Background

You have seen the pictures. The small boy washed ashore on the beach in Turkey. Dead. The stunned child in Aleppo in the orange chair, feet dangling, covered in soot and blood. And in Afghanistan, innocent victims of a car bombing in Kabul.

These are the haunting images from the Syrian and Afghanistan wars. These conflicts have caused the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. Almost nine million Syrians and Afghans have fled their countries.

We hope you have also seen the stories of some of the Syrian and Afghan families who have resettled to the United States. Generous American hosts welcoming refugee fathers, mothers and children to a safe haven. And after a while, these families getting jobs, going to school and assimilating into their new country.

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Who We Are

In the spring of 2016, a coalition of Morris County area faith-based organizations came together to take action in this crisis. These were Christians, Jews and Muslims. The volunteer group is known as RAMP, for Refugee Assistance Morris Partners. RAMP is working with International Rescue Service (IRC), to bring Middle Eastern families to the Morris County area. We are in the business of giving these families hope for the first time in many years. We want to be a bridge to assist people to cross from one life to another.

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What We Do

RAMP provides a full range of core support services to assist the refugee families. These services include: welcome procedures; community orientation; finding employment opportunities; identifying appropriate social services; educational assistance (schools and English language instruction); transportation; and medical care.  Services also include raising, managing and judiciously distributing funds, and finding and furnishing suitable living arrangements. The objective is gradual independence for each of the resettled families.

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Our Goal

Our goal is to help as many families as our volunteer resources will allow. This is a huge problem, but we feel obligated by our consciences and our faith to do whatever we can to help, however small. If you give a family in distress a safe place they can call home, you have made a difference.

As of 2021, we have welcomed and supported six families, more than 20 people, including small children. It is so heartwarming to be part of their life stories here in the U.S. We have seen two of the families give birth to daughters in the U.S., brand new citizens. We watch with love and pride as the families learn English, get jobs, driver’s licenses, and go to school. They go from being refugees to being friends and neighbors.

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Our Members

RAMP members include Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Muslims, Jews, Presbyterians, Methodists, Mormons, Unitarians and United Church of Christ. Others are welcome to join.

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What You Can Do

Your organization can sponsor a family. This involves leading a team of volunteers (some from your organization plus others from RAMP) to support a family for up to a year. Financial support is provided by RAMP and others. Talents needed: welcoming, finding housing, providing household furnishings, transportation, tutoring in English, securing medical, dental, optical and other services. Volunteers can also help families meet other people related to their religion, nationality, profession and areas of expertise.

We always need people with leadership abilities, particularly in such areas as non-profit management, finance, marketing and social media communications. To volunteer email info@rampnj.org or click on VOLUNTEER (volunteer HTML).

We also need donations. In addition to the public support families receive, private donations are needed to help families in their first months of transition. For donations, RAMP is working as a special project fund of the Community Foundation of New Jersey. All donations are tax deductible. Financial donations may be made by check of credit card. To donate, click on DONATE (donate HTML).

At this time we do not need donations of clothing, household items, etc.

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