At the Receiving End

Sub-Saharan African refugee women have become a significant group in Western countries over the past 20 years. Their plights and successes have been reported by service providers. This study intended to uncover the meaning refugee women from the Great Lakes region of Africa attribute to being recipients of services during the first 4 months of their resettlement in the United States. Social constructivism was used as the theoretical framework for understanding the refugee womens experience. This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach. Findings revealed the impact of pre-resettlement experiences on the meaning refugee women give to the phenomenon under study. Underlying the major themes were two threads: the fear of annihilation and the need for self-preservation. The key constructs of powerlessness and cultural differences were shown to have an impact on the experience of receiving services in final resettlement. Practitioners, educators and policy makers will appreciate the importance of understanding the refugee womens experience of receiving services in order to develop and provide culturally responsive refugee services.