Baha Sadr, Director
Email: bsadr@iiri.org  401-784-8611

Refugee resettlement is a humanitarian effort that benefits some of the most vulnerable people on the planet.  We offer a strong helping hand to families and individuals upon their arrival to accelerate their transition to become self-sufficient and active community participants. 

Through national and local partnerships with organizations and individuals from faith-based, public, and private sectors, our multilingual staff provides newly arrived refugees with:

Basic needs assistance (housing, food, enrolling in schools, etc.)

Cultural orientation and refugee skills building programs

Assistance accessing healthcare

Education and social services

Employment services (job training & placement)

Ongoing advocacy and case management

One of only two resettlement agencies in the state, International Institute Rhode Island resettles 90% of all Rhode Island refugees, primarily in the greater Providence area. We serve over 450 refugees each year from troubled regions all over the world.

The characteristics of our newly arriving refugees have been skewed towards families in great distress and need. Over the past few years, they have arrived, in many cases , with no literacy skills and significant physical or mental health issues. Many have literally walked off the plane with only the clothes on their backs and their documents.

Over 90% of our newly arrived adult refugees obtain employment within twelve months of their arrival. In the past three years we have welcomed refugees from : Burma, Burundi, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Liberia, Rwanda, Somalia, Togo, and the Ukraine.