Project with a Purpose, in the midst of a Pandemic

One simple program named after a Bible scripture; Project 658 turned into one of Charlotte’s most notable organizations to help refugee families.

Twenty-seven men had an idea to build a new ministry center in Uganda, and the number of bricks they used to build it? You guessed it: 658. The hands of people who created this new ministry inspired a new generation of leaders to create a spacious, sheltered place on the corner of Central Avenue. What a coincidence that John 6:58 reads, “I am the Bread of Life, whoever eats this bread shall not die but will live forever.”

Although the non-profit organization is faith-based and based on the work of Christianity, they are inclusive to all religions, says Sarah Atwell, program director at Project 658. Volunteers let future clients know that everyone who enters the program will get exposure to scripture, yet will make accommodations for those who don’t want to be exposed to religion.

Nearly 150,000 people who live in the Charlotte area are foreign-born. Most of their services, such as culinary classes, an after-school program, sewing classes, and their soccer league have been put on pause due to the pandemic. But this did not stop them from figuring out ways to continue their work on the primary focuses of Project 658: economic development, child development, and mental health.

Like many businesses, when the pandemic first hit, employees had to close their doors. The board members took time to regroup to think of programming outside of the building on Central Avenue. When Project 658 found out that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools would be online for the Fall, they created a “Micro-School,” which has been their biggest program since COVID-19.

The alternative learning option was opened to at-risk elementary school students in a Charlotte neighborhood just down the street from the Project 658 center, where many of the refugee families are housed.

Atwell says the organization rented an apartment and transformed it into a small schoolhouse where elementary school students attend to be helped with virtual school learning. But the organization does not leave out the older kids either. The Project 658 center has a room made just for high school students to do their virtual work as well.

“It’s really about how people from both sides can pour into each other,” said Atwell. Working with Project 658 has helped her learn about the mutual benefits of cross-cultural relationships. Atwell grew up in Charlotte and joined the Project 658 team in 2015. She was raised in a diverse neighborhood and says that she was naïve to the diversity and culture that was around her. The relationships she has created from working with the organization are one’s that would have never been found anywhere else.

Most of the clients, who even live in the same neighborhood as volunteers, have had an emotional impact on Atwell. One family, says Atwell, from Afghanistan, went through Project 658 for a long time and participated in every program that the organization offered. Atwell built a relationship with the mother of the family like no other.

“I helped them move houses, sign leases, taught them to drive, and took them to the DMV,” Atwell said. “The mother just shared really deep parts of her story with me.”

Project 658 is aware of the mental health crisis that has surged in the pandemic, especially among new refugees. COVID-19 restrictions make displaced children more vulnerable to health and psychological stresses that the pandemic has put on. Overcrowded living situations, lack of sanitation and inadequate health services have all contributed to an increase in refugees and migrants.

In April 2020, 39% of countries had closed their borders to non-residents, making it harder for refugees and migrants to escape the living conditions of their country and relocate. Prior to the pandemic, clinicians were seeing the negative effects of government public issues on refugees. Now, concerns about the mental health of refugees have drastically increased.

Just a 30-second walk from the Project 658 center, is a clinic they partner with that specializes in the physical and mental well-being of refugees and other at-risk individuals in Charlotte. The mental health services the clinic provides have become different since the pandemic.

Atwell says that they have not technically been more in use, but rather have shifted their focus. The clinic has seen more people with an increase of PTSD, anxiety about finances, or just overall uncertainty because of the pandemic.

“The number of refugees and displaced people is astronomically higher than resettled refugees,” said Atwell.

The process for refugees seeking a home in the U.S. has always been long and difficult, but with stricter borders, it has reached an extreme. Atwell and Project 658 have noticed that the past four years have been the most difficult for refugee families, and are interested in the changes the new administration has implemented.

“I think the pandemic has had some effect, but I think the greatest effect has been our administration,” she added.

Project 658 took an international program, Street Soccer League, and brought it to the East Charlotte area. Located in a sports court in a neighborhood nearby, the two leagues for at-risk men and women focus on personal development. The elements of soccer used from this program are also used to teach life skills and lessons.

“If we see you for more than three years, then we’re doing everything wrong,” said Atwell. “We want to get you in and get you through the programs that are setting you up to move on without us.”

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