Refugee Care Collective Team
Megan Cegla – Founder & Executive Director
For nearly fifteen years, Megan has served refugee families resettled in Portland, Oregon. She was first connected with a family of eleven from Central African Republic. Through weekly visits, Megan walked with this family and others as a friend and advocate, learning from their experiences transitioning to life in the United States and becoming familiar with the gaps in care for those fleeing war, persecution, and unrest.
In 2015, Megan founded Refugee Care Collective to meet the needs of the refugee community, coordinating efforts for faith communities, businesses, and schools. Through her leadership, Refugee Care Collective programs have been nationally recognized as best practices, and organizations across the country have developed programs based off of the model she created. Megan speaks to national audiences on resettlement and community partnerships, and hopes to revolutionize refugee care both in Oregon and on a national level. She has long believed in the power of collective, the value of long-term presence, and the opportunity every person has to help rebuild that which has been lost or broken.
Maha Bahamdoun – Director of Community Partnerships
For over twenty years, Maha’s career with the United Nations has provided her with the opportunity to work on the design and implementation of development programs in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe, pursuing what she cares about the most: improving peoples’ lives and livelihoods through better access to opportunities. Her work on peace, security and development has provided her with the analytical framework and hands-on experience on how best to address the inter-related concerns resulting from poverty, environmental degradation and human displacement, and provide long-term solutions that fall within the context of the overall development trajectory of a country. Since 2020, she has volunteered to support the resettlement of refugees in Houston, Texas where she lived prior to moving to the Portland metro area in 2022.
Maha’s international and domestic experience has strengthened her conviction that the work of resettlement requires a commitment to work alongside the newly resettled, for many months and perhaps years, following their arrival in the United States. Her inspiration to support and serve refugees through Refugee Care Collective, stems from that commitment. She looks forward to working closely with the greater Portland community and contribute to the work of Refugee Care Collective, through targeted support that ensures that every resettled refugee successfully transitions to a dignified, independent and productive life.
Yinka Dawson – Relational Programs Manager
Since the conflict affecting people from Syria became global, Yinka has been on a journey to come alongside those that have been forced to flee their country of origin. This led her to study International Politics and Human Rights and work with unaccompanied minors who were seeking asylum and refugees in the UK. Following this, she moved to Tyre, Lebanon to work with those who were refugees there. From creating restart kits with her community to living and working in the UK and Lebanon, her hope is that those who have to flee their homes will be welcomed into their new community, by a collective, and have a chance to heal and rebuild. She provides training and support to volunteers and ensures that clients, volunteers and partners receive adequate support.
Ashley Mikhail – Resource & Relief Program Manager
After visiting refugee camps in the Middle East, Ashley was deeply touched and began to look for ways to help families being resettled in her community. Through walking alongside a couple families, she observed how difficult it can be to adapt to life in a new country, how friendships can help make the path forward a bit less challenging, and how meaningful restart kits can be. Ashley has worked for multiple non-profits and has been a core team member at Refugee Care Collective for over five years. She now oversees the Restart Kit Program and the coordination of in-kind donations, and loves seeing members of the community show up to support our new neighbors as they rebuild their lives.
Marzia Afzal – Programs Specialist
After conflict forced Marzia and her family to leave their country, she went to work with prominent global non-profits to support and empower refugees in their times of need. She had opportunities to work with many young women to support their health and education. Now, after living in the Portland-area for many years and with the development of recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine, Marzia continues her ongoing efforts to assist our newest community members. Through Refugee Care Collective, she identifies and works closely with families and youth who need mentorship and support so that they can rebuild their lives and thrive in their new homes.
Partners
We partner closely with all local resettlement agencies to serve and meet the needs of refugee families and individuals. These resettlement agencies work in partnership with the federal government to resettle refugees in Portland, Oregon.
• Catholic Charities of Oregon
• Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
• Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization
• Lutheran Community Services Northwest
We are also honored to partner with Oregon Department of Human Services in this work.