̽����ѡ

Today, we spotlight a cornerstone of the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta's programming, the Logistics team.

Photo: ̽����ѡ Atlanta

The ̽����ѡ (̽����ѡ) in Atlanta is known for supporting refugees to integrate and prosper as they work to rebuild their lives in Georgia. Behind these efforts is a committed staff of more than 150 professionals who bring invaluable skills and experience to our mission of guiding newly arrived clients through their first months in the United States. Today, we spotlight a cornerstone of the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta's programming, the Logistics team, whose work provides the foundation for helping our clients to become self-sufficient, thriving individuals within the Atlanta community. 

Meet the Team!

Amal Abdi, Logistics Manager 

Amal Abdi, originally from Somalia, first joined the ̽����ѡ as an interpreter in 2013.

Photo: Cory Hancock

Amal Abdi, originally from Somalia, first came to Georgia with her family in 2000 through the when she was 14 years old. She joined the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta team as an interpreter in 2013. As an immigrant herself, she was already familiar with resettlement agency services and when asked what called her to this work, Amal shared, “I had family members already in the line of work that were connected to ̽����ѡ themselves, so that’s how I learned about ̽����ѡ specifically.” A decade later, she leads a team of 20 extraordinary staff members who are among the first friendly faces our clients see when they arrive in Georgia. Between arranging airport pickups, securing housing and supplies, and contacting any family members that new arrivals may have in the Atlanta area, Amal’s team truly represents what “Welcome” means at the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta: “We play a critical role in ensuring that people have food as well as shelter and also ensuring they are able to access medical services through our transportation and interpretation support.” 

Like Amal, many Logistics staff members are immigrants or former refugees themselves, bringing with them a wide breadth of experience from all over the world—as such, Logistics staff collectively speak more than 20 languages including Arabic, Burmese, Rohingya, and Swahili. More cost-effective than remote interpretation alternatives, our interpreters help to make important steps in the resettlement process more accessible for the people we serve. Additionally, Logistics staff provide orientation services to new arrivals—including guidance on the —giving clients the tools they need to find their footing in their new home and begin their path toward self-sufficiency.  

When asked what she wants our supporters to know about the work we do, Amal highlighted that the experience our staff brings to this work is the refugee experience. “One thing as the department manager that has given me a lot of satisfaction and joy in doing is giving back in the sense of hiring individuals within the community who themselves were former refugees—possibly former clients—and being able to provide to them (…) an opportunity to advance their career, a starting point.” The ̽����ѡ in Atlanta’s staff represents what is possible for refugees when they are given the chance to share their many skills with all branches of the workforce. “There are so many people who came through ̽����ѡ as an interpreter—Dede is one of them, Omar. It opens a door to so many people. And enabling that for so many people has been really impactful for me.” 

Shaina Applewhite, Housing Coordinator

Shaina Applewhite supports the Logistics team as a Housing Coordinator.

Photo: ̽����ѡ Atlanta

Shaina Applewhite supports the Logistics team as a Housing Coordinator. Shaina began work at the ̽����ѡ in 2022 as a Case Aide after being referred to our office by a staff member she knew outside of work, and became a Housing Specialist three short months later. She again took on a new role as Housing Coordinator in February 2023 and now works with 15-20 apartment complexes in the City of Clarkston, as well as single-family homeowners, who provide essential housing for our clients arriving in the U.S. with no credit or rental history. “Amal is really good at seeing people’s strengths when they don’t, and she saw me. She saw I could do more.”  

Amal’s gift for eyeing and uplifting talent has yielded a team Shaina is proud to be a part of. “We have a great team, we really do,” Shaina shared. “And it’s so diverse, like—you wouldn’t expect Rothman and Aye to be best friends. Like, they are best friends. And Elodie and Suheib talk all the time.” The teamwork Shaina describes is something that Amal stresses makes this program so successful: “I don’t do this work alone. It's because of the team members who are out there night and day—literally—it's because of people like them that the wheels of Logistics continue to turn. I cannot thank them enough.”

“We have a great team, we really do.”

Photo: ̽����ѡ Atlanta

The Logistics team’s dedication to providing quality services to our clients does not come without challenges; with airport welcomes taking place at all hours of the day—and night!—followed by the ongoing support given to clients who have been through incredible hardship, Shaina believes, “With what I’ve seen around the office, you have to love what you do. I’ve heard Justin [the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta’s Executive Director] say it so many times, ‘You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t love it.’ If we did not love it, we’d find something else. But I love it, I do.” 

Samia Katun, Logistics Coordinator  

Samia Katun supports the Logistics team as a Logistics Coordinator.

Photo: ̽����ѡ Atlanta

Samia Katun supports the Logistics team as a Logistics Coordinator. Samia originally came from Somalia to Atlanta in 1994 at the age of four and though a former refugee, considers herself a Georgia native. “I like working with Logistics because it has opened my eyes to so many things. I am a refugee as well and the things that I was too young to realize—I remember my mom always struggling to take us to doctor visits—I have little flashes of when I was four years old. And now that I see kids going through this, it’s very interesting, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is what I was probably seeing.’” 

Samia joined the ̽����ѡ in the fall of 2021, following a strong desire to be more fulfilled with her work, and now works with Logistics and our partners at in furnishing homes for our newly arriving clients as well as providing them with all the basic necessities they need. Today, she is proud to embody the commitment our staff puts into providing quality services. “I’m scheduling airport pickups, making sure clients go food shopping the next day, making sure someone is there to take them to a doctor’s appointment, or a job orientation, making sure there’s an interpreter there. We show them how to use MARTA, the card, the bus, the app, everything, so that they can get there on their own. Rain or shine, just go.”  

"We show them how to use MARTA, the card, the bus, the app everything, so that they can get there on their own. Rain or shine, just go.” 

Photo: ̽����ѡ Atlanta

While the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta’s goal is to support our clients towards self-sufficiency, Samia emphasizes that the people we serve come through our doors with resiliency and self-preservation already within them. “The job is eye opening to what people have to go through—knowing they come through the airport on their own with very minimal coordination. A lot of the time, if a client doesn’t have a medical transport, they are literally doing it all on their own.” And while they are self-starters, she shared that our clients benefit heavily from the support that not only our staff offer, but also the donors and volunteers who make our work possible. “With all the donations they get, from furniture to the knick-knacks we put in their apartments (…) The clients see that, and they thank you.”&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;

To learn more about the work of the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the ̽����ѡ as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Director, Heloise Ahoure, at [email protected] or 678-636-8941.  

Stay connected to the ̽����ѡ in Atlanta! , and for announcements and upcoming events!