In early July, Casa Marianella was excited to give a tour to an international group focused on cross-cultural exchange. The staff were energized to have this group learn about our work and hear about the experiences of the residents at Casa first hand. We gathered several residents to warmly welcome the group. Yet, as the [...]
This week, we're sharing a powerful poem by Muna Abdulahi, a Somali-American poet and child of refugees. Muna wrote the poem 'The Unwritten Letter from my Immigrant Parent' which reflects the nuanced love, hope and hardship that exists in many immigrant families. Thank you, Muna, for sharing your incredible gift with the world. You can [...]
This week we are sharing a beautiful 360 story by the award-winning author, Khaled Hosseini. Khaled wrote Sea Prayer as a way to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian child who drowned while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to safety in 2015. It has been 5 years since the [...]
Today, we’re sharing just a few incredible resident stories, as part of a longer series from our Case Manager, Lily Dayanim. Lily is a talented photographer and digital storyteller who took the time to interview Casa residents and hear about their often terrifying, challenging and inspiring journeys to the United States. Each story is unique, [...]
I turn onto Gunter street, enveloped by the stifling heat of Austin in August. I couldn’t tell you if I’m sweating from the heat or because I’m nervous for my first day serving at Casa Marianella. Despite my attempts to arrive with a completely open mind, I repeatedly ask myself, “Will I be able to [...]
It's been a busy, busy couple months for Casa Marianella. News began to spread far and wide that Casa was over double it's capacity as the border crisis continued to see record numbers of migrants being sent to detention - over 144,000 migrants apprehended or denied entry into the U.S. in June — the largest [...]
At Casa Marianella, we shelter immigrants and asylum seekers in needs from across the globe: from Iraq to El Salvador, Eritrea to Mexico. We're committed to helping our residents stand on their own two feet again and become fully self sufficient in the ATX community and beyond. American Gateways has been largely impactful for our [...]
We're sharing 10 powerful excerpts and quotes from immigrant writers of all different backgrounds and faiths, in hopes that it will help inspire more change in the way we perceive and interact with our immigrants brothers and sisters. "you have to understand, that no one would put their children in a boat unless the sea [...]
At Casa Marianella, we offer many services, ranging from legal support to housing to ESL courses to help our residents get comfortable speaking in English in their new community. Our ESL classes are in the evenings from Monday to Thursday and are open to the greater Austin community. We asked our wonderful ESL students what [...]
What a year it has been for Casa Marianella. There have been highs and there have been lows for our community, but we have made it into 2019 with our heads held high and so much hope for the future of our nonprofit and the immigrants we serve. Without your support, we would not be [...]