Our Story
In the summer of 2016, the images and stories coming out of the Middle East were brutal. Syria was entering an uglier stage of its long civil war. Families across the country were running for their lives.
In Blacksburg, Virginia, the news broke our hearts. We imagined escaping life in a war zone with only what we could carry. We pictured making our way to a refugee camp only to find ourselves trapped in limbo, unable to work or provide for our children.
“There must be a way to help,” we thought.
Out of our desire to ease the suffering of strangers on the other side of the world, we formed the Blacksburg Refugee Partnership. We trusted that our college town in the Blue Ridge Mountains would throw open its doors for refugees in need of support, and we were right. Our first public meeting, at the Blacksburg Public Library in July 2016, was packed to overflowing.
With the help of over 300 members, a dozen local faith communities, and ten other local organizations, Blacksburg Refugee Partnership welcomed our first family from Syria in October 2016.
Two more families, from Syria and Afghanistan, soon followed.
Then an additional three single mothers and their children from Afghanistan.
We’ve also worked with the Roanoke Refugee Partnership to assist families from Burundi and Somalia who have resettled in the Roanoke Valley.
Blacksburg Refugee Partnership now supports more than 3 dozen refugees in southwest Virginia.
Our story, and theirs, is still being written. As the political crisis in Afghanistan boiled over in August 2021, BRP’s board agreed to invite three new families of Afghani refugees to Blacksburg. Some of them are former members of the Afghan Female Tactical Platoon. We hope you’ll join us in creating a safe haven for them here in southwest Virginia.