Women Seeking Asylum

Women Seeking Asylum

Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE), which helps women seeking asylum,
will have a representative speaking at the May 12 meeting of the Harford County
Branch of the American Association of University Women. The 7:00 pm meeting
will be held in Room 165 of Edgewood Hall at Harford Community College
and is open to the public.

AWE provides transitional housing, companionship and community to
women seeking asylum by offering a safe and nurturing home, opportunities to
connect with in the larger community and each other.

Every year thousands of migrants arrive in the United States in search of
protection. The U.S.
government offers asylum to migrants who can prove past persecution or a
“well-founded fear of persecution” on the basis of race, religion, or
membership in a social group. Individuals granted asylum may reside in the United States
and after one year adjust their status to becoming Lawful Permanent Residents,
placing them on the path towards becoming citizens. Migrants applying for
asylum are known as asylum-seekers. Unlike a refugee, an asylum-seeker looks
for protection while on U.
S. soil. The asylum process is long and
lonely. Most of the women have no family in the United States. AWE volunteers
become their new family. They are supported during the long immigration process
with transportation and companionship.

The seeds of AWE began in January 2011 as a collaboration of
Catholic sisters from 9 Catholic women’s religious communities in Baltimore
working together to provide housing and a network to women seeking asylum. It
is a secular organization open to all women.

The American Association of University Women, sponsor of this
event, advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education,
philanthropy and research. For more information about the Harford County Branch
find us on facebook or go to the website:  harfordcounty-md.aauw.net .