One of the things I love the best about my workplace is the philanthropic heart we seem to have as a whole. For years, Pop Labbers have partnered with different non-profit organizations in order to reach out to others and give back to the community.

This holiday season, Pop Labs adopted a refugee Karenni-Burmese family through the Interfaith Ministries of Houston. The Karenni are part of a group that has escaped from Burma (also known as Myanmar). These people have fled a military regime that the Bush administration had singled out as one of the most brutal in the world.

Many of us had never heard of the Karenni, nor had we had the opportunity to interact much with this courageous group of people. However, we had the privilege of meeting a lovely family of four- the Rey family- who, through their testament of perseverance and strength, gave us so much more than we could ever give.

The family consisted of Vi Reh and his wife, Pray Meh, whose eyes lit up as I approached them with the humble batch of gifts Pop Labs had put together for them (which included a 25 lb bag of jasmine rice!). The family was given $150.00 by fellow employees to purchase food and any necessities they may need, as well as blankets, shampoos, conditioners, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorants, and other personal items. Their four-year-old son, Klaw Reh, peeked curiously at the goodies, wondering inquisitively about their individual functions (it was seriously written all over his adorable little face!). As we watched him marvel, I sat with the family and their sponsors and tried my best to communicate with them with a few Karenni phrases I had picked up, trying to communicate our pleasure in helping them out this holiday season (I hope I succeeded! =P).

Refugee families, like Vi Reh’s, are given basic essentials by the American government. These include things like housing, beds, kitchenware, and clothes. They are then given only six months to find employment and become self-sufficient, all in a new country with a new culture and a new language. Organizations like Interfaith Ministries go beyond the call of duty and continually support the communities they build for refugees of over 200 countries.

Currently, Vi Reh and his family make hand-woven shoulder bags and sells them through organizations like Community Cloth of Houston and Hill Country Hill Tribers of Austin in order to make supplemental income. Each bag takes anywhere from 1-2 weeks to complete and profits are shared amongst the community members responsible for their crafts.

Vi Reh proudly showed me the tools that he used to create a green and lime shoulder bag that he soon handed to me to keep. I was amazed by their generosity, considering these bags are the source of their income.

I will keep in contact with the family and continue to visit them to see their progress and to continue to donate any items I can. If you are interested in helping out this family, or families like the Rey family, you may contact me via Twitter, or you can contact the Interfaith Ministries of Houston directly to learn how you can help a Houston based refugee family.

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