The Refugee Crisis Team Reunited for The Phoenix

October 19, 2012-Mid-way in Jim Purcell's interviews for Hope of the Phoenix (his book-in-progress), a former U. S. Refugee Program team member initiated a lunch/reunion for the refugee team/pioneers. Members of the team of the formative years of the U.S. State Department's Refugee Program bureau met in a Washington restaurant. Many of them continue to work and/or reside in the area. The lunch meeting was their first social and book-related reunion. 

 

 

Hope of the Phoenix: Turbulent Beginnings of U. S. Refugee Program

In 2012, Jim Purcell began to interview key peope for his work in progress, Hope of the Phoenix...


in the resurgence of U. S. refugee crisis response and establishing a new U. S. State Department Refugee Program (RP). . 

Most of the team worked together between 1979 and 1986, when Jim departed as director of RP.

Many of the team continue to work and/or live in the DC area.

The main Team for early bureau setup (U. S. State Department Bureau for Refugee Programs-1979)-policy, personnel national and international, budget, programming, field work, U.S. Congressional hearings, funding allocations, travel papers, crisis response readiness, flights, communications, resettlement, return, camps, inter-agency cooperation, ...

 

...collaboration with citizen sponsors, U. S. state governments involved, domestic and International voluntary agencies, religious institutions and groups, education/ESL, training, medical...

...interpreters, administration, rescue operations, international law, family reunification, host countries, boat people, pirate attacks, governments, UN, US Department of State/RP (now PRM)...and more.