Dozens of people move into the region every yearm, and for them it's like they've entered a different world.

They are refugees from various faraway places with one goal in mind: live the American dream. Reaching that goal, however, isn't always easy.

Fortunately, the Diocese of Allentown Catholic Charities exists to help the refugees adapt to life here. The organization said there are 15 million refugees worldwide.

This year, the federal government will allow only 76,000 refugees to enter the United States. Around 70 will move to the Lehigh Valley.

“The UN definition [of a refugee] is someone who is facing or has been persecuted in some way by virtue of race, religion, political affiliation, ethnicity,” said Will Miller, the program administrator of immigration and refugee services at Catholic Charities of Allentown.

Many of the people who come to the U.S. have lived in refugee camps and have been forced by their government to work under harsh conditions.

Civil wars in Syria, Burma and other countries have forced many to look to America for help.

Moses Thlenga, who moved to Allentown from Burma just a year ago, said the Burmese government was forcing him to build a Buddhist temple.

"They don't give the money. They don't give the eat also," said Thlenga. "So five days, I do three day, next four days I can not do. No rest, no break."

“The military showed up the next day," said Miller, talking about another refugee. "[They] dragged him from his house into a small town square and beat him within an inch of his life. He was in the hospital for three months.”

This is just one of the many stories, according to Miller.

“We are in many ways isolated by living in America. We have oceans and essentially friendly neighbors to the north and the south," said Miller. "We're in many ways not in the midst of a lot of what is going on in the world.”

Catholic Charities of Allentown finds housing and jobs and helps each refuge adjust to life in America.

"They are like a sponge and they absorb it all and you can see it sinking in and you can see that they are just so glad to be free," said Miller.

"We live in Burma and nothing is free to go anywhere," said Lucy Reh. His family moved to Allentown from Burma. "You have to have a license to get a job. If you don't have a license, the police take you to jail."

So the first step to survival is learning English.

We'll have the story Wednesday of a first-year program run by the Allentown School District that is helping children and adults learn English.