February 19, 1999
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
On February 19, 1999, The Columbus Dispatch reported on the efforts of the YWCA Interfaith Hospitality Network in Columbus, OH to help Somalian immigrants get settled in the area. Since the 1991 civil war in Somalia, Somalis have been fleeing their homeland. The YWCA Network has helped 400 homeless Somalian families get settled in the Columbus area. The Network, with volunteers from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Baha'i communities, provides beds, meals, facilities for bathing and laundering, tutoring, and games for children. These Somalian immigrants, who comprise approximately one-fifth of the people the YWCA Network helps, are primarily Muslim and speak no English.