Topic: Personal Stories

Nov 29, 2016

Nerea, Oliver, and Eduardo have experienced more violence than any child should. In Honduras, they were stalked by MS13, a notorious street gang, and moved into their aunt and uncle’s home in a neighboring city in an effort to escape. But that was just the start.

Nov 4, 2016

“We became refugees in the first place because there was no democratic process, no freedom. So how can you stay in your house and say your vote doesn’t count?”

Sep 7, 2016

At 6 p.m. on Thursday evening, Karen Green is abuzz with last minute preparations. In just a few hours, she’ll be at Reagan National airport to meet the Syrian refugee family her congregation has spent the last 10 days anxiously preparing for.

Aug 10, 2016

It’s not an exaggeration to call the current refugee crisis global. Its effects are truly being seen worldwide. Meet Dannah, who fled her native Damascus with her mother and daughter and is now rebuilding her life in Ecuador, with help from HIAS.

Jul 25, 2016

After escaping persecution in Eritrea, Asmait made her way to Israel, where she became a custodian in a neighborhood school. Despite her hard work, the students teased her ruthlessly. Their attitudes changed only after a teacher asked Asmait to share her story with them. “It felt strengthening,” explained Asmait. “I knew then that the reason people are not happy to see us is just because they do not know our story.”

Jul 12, 2016

Even more than the perpetual smile on his face, Sebazira Amatutule is known for his eagerness to help others. After 17 years in a refugee camp, Amatutule was resettled to the U.S. with his two children. Despite working full time as a landscaper and raising two kids on his own, he always makes time to help anyone who asks. Amatutule’s inspiring story is now part of a photography exhibition at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.

Jul 6, 2016

When I walk into the cultural orientation session, intended to help prepare this group of Iranian refugees for life in the U.S., they are in the middle of a game. All of the participants, young and old, jump up and rush to find seats. One young woman, who is not trying particularly hard to find a chair, feigns disappointment at having to answer the next question.

Jun 20, 2016

Watch this beautiful Jewish-Muslim-Christian refugee story and meet Jalal, Kamal, and the community that welcomed them with open arms.

Jun 20, 2016

Before he became Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the Department of Homeland Security, León Rodríguez was the grandchild of Jews who fled anti-semitism in Poland and Turkey. “At the end of the day, refugees and refugee families are just like us, except in much more difficult situations,” Rodríguez says in an exclusive video interview.

Jun 14, 2016

Yankovskaya, who was once a refugee herself, started the Refugee Orchestra Project to showcase “the contribution that those who have come to this country seeking a better life have made.” Many of the musicians and singers are also refugees, like acclaimed soprano Lubana Al Quntar who hails from Syria.