off the partnership in September with two successful fundraisers, WNIM has come up with even more creative ways to support Open Doors. Led by WNIM’s Service Committee dynamos […]

Open Doors Stands in Solidarity with Migrants and Asylum Seekers

In September, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis used primarily Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers in a political stunt.  The governor’s agents lured migrants and asylum seeking men, women, and children in San Antonio, Texas onto a Massachusetts-bound plane with a misleading brochure labelled ‘Refugee Migrant Benefits’ that promised them aid, including cash assistance. The plane abandoned the migrants unannounced […]

Fall/Winter Donation Needs

Looking to donate warm winter clothing? Open Doors for Refugees and JSS Resettlement maintain a supply of winter outerwear that is provided to newcomers when they first arrive in Madison. These donations are vital, as they help our new neighbors during their first Wisconsin winter. The items that are most needed are listed below. We […]

Freeze for Food 2023

The 42nd Annual Freeze for Food is tentatively scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Join hundreds of racers in an outdoor walk/run to raise money for refugees and food security in the Madison area. More information about the upcoming 5k and 10k races can be found here: https://www.rpcvmadison.org/cpages/freeze-for-food Registration details will be available by […]

In Support of Ukrainian Refugees

We at Open Doors for Refugees express our horror at the unnecessary and vicious war in Ukraine. We support a peaceful solution to the crisis and stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and with Russians protesting the war. We salute the hospitality and generosity of people in Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, Russia, Belarus, […]

Music with Murishi

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, […]

“Who’s New” Selects Open Doors

Who’s New in Madison (WNIM) has selected Open Doors for Refugees as its 2022-2023 service partner. One of Madison’s oldest and most active social clubs, Who’s New is a women’s group with 600 members who participate in 65 different activity groups, from book clubs to kayaking. Every year the Who’s New board selects a non-profit […]

Sewing with Sifa

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 […]

The Afghan Refugee Crisis

History Afghan Refugees in Wisconsin How to Help Last updated on September 5th, 2022 About the Afghan Refugee Crisis A Decades-Long Timeline This timeline from NPR covers the history of Afghanistan, beginning with the Soviet War and ending with the recent Taliban takeover. Read A Look At Afghanistan’s 40 Years Of Crisis — From The […]