Refugee Stories
“My name is Rosine and I’m a 22 year old student at Bluegrass Community and Technical College working on my Associates in Applied Science majoring in Surgical Technology.
Life in a strange land has been an obstacle. I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and fled during the 1996 Civil War. Since then my family and I have been seeking a safer environment to live. We lived as refugees in South Africa and survived 2010 Xenophobic attacks. Coming to the United States of America has helped although getting accustomed to the culture has been a challenge. I have faced racial slurs and ignorant comments about me being African.
I pity those who fail to educate themselves on world issues and learn to accommodate people who are different from them. I have a 4years old daughter who is so adorable. She gives me the strength to push through life. Giving up would be giving up on her. I had the help of KRM in Lexington, Hands, Step by Step and so many other organizations that have kept me achieving greatness.
Today I stand to say that no matter what the world throws at you, if you stand firm in your beliefs and fight for what is right, you will be successful. By spreading peace and love as well as educating our youth and stopping those who impose threats to humanity we can become One Nation.”
“Hello my name is Idiris. My family was originally from Somalia, but due to the civil war in the country, my family left when I was 10-years-old. After this, I grew up in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Life in the camp was difficult because we were not free to leave the camp or to travel or make a secure life for ourselves. The resettlement process was long and involved many, many interviews. Compared to the large number of people in the camp, so few are ever resettled. I was so excited when I was chosen to come to the United States—to the land of opportunity at the age of 22.
As soon as I arrived, I was motivated to find work and I held a temporary job at UPS then worked for Amazon. After hearing of concerns in the Somali community with transportation issues, I decided to open my own Taxi Company, Derby City Taxicab LLC, 4 years ago. It has grown and is so successful that I have decided to pursue another business venture and open Amazing Children Learning Center II LLC for the Somali and American community to have a safe and caring place for their children during the day. I am also the president of the community support group, Somali Youth of Louisville. My dreams are big and I want to help my community!
I used to hear that America is the land of opportunity and it is true! You can be whatever you want to be here. I am the proof!”
“Hello, my name is Waleed and I am a Kentuckian from Basra, Iraq. I was born in a Christian neighborhood in Iraq with many people of different backgrounds and religions. I enjoyed growing up together and reading books with them.
In 2008 I started working for the US Military as an interpreter and cultural advisor. All of the soldiers were my best friends. I would relay logistical messages between the military and their contracted services. I would also provide cultural details that helped the military integrate better into the community. It is very dangerous for interpreters to live in Iraq if they have been helping the US military. Even our families were in danger.
After being threatened, I decided that I needed to escape Iraq in order stay alive. The US military provided 6 or 7 recommendation letters for me to escape to the US. The application process took me 5 years to complete because of all of the screenings. With the US military’s support I completed the refugee resettlement process and arrived in Ohio in 2014. Then I moved to Kentucky in 2016 because I have friends here.
People of Kentucky are always smiling and ready to help and look at you as a human which was something I was missing in Iraq. I feel like I can have the American dream here. My dream is to start my own business here, like I did in Iraq. I want do something good and help the people here while respecting the law and constitution of America. My wife and four children are still in Iraq and I worry about their safety.
We all deserve to live in decency. I applied last year for my wife to come and she has been approved by Homeland security but is still waiting on a visa. I look forward to the day we can all be reunited together in safety and continue living the American dream. We will all live together as Kentuckians.”