May Be Awkward, but It Has to Be Said
Belise Nishimwe was 5 years old when she arrived in the U.S. She was born in a Tanzanian refugee camp, the daughter of genocide survivors.
Tag: Refugee
Jewish Children Please Stand Up
Leslie and Eva Aigner’s childhood were marked by horror. Born in different parts of Czechoslovakia as Nazi soldiers took hold, the two took very different paths to
Surviving A Minefield Of Terrors
Too often the stories of refugees from ravaged lands force us to confront unimaginable suffering, terror, and trauma. Binh (Ben) Thach harbored such a tale in
Living the World in Color
In February, 2021, Nyibol Bior published a children’s book called “My Beautiful Colors.” She chose the title because, “Colors are metaphors
Fabric, Nyarugusu, Tanzania
Jeanette Amisi Mmunga: when the world unravels before you and even your dreams are crumbling stones when everything you dare to touch is set on fire and all
Birth Certificate, Goma, DRC
Johana Amani: I lost my birth certificate while fleeing for safety from my home country Congo, DRC. I never thought I would lose my sense of belonging
Bowl, Central African Republic
Mariamou’s Abdoulye: It’s called tummude and we use it to hold milk. In the Fulani tradition we use it every morning to milking our cows or where we carry the […]
Shirt, Makamba, Burundi
Olive Bukuru: This was the shirt I was wearing when my family first got on the 1st bus from Nduta Camp to another camp to be screened before we arrived […]
Hands, Mtabila Camp, Tanzania
Belise Nishimwe: Bird Call He taught me how to wrap my hands into one like two seas that clash with one another to form a cave
Fleeing Hatred, Finding Home
The sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church in Southwest Portland is a cavernous space, and on Aug. 16, 1958, the pews bulged as Evelyn Diamant
A Nation Without Borders
Shabnam Rostami stood in her backyard with her children, watching the Oregon International Air Show. Suddenly, childhood memories
Leave Home and Don’t Come Back
Reza Uddin was born in the epicenter of the Burmese government’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims. For the first years of his life,
Standing Firm Against Persecution
For as long as she can remember, her Asian features had made Hadia Sadiqi a target for ostracism in her native Afghanistan. Anyone who saw her knew instantly
A Way Around Closed Doors
“Always find a way to climb back up,” says Souleymane Adam, reflecting on what he has learned as a survivor of genocide. “And not back up to where we came […]
A Continued Love for Learning
As Rekesh Subedi’s family prepared to leave Nepal for the United States, he talked excitedly with his friend about travelling on planes. “I told him, when you see a plane […]