The Immigrant Justice Committee (IJC) has enjoyed getting to know Vlad and Neila better as they continue to get settled in JP.  The under-market-rate apartment provided by one of our members has been a cozy and convenient home for the couple since the 1^st of January.  Both Neila and Vlad are making great progress in English comprehension and fluency, with the help of classes provided by Jewish Vocational Services and, for Vlad, a weekly 1:1 meeting with a volunteer trained in ESL.  

Neila began a job in early March with Watertown Public Schools, where she assists Haitian students enrolled in the school.  She hopes to get a paraprofessional position with Boston Public Schools in the fall, and she is taking a required course to that end.  Neila has invited some of us to sample her Haitian empanadas, which are delicious!

Vlad hopes to get a job in a restaurant or food services department, and he is working with a volunteer to apply to restaurants in several neighborhoods in Boston.  In the meantime, he has begun weekly volunteering at Community Servings in JP.  He is eager to obtain a job as soon as possible, even if it is not in food services.  We were able to provide Vlad with a bike, helmet, lock, and lights, thanks to a donation from a friend in Roslindale.

The IJC continues to hope that Mirian, a Cuban applicant to come to the U.S. under Humanitarian Parole, will be approved soon to travel to Boston.  It has been a long wait (eight months to date) since we applied to sponsor her.  In the meantime, conditions in Cuba are dire, with food, medicines, and nearly all goods and services in short supply or not available at all.

We continue to seek donations to our Go Fund Me account, which helps us to provide financial support for Vlad, Neila, and eventually Mirian, until they are earning enough to support themselves.  Thank you in advance for any donations you can make!