Organization Profiles

Universal Human Rights International
31 Heath Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Tel: 617-824-5980,
Fax: 617-442-8784,
E-mail: ktorli@hotmail.com
Contact: Mr. Torli Krua

Background
UHRI was founded in Boston in 1998. The need for this center was felt at the height of the brutal Liberian Civil War. UHRI draws from the talents and resilience of war victims and assists them in building their lives and building capacity to build and strengthen their communities. UHRI provides access to services that are linguistically and culturally appropriate. Languages spoken by the 11 UHRI staff and volunteers include the four major regional languages used in Africa-French, English, Swahili, and Arabic-as well as German, Russian, Dan, Spanish, and Lingala. Africans of various nationalities are among the fasting growing refugee populations in the US today.
URHI is part of the managing partner program of the Massachusetts Health Research Institute, DBA, Third Sector New England. Through this program, MHRI has been UHRI's fiscal agent since late 1998, an arrangement which has helped enhance the organization's work, facilitating the handling of administrative work that can hinder assisting asylum seekers from Africa.

Mission/Goals
The mission of Universal Human Rights International (UHRI) is to assist refugees of wars to establish new lives in the United States. The goal is to fight for the rights of all people to be treated fairly and equally in their struggle against all forms of persecution, whether it is political, religious, social, national, ethnic, or racial. For the long-term solution, the UHRI also assists in the repatriation of refugees who desire to return to their homelands when hostilities cease.

Services
UHRI runs 4 programs: Legal Status, Education, Adjustment and Integration. Specific services include:
- Information referral to African refugees (Sudanese, Liberian, Kenyan, Congolese, Sierra Leonean)
- Monthly Newsletter / Monthly Immigration clinic (Collaboration with GBLS)
- Assistance to Liberian refugees with TPS (After School Program, Computer Classes)

War refugees face a paramount need for preventive health services and counseling for post traumatic stress syndrome. UHRI collaborates with agencies with the expertise to address these issues.

The UHRI Community Center is open Monday through Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm.