Social issues like global warming, deforestation and injustice in Darfur are prevalent in the media, but others lack coverage and public awareness.

Refugee resettlement is an issue that may be less known to television viewers. Screenings of Rain in a Dry Land, a film that takes viewers into the lives of two Somali Bantu families living in America, are combating this.

In the early ’90s, a civil war began in Somalia, enslaving many natives and taking away basic freedoms such as school and housing. Many of these slaves escaped to Kenya, looking for a way out.

With the help of the United Nations, thousands of these families are relocated to a better way of living, with the United States being one of the most receptive.

Rain in a Dry Land follows one family in Massachusetts and another in Georgia, showing how they cope with the American lifestyle.

The film will be shown at 7 p.m. tonight at Vintage21 church on Oberlin Road. Lutheran Family Services will host the event.

Jason Payne, an alumnus who works for the Lutheran Family Service, said one of the many things his organization does is help refugees resettle in Raleigh. He said this film is a good way to start raising awareness.

“Many people don’t know [about refugee resettlement],” Payne said.

Payne said there will be a question and answer session after the video with the staff from Lutheran Family Services and perhaps some of the Somali Bantu families who are living in the community.

He said many of the refugees even work for N.C. State, in the dining halls and laboratories.

“The church is where they get a network to the community,” Payne said.

With the help of many churches in the community, Payne said the Lutheran Family Service works to help refugees ease into American culture, teaching them English and generally just “being one of their friends.”

The film shows the intense struggle that these refugees must face each day after they have had their old lives stripped away from them.

“This film accurately depicts what our agency does every day,” Payne said.

He said he hopes many people will come to the film and be moved to do what they can to help refugees, even if it is something as simple as raising awareness for others.

One of the ways that students can get involved is volunteering at the Lutheran Family Services, especially with World Refugee Day coming up June 20th.