You may remember Saad, he once worked for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during the Iraqi war, then started a successful business in Baghdad, which was appropriated by the government in its war with religious extremists.

A few years ago, he was targeted by terrorists and had to flee the country to a United Nations  camp. He had to leave his wife and family behind. He made his way to Los Angeles, but without any family or resources, could not afford to live there. Friends drove  him to Albany, where, penniless he shared a room with another refugee.

He was often hungry and cold, and showed up at RISSE, the refugee and immigrant center, shivering in a spring jacket. Two weeks ago, we paid for a deposit and first months rent in a clean and safe one-bedroom apartment outside of Albany. Saad loves the apartment, but was totally cut off from his family and culture, he is the only person in a huge apartment building who speaks Arabic.

With your help, we helped him settle in. We got him an Iphone 6 in a sweet trade-in deal, we brought him a new 32 inch cable TV, prints and paintings for the walls, groceries, a cable connection  so he can watch Arabic channels, and a fan. And this week, our final gifts, a spring jacket from L.L. Bean and two books of Arabic short stories, and two Arabic-English dictionaries, one illustrated.

So now he can read, talk on the phone or watch TV  in his apartment. You are an American now, for sure, I kidded.

He left eight children behind in Iraq, now he can cal them whenever he wants. He loves Facetime.

Saad wants you to know how much he appreciates this support, he says he wants to make it on his own now, and can. Despite some serious illnesses – heart disease and diabetes – he wants to work. He wants to pay his own way.

We have moved on to some other needy cases.  Hawah, who was living in a homeless shelter a little more than a  week ago,  is moving into her new apartment on Thursday, I hope to be there. We are still talking to landlords, looking for the right apartment for Amranaso. She was tortured by the Syrian Army in Iraq before escaping to Turkey, where she nearly died crossing the mountains alone.

We are working this week to pay down or pay off some debts she acquired so she can have a clean start when we find her an apartment. She has a job.