Imagine living in a war torn, politically unstable country where there is so much violence that you are afraid for your safety. Imagine having to make the hard decision to flee your country at the first opportunity without any of your belongings or money. This is the life of a refugee.

The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”

Some refugees who found themselves in Spokane have benefited from World Relief Spokane. The organization is part of an international, Christian-based, nonprofit that advocates for and helps integrate refugees into America. World Relief Spokane has welcomed nearly 12,000 refugees to Spokane since 1992.

The overall work of World Relief Spokane is to provide newly arrived refugees and other immigrants with access to basic necessities and education, like financial literacy, English classes, training in public transportation and employment.

But what if you are a pregnant refugee or just had a baby? World Relief Spokane has support for these women as well.

A new tradition

World Relief Spokane started hosting baby showers four years ago as the brainchild of Melissa Stipek and the Community Ambassador program. Stipek is the Friendship Center manager at World Relief Spokane and refers to the Community Ambassadors as “the fun side of World Relief.”

“We noticed that many newly arrived refugee women were pregnant and lacked essential baby items or a community to support them,” Stipek said. “For many of these moms, baby showers are something new since it’s not a tradition in their own culture.”

Stipek explained that the female-only showers started off with just seven moms but now welcome up to 20 mothers at each event held twice a year. The women are from a variety of countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela, the Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and more.

More than diapers

“Our goal is to give them the full experience of a traditional baby shower and a day focused on joy, celebration and connection. It’s all about having fun, feeling supported, and knowing they’re not alone on their motherhood journey,” Stipek said.

Christi Armstong, the executive director of World Relief Spokane, said the baby showers are a bright spot in the work the staff and volunteers perform.

“It’s always lovely to see women from different countries and cultures come together, united by the love of babies and the celebration of life.”

Armstrong said the celebrations are a day of making meaningful community connections to show the new moms they are not alone in this country. Each mom leaves with at least $500 worth of essential items, such as strollers, diapers, baby hygiene products, gift cards and more.

“These celebrations are made possible thanks to the generosity of our church partners and the Spokane community, who consistently show love and support for our refugee families,” Armstrong said.