What We Do

The Immigration and Human Rights Program:

The Immigration and Human Rights Program at Gena Foundation provides professional legal representation for immigration-related matters. The program assists immigrants and their families from ethnically diverse backgrounds to achieve stability in the United States by providing competent, culturally sensitive, and low-cost immigration-related services. The program also assists other service providers and community members to do the same through training, education, and advocacy.

East African refugees and immigrants face daily challenges as they establish new lives in the United States. These challenges stem from both unfamiliarity with American cultures and the lack of knowledge among the public about challenges faced by East Africans newcomers. This sometimes poses added obstacles to newcomers’ desire and ability to integrate into American society.

Gena serves as a welcoming presence as well as a bridge for dialogue and education. Through our programs, Gena seeks to empower Sudanese and East African Community; giving hope for their future and helping them quickly become self-sufficient, productive members of their communities in their new homeland.

Gena Multilingual Information Program:

Gena Foundation multilingual information and referral line was implemented to extend the benefits of Gena Foundation extensive knowledge of refugee and immigrant populations, its familiarity with community resources throughout Washington D.C Maryland and Northern Virginia. In this program Gena will provide phone line translation for Arabic and East African Language to help refugee’s communication with all the organization in the area, with new establishment learning center for English and Arabic language.

Promote Health Education:

Refugees Newcomers to the United States often face obstacles and situations that affect their health and well being such as having come from war-torn countries; post-traumatic stress disorder; culture shock; grieving losses of loved ones, hopes, dreams, and productivity; reversal of traditional roles; loss of status; intergenerational conflicts; work frustrations; and feelings of isolation. In addition, a number of factors often make it more difficult for newcomers to seek healthcare and/or navigate the healthcare system in the United States. These include limited English language skills; inadequate health education information; cultural concerns when seeking healthcare; and the inexperience with healthcare providers.

Refugee’s come from Darfur all of them has post-traumatic stress disorder; culture shock; grieving losses of loved ones which is due to the Humanitarian crisis in Sudan special in Darfur.

Community Outreach Services:

Gena public education program encompasses not only expanding public understanding of and responsiveness to Sudanese refugee and East African newcomer concerns. Gena engages in advocacy and public education activities by addressing and speaking out on policy initiatives affecting the community; conducting community outreach activities; and promoting participation by members of the African community in public policy issues at the local, state, and national levels. Gena Promoting understanding between and among African newcomers and members of the mainstream community is an integral part of Gena programs. Communication facilitates the acculturation process, and interaction introduces newcomers to the diversity that is American culture and Americans to the richness of African cultures.

Humanitarian Missions:

Our first humanitarian and health mission to the Sudan, was headed by Prof. Glenn W. Geelhoed, of George Washington University, was a great success.