Amr Arafa looks just like another ordinary Asian guy. He leads an ordinary life like so many young people in the United States. But there is something extraordinary about him. He is of Egyptian descend and for a man his age, he has made a lot of impact in other peoples lives. His live journey in itself is packed with inspiration. While he was young boy of 8 years old, Amir lived with his parents in the wealthy nation of Kuwait. During this time, he enjoyed the privileges of the booming economy of Kuwait, with the GDP being at $10,000 per capita then. Unfortunately, when Kuwait was invaded by Sadam Husseins Iraq, his family had no option but to move back to Egypt, which had a GDP of $500 per capita. This was just the beginning of challenges for the successful entrepreneur. Amr Arafa moved to the US 11 years ago as a refugee. However, he is currently a permanent citizen of the United States. He is the brainchild behind the concept of EmergencyBnb.
As a refugee himself in a foreign country some years back, Amr knows what it is to feel unloved and unwanted in a foreign country, He has gone through it all. His resilience is something to be emulated by all. What is striking about the Harvard graduate is the fact that he managed to thrive in a completely foreign land with a foreign language, foreign culture taste; and just about everything was foreign when he came to the US. He knows how painstaking it is for refugees to settle in a foreign country. Thats why he came up with EmergencyBNB. He believes in using opportunities to help other people. He was even afraid of going back to his home country when he came back to the United States. By 2015, he had not seen his mother in 8 years. Reason? If you leave the country you may not be able to come back -his friends often told him. This was a scary possibility especially considering the fact that coming back to the United States would require embassy stamping for reentry. This was highly vulnerable to rejection at the embassy.
You might have probably heard about EmergencyBNB. Perhaps the most famous definition is that It is an army of people who keep their homes and hearts open in case another person needs to walk through. A computer engineer manager by profession, Amr Arafa believes that it is not about doing what you can, but its really about doing what you are good at to serve a cause. He believes in making a difference with his gifts and skills by passionately working to achieve a particular cause in peoples lives. He says that several factors motivated him to come up with his brilliant idea. For example, was the case of a Hungarian TV reporter tripping a refugee father while carrying his son, and kicking a refugee girl as they were fleeing into Hungary. This shook him out of his senses. My heart was torn. Women normally carry a higher moral standard in society. Women are usually more compassionate and empathetic; you know this innate mother instinct. How could a woman do that! Did she not see that the man was carrying a boy! Did she not realize she is kicking a 9-year-old helpless girl? For me this was very powerful. It was a very accurate representation of the refugees plight. I literally cried. I had to do something. he said.
Amr Arafa founded his company in August 2016. He is attempting to find individuals to host displaced people, or refugees in DC. Just 15 individuals are enlisted on the site to host refugees. None of them has hosted one yet. DC has never been an appealing spot for refugees. Yet, EmergencyBNB is working in other states such as Texas. Several people are willing to host homeless strangers. Many people keep on enlisting in his website to take in one or more refugees. The website is a powerful link between those who have big hearts and those who need to find love in other peoples homes. As Amr Arafa puts it, EmergencyBNB is not about the government giving you a space to stay, its about the fact that your neighbors care about you.
Several people have endorsed Amr Arafas website.For example, some of the volunteers willing to take in the refugees in their homes have had a lot of exciting experiences. "And I think in a time when a lot of people feel unwelcome in this country, or in various communities, that it is very important to make a statement and say: You are welcome here. We love you. We care about you, says a happy Daniel and his wife Geneviere Paracki. They are not the only ones willing to preach hope and love to the world. "The day I put my home on EmergencyBnB, I felt a sense of peace" says Natalie Perdue with a broad smile on her face. These are just but a few heroes of EmergencyBNB. Thousands have shown the willingness to support refugees especially after Trump took over office as the president of the US.
He has been described as a man with a big heart. His story has featured several times in many news outlets such as CNN, ABC and the Huffington Post to name just but a few. I would never be where I am right now if the professor didnt help me, he says speaking of a man who hosted him and helped him apply for university while he was still an illegal immigrant. He believes that his turn to help other refugees has come. He himself has hosted refugees in his small apartment. Thousands of people experience violence every day in the United States. We could certainly help them to find a more loving family to stay with for a while, says the 34-year-old Arafa.
According to an interview with Emily Arnold-Fernandez, a young lawyer who has received several awards for her outstanding work in fighting for refugee rights, it is not illegal to help refugees. I believe in a revolutionary model of legal aid for refugees, she says. However, in the current policies of the United States under president Trump, it appears it would soon be an illegal thing to host refugees of any illegal immigrants. This is likely to frustrate the efforts of EmergencyNBR. For example, the Trump administration is planning to deport any undocumented immigrants. There has also been a steep decline in the number of refugees being taken in by the United States during the reign of Trump-a stark contrast to the Obama administration.
Refugees are human beings and seeking asylum is our right, says 17-year-old Fatma, a refugee from Syria. I have heard about EmergencyNBR. May God bless Amr Arafa, she says. This is evidently a sign that EmergencyNBR is set to change thousands of lives in future. The website has already received wide publicity in the social media and from the look of things, Arafa has ambitions to let the good news spread throughout the United States. Clicking and sharing the word is a bare minimum, donating money is a step up, but dedicating your core competency and skills, whatever you have, towards a cause will really make a big difference, says Arafa.
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