A world of difference: Mentor a Refugee Mother-to-be.

Rev. Drew 0

Priscilla Project is one of my favorite difference-makers in the city. Mentoring pregnant refugee women is a very effective, low cost way to improve our neighborhoods not only in the short-term, but over generations.

The following is a testimonial from another mentor:

"In June 2009, I was at home with my one-month-old baby, experiencing the ups and downs of new motherhood. Around the same time, Poe Meh, was leaving Ban Mai Nai Soi, a refugee camp on the Burma/ Thailand border, and heading to America. Neither of us knew it, but our paths would unite that December, through The Priscilla Project.

"I'm 12 years older than Poe Meh, and we don't speak the same language, but we quickly became friends. Her little son, Play Reh, and my son, Luca, enjoyed many play dates together. Poe Meh and I tackled WIC shopping, and I accompanied her and her husband, Poe Reh, to many doctors' visits. During a sonogram in late January, the technician noticed Poe Meh's amniotic fluid was low. We scheduled a follow-up with a specialist, but Poe Meh never made to that appointment. Her little girl, Oo Meh, was born on February 6th at 33 weeks, weighing only 3.12 lbs. She stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 13 days.

"Oo Meh is home now, weighs over 7 pounds, and is absolutely precious. When I see her, I feel overwhelmed by the miracle of her birth...a miracle that, by such an amazing twist of fate, I got to be a part of. I have learned so much since I met Poe Meh and her family - about the plight of the Karenni people, about the political strife in Burma, and even about WIC, HEAP, and DSS. But mostly importantly, I have learned that, if you are willing, God will use you as an instrument of peace and hope in this world."

The Priscilla Project is a program for pregnant refugee women. Women in TPP receive the opportunity to be mentored, have a doula at her birth, learn life skills, and participate in meaningful education activities. Vulnerable women in the midst of resettlement are connected to women in the Buffalo area in order to help them overcome the emotional and physical challenges of life in a new country.

If you are interested in being a mentor, please contact nikki.hitchcock@jrm-buffalo.org. There has been a recent increase in referrals and there is an immediate need for mentors.