The International Institute of Boston (IIB) and its field offices in Manchester, New Hampshire and Lowell, Massachusetts have had over 7,000 refugee arrivals in the past 25 years and in the past year alone, have provided services to nearly 5,000 people from over 130 nations. The Institutes in Boston, New Hampshire and Lowell serve a large population of Somali Bantu refugees, as well refugees and asylees from Cambodia, West Africa, Afghanistan and Bosnia. IIB staff has found that many of the refugees come from social systems where the ideology concerning marriage differs from the American model. This differing ideology often causes a great deal of tension between partners throughout the acculturation process and there is therefore a great need for marriage education to ease the strain placed on couples and families and to further a successful integration into American life.

IIB currently provides individual and family counseling for domestic violence, financial abuse, parenting concerns, and other family issues to all arriving refugees. Staff members in IIB’s Resettlement and Social Services Departments have extensive experience in providing culturally competent counseling to newcomer individuals and families. IIB plans to enroll all newly arriving couples in the marriage education workshops and the agency will also conduct outreach to established refugee communities to generate participants. Among the many organizations with which IIB will work to promote RHMP is the Islamic Society of Boston, African Assistance Center, Bosnian Community Center for Resource Development and Lowell Lao and Cambodian Church Congregations.