In this episode, we at the Podcast of the Plague Year were granted the opportunity to record interviews with two organizations assisting refugees that have been relocated to Arizona - RICE and Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest. 

Refugees are those who have been forced to flee their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion. Almost 3 quarters of a million refugees have been resettled in the United States since 2008; they often come with very little resources to begin life anew once resettled. Life for refugees during resettlement comes with hope, but also the struggles to learn a new language, navigate new employment and educational systems, and integrate into a new society. It is easy to imagine how a pandemic could intensify already existing struggles.