Christ Community AME Church - This small Clarkston Church has provided recreational area for the RFS After School Program and Summer Camps.

Refugee Women's Network - RFS regularly supports RWN initiatives, attends its workshops, and confers with its staff on a number of issues facing refugee women.

DeKalb County Dept. of Family and Children's Services - RFS staff works closely with DeKalb DFACS, especially the Eligibility and Child Protective Services units.

Georgia Advisory Council on Refugee Resettlement - RFS has two representatives on this council and regularly attends its meetings.

Clarkston Interfaith Group - RFS is a member and hosts this interfaith group's meetings.

Health and Safety:
Wellness on Wheels - Mobile medical clinic comes to RFS weekly to conduct health screenings and provide health education workshops on an as-needed basis. RFS initiated this arrangement, accompanies patients, provides translation, and makes medical referrals.

Feminist Women's Health Center - Provides free health workshops at RFS for refugee women. RFS provides translation.

Safe Kids of DeKalb - Provides instruction on the assembly and proper use of child safety seats as well as availability of car seats at reduced price.

Kirkwood Health Center- a registered nurse conducts maternal health workshops for refugee women to help identify risk factors associated with pregnancy, and to assure that women learn about proper care during pregnancy.

Dr. Vanessa Phan – provides free workshops on oral health, and offers discounted dental health services to our clients.

Education:
DeKalb County School System – The RFS School Liaison Team rotates through more than 30 DeKalb schools providing interpretation during critical school/parent meetings in 8 languages, assisting with registration, and conducting cultural awareness training. RFS has membership on a DeKalb County elementary school council, the International Task Force Committee, and is a Partner in Education with McLendon Elementary School.

DeKalb Library System – Through Project R.E.A.P., a children’s librarian comes to RFS twice a week to work with refugee mothers and their pre-school children in educational activities.

International Community School - RFS staff assists in recruiting and registering new students, conducts cultural awareness training for the school’s staff, and provides translation and outreach to refugee parents. In addition, both RFS and the International Community School are SPARK partners. The SPARK program, sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation, is designed to improve school performance of vulnerable children.

Bank of America, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, and other banks provide financial literacy workshops for our clients to help them learn to manage their families’ finances.

Employment:
DeKalb Technical College’s Career Transition and Work Retention Partnership – RFS has had active representation in this initiative which seeks to work with community organizations and schools in developing new approaches to address the educational, training, and employment needs of their diverse constituencies.

Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Centers - RFS collaborates with Sheltering Arms in providing qualifies staff from refugee communities for job placement at the centers.

Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention:
DeKalb Rape Crisis Center - DRCC provides training on how to stop sexual assault for RFS staff, and RFS provides referrals and translation to DRCC for appropriate clients.

Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence – RFS is a voting member in this coalition to stop domestic violence.

International Women’s House – RFS refers women to this shelter for battered refugee women.

Tapestri – RFS is a member of this coalition against domestic violence.

Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence – This center assists RFS clients who are victims of domestic violence by obtaining TPOs (Temporary Protective Orders) for them.

Christ Community AME Church, St. Timothy United Methodist Church and Clarkston Methodist Church provide space in their facilities for RFS caseworkers to counsel domestic violence victims.

Youth:
Moving in the Spirit (MITS) – For the past three years, RFS & MITS have partnered to bring dance to refugee youth. MITS “Stepping Stones” Program has proven track record of promoting positive self-expression, encouraging self-discipline, and enhancing self-esteem. MITS currently provides weekly workshops to our 3rd-5th grade girls and middle and high school boys. The program culminates in a year-end performance at Atlanta’s Rialto Theatre.

Oakhurst Community Gardens – Has hosted an environmental education project for RFS Summer Camp students since 2002. Refugee youth partner with American youth on projects that include gardening, nutrition and environmental education.

Emory University and Agnes Scott College – These partners have provided countless volunteers to mentor and tutor youth in After-school, Summer Camp, and One-to-One Tutoring. Campus groups have sponsored sports camps and science enrichment programs for our youth; interns have created art clubs and multicultural arts curriculum for After-school students; and faculty has arranged campus tours for middle school students in Summer Camp. Student interns from both institutions have made valuable contributions to RFS programs.

DeKalb County Fire and Rescue – This community education program provides invaluable bicycle, pedestrian, water, and fire safety workshops to students in After School and Summer Camp.

Cornerstone International Youth Camp – Cornerstone provides scholarships for refugee teens to attend a three-week summer camp. The purpose of the camp is to bring together youth from all over the world to develop and foster youth leaders with a deep understanding of ethical, peace oriented leadership. Teens participate in challenging indoor and outdoor activities, intensive trainings and community-based projects.


Atlanta Refugee Youth Network (ARYN) – As a member of ARYN, an association of Metro-Atlanta refugee youth service providers, RFS meets monthly with six other agencies to discuss obstacles facing refugee youth in our communities and obstacles we face as service providers. We share ideas, information, and experiences to ensure that our programs best meet the needs of the youth we serve.

Americorps VISTA - The Corporation for National and Community Service Places AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers with Refugee Family Services to provide a year of service to the community. AmeriCorps VISTA’s work to put sustainable programs in place that will help bring the community out of poverty.

DeKalb County Workforce - Helps give refugee teens a chance to make an income during the summer while also working in the RFS summer camp.

University of North Carolina - Provides Robertson Scholars to our summer camp who serve as classroom leaders and student mentors.

University of Georgia - Offers a Civic Engagement for African Youth Summer Program which promotes leadership skills among African youth, enhances their network with youth peers of other African countries, creates interaction among them and UGA students and faculty with study and research interests in Africa, and introduces them to the learning environment UGA has to offer

Global Health Action - Has weekly meetings with our pre-adolescent refugee girls about health/wellness issues through summer camp. GHA also takes them on fieldtrips and help the girls to create a community service plan.

Clarkston Community Garden - Provides a garden plot for our summer camp students. They also allow us to provide our outdoor summer curriculum on their soccer fields.

Hands on Atlanta - Provides high students the opportunity to gain work experience by working in our summer camp.

Decatur YMCA - The YMCA provides soccer fun days for our refugee girls, as well as organized soccer teams for all of our students two times a week. They also proved scholarships for our staff to attend CPR training.

VSA Arts - Aids us in giving our students in the summer camp the opportunity to go on 7 different fieldtrips.

Atlanta Food Bank - Provides an economical way for our students to have snacks during after-school and summer camp.