<article class="content"> <p>As a former elementary educator with 20 years of teaching experience, Kari Miller had spent years working with ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language) students in her community. As she witnessed the number of refugee students in her area continue to rise, she also saw the lack of resources available to them, and the obstacles they and their families faced outside of the classroom. She knew something needed to be done.</p> <p>So, in 2015, Kari founded <a href="https://internationalneighbors.org/">International Neighbors</a>, an organization dedicated to equipping Charlottesville’s refugee and SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) neighbors with the skills and networks they need to move from surviving to thriving.</p> <p>Since then, International Neighbors has served over 800 refugee and SIV neighbors living in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County.</p> <h1>Q&amp;A</h1> <h3>Your name:</h3> <p>Kari Anderson Miller</p> <h3>Name of organization:</h3> <p><a href="https://internationalneighbors.org/">International Neighbors</a></p> <h3>Location:</h3> <p>Charlottesville, VA</p> <h3>What communities does your organization serve?</h3> <p>Refugees and SIVs from Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Bhutan, Burma, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Colombia, and Syria.</p> <h3>What are you most excited for in 2020?</h3> <p>Having the support of the Hello Neighbor Network, knowing that there are other Women Warriors/SHEroes who are sacrificing much to make lives better.</p> <p>For International Neighbors specifically, we are excited about our new office home that can offer increased programs and services to the refugee and SIV community in order for them to achieve the healthy independence that they crave. We are also excited to have more experience and examples to showcase the strength, beauty, and resilience that refugees bring to our communities.</p> <h3>How has your organization benefited from the Hello Neighbor Network?</h3> <p>Immensely. It has been wonderful to join forces with other like-minded grassroots organizations, using our collective voices and experiences to make the U.S. the welcoming and educated country that all of us deserve. To quote one of our other Network partners, <a href="https://www.helloneighbor.io/hello-neighbor-network-spotlight-mary-poole">Mary Poole</a>: “This work can be hard on many levels and the ladies in this group bring me the love and light to keep pushing and to be better.”</p></article>