PHOENIX — Moving to a new country with few resources while preparing to welcome a baby is a reality for many refugee families in the Valley.
To help them start over, the nonprofit Gathering Humanity hosted a baby shower Saturday for 25 expecting mothers. The organization hosts the event twice a year, providing refugee and asylum-seeking mothers with everything they need for their baby’s first year.
Volunteers handed out newborn kits filled with diapers, blankets, baby clothes, and upcycled strollers and car seats.
Tahmina Besmel came to the U.S. as a refugee from Afghanistan and attended the shower as a new mother in 2017.
"I was a new mom for the first time in a new country," Besmel said. "I didn't know anything."
Besmel said the event provides more than just supplies.
"The baby shower is not only for giving the necessary stuff, but it is all the education that a mom needs," Besmel said.
"During that event, I learned how to use a car seat,” she added. "I'm coming from a country that we never had it, and that was really important."
Besmel said that education became life-saving.
"I had a really bad accident, and like, really bad that my car flipped over," Besmel said. “Thank God, we all were good with a minor injury. But my kid was saved. She was, she was not even had, like a scratch."
Now, Besmel is paying it forward as a volunteer.
"What we receive, we give back," Besmel said. "This is rewarding. This is a proud moment. And I really, really happy with that."
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For many, the support means feeling safe after fleeing dangerous situations. Shaza, who asked ABC15 not to show her face to protect her family back home, is expecting a little girl.
"She's from Sudan, and she's been here since October 2023," an interpreter for Shaza said. "She's excited because she was able to join this baby shower so she can get the supplies. But she is actually excited because she is here between so many people that show her some love and care that she needs in like her new journey.”
Organizers started the baby shower in 2016.
"There was a huge refugee crisis internationally, and we were seeing an influx of people coming into Phoenix,” Dr. Uzma Jafri Refugee Baby Shower Coordinator with Gathering Humanity, said.
The need for support is ongoing, but Dr. Jafri says recent policy changes and ramped-up immigration crackdowns are having an impact.
"We've seen a drastic drop in from certain populations, and we know it's made a huge difference and an impact on people,” Dr. Jafri said. "So we are always talking to them. Hey, we're a resource that's out here for you, explaining to them that, hey, this is perfectly safe."
Expectant mothers who could benefit, or those who would like to donate or volunteer, can find more information on the Gathering Humanity website under the Refugee Baby Shower tab.
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