The first family we visited is from Eritrea, a small impoverished country that was at one time a province of Ethiopia.  A civil war broke out against the Ethiopian government and fighting for Eritrean independence lasted for 32 years.  The mother and father met and married in Eritrea.  Their oldest son was born there while his two younger siblings were born in a refugee camp in Ethiopa.  The father said the camp conditions were horrible and that they lived there for six years before coming to Phoenix two short weeks ago.  The mother was very quiet and shy but indicated that she was very happy to be here in her new home.  During our visit, their three adorable children enjoyed tickling us and offered hugs.  When asked about his skills, the father stated that he was a carpenter and seems to understand a little English but is reluctant at this time to speak the language.  He is taking English classes and hopes to find a job soon to support his family. 

The second family we visited consisted of a mother and her two adult children.  Only the mother and daughter were home at the time.  Their homeland is Iran, but neither the daughter or son have been to that country.  Both the daughter and the son were born in Dubai but lived most of their lives in Oman.  After 15 yrs. in Oman, the family was deported due to their Bahá'í faith and moved to Yemen where they spent six years.  The daughter did not feel safe in Yemen and stated that there were no services for foreigners there.  They were able to work but were eventually blacklisted and not allowed to renew their Visas.  The agency helping them suggested that they move to Turkey.  They spent nine months in Turkey before coming to Phoenix in December, 2009.   The daughter has a degree in Business Administration while her younger brother completed three yrs. at the university level.  An older brother, who was an optometrist, also resettled in Phoenix at the same time and lives nearby with his wife and child. Another daughter is married and lives in Dubai.

The daughter is fluent in English as well as Farsi, Arabic and a smattering of Hindi.   Currently both the daughter and son are taking classes through the IRC to become interpreters.  The mother does not speak English but her daughter said she is hoping to get a sewing machine and notions (thread, needles, scissors) so she can make a few things.  The daughter is a wonderful artist and showed us several of her pieces that she'd photographed (she could not bring the originals with her to the states).  She would love to have a few canvases, brushes and oil paints while her brother, who is also artistic, would enjoy sketchbooks and artist pencils. 

Our third visit was with a large family from Rwanda.  Besides mom and dad, there are five daughters and one son, ages ranging between 4 and 22 yrs. old.  The parents do not speak English but their son is quite fluent and articulate.  They arrived in December, 2009 and are very happy to be in a country where they feel safe and have opportunities to improve their life.  They fled from Rwanda in 2003 after the father's family was killed (one brother survived and is imprisoned).  The father felt that his family was being targeted due to their being a mixed-tribe family and were oftentimes looked down upon and treated poorly.  They fled to Zimbabwe and spent seven years in a refugee camp.  The son worked in a warehouse, sorting and stacking the inventory.  While in Zimbabwe, the son was able to attend school through the 10th grade.  He would like to earn his GED because he feels it will help him qualify for a job.  He would like to find a job as soon as possible to help support his large family.  In the meantime, he helps his family and enjoys meeting new people.    He said he likes soccer very much and hopes to get soccer jerseys, cleats and a ball so he can play the sport with new friends.  Two of his younger sisters enjoy volleyball and tennis but do not have the equipment to play.   

The first family we visited is from Burma.  They are a family of 6; there are four children, a 10 year old boy, 7 year old girl, 4 year old girl and 3 year old boy.  Although originally from
Burma, they were forced to flee to Thailand in 1999 after their village was destroyed by the government army.  The father had been forced to work as a "porter" for the army on and off since he was 17, until he fled the country in '99.  They have been in Phoenix since September.

The second family is from Iran. They are two sisters, ages 28 and 22.  The 28 year old is the mother of a beautiful 4 month old baby daughter.  They came to the US from Turkey.  The 28 year old had been there for five years and the younger sister for 2 1/2 years before coming to the U.S. on January 25.  Their parents and siblings are still in Iran but they had to flee the country for religious reasons.  Both sisters are Christian.

The third family we visited are Bhutanese but came to the U.S. from Nepal.  They spent 18 years in a refugee camp in Nepal. There are two parents and two grown sons. They too were forced out of Bhutan by the government for religious reasons.

The first family visited came from Cuba via Mexico.  The mother was a lawyer/university teacher in Cuba and the father was a hair stylist with over 24 years of experience.  They have a 4 year old daughter.  On the day of our visit the mother had an appointment with a doctor to determine if they would perform an immediate cesarian section for the birth of their second child.

They travelled from Cuba to Mexico five years ago having paid $15,000 for their visa.  Their daughter was born a year after their arrival.  The father worked as a hair stylist, giving classes and participating in styling shows.  The mother took a course in makeup and gave classes and demonstrations in that field.  Since they didn’t have work permits they were forced to work on a free-lance basis rather than as salaried employees.  Once they had paid off the Money for their visa, they decided to come to the U.S.  But she was pregnant again and they hesitated making the trip.  Deciding that they did not want to wait any longer, they boarded a bus and travelled to the U.S. border, crossing into Texas.  They have been in Arizona for just over one week.   He hopes to be able to work as a hair stylist here in the Phoenix area, as son as he can receive certification by the State Board of Cosmetology.

 

 

The second visit was to the apartment of three Young Cuban doctors, two men and a woman, who came to Phoenix from Venezuela.  The three friends met each other while studying medicine in Cuba.  They graduated as General Practicioners in 2006 and one year later travelled to Venezuela with a large medical misión. They practiced together in a town near Caracas.  After two years they applied for a visa at the US Embassy under the Barrio Afuera program. They arrived here on January 6.  They all have parents and brothers and sisters in Cuba and the woman has a five year old daughter who she hopes to be able to bring to the US.

 

The third family we visited arrived one week ago from The Democratic Republic of Congo.  The family consists of the mother, her six children and three members of their extended family.  The family, including the father,  left the Congo in 2002, during the civil war after the mother’s parents were murdered.  They migrated to Tanzania and lived in refugee camps for almost eight years.  Three of their six children were born in the Tanzanian camp.  The father became ill while in the camp and they were unable to get medical treatment for him.  He died in the camp.  The UNHCR helped the family gain refugee status and travel to the U.S.  The younger children will attend school once they have completed their medical exams and received all their vaccinations.  The older children will be studying English and studying toward their GED.

 

The last family of five came from Iraq.  Three children range in age from 3 ½ to 20 years.  The father was an agronomist in Iraq, specializing in dairy studies.  He had his own business producing cheese and yogurt.  From 2004 until 2009 he worked as an interpreter with the U.S. Army.  He was injured several times by IEDs and in 2007 he and his family moved on a US base. The mother had been an elementary school teacher in Iraq. They left Iraq for Jordan in 2009 and in December were able to travel to the US.

The father hopes to find work with a dairy products company here in Arizona.  One of the sons recently graduated from High School hopes to study pharmacy.  The younger son is still in high school, but hopes for a career in the arts, photography.  We won’t be doing a delivery for this family, however they were very happy that we came to visit them.

The first family we visited was from Bhutan.  For religious reasons they had been exiled to Nepal where they lived in camps for 17 years.  The father was a farmer and worked in the villages in Nepal; he was paid by the villagers under the table.  The children, three sons, 23, 19, and 17 and a daughter, 20 went to school in the camps run by Caritas Nepal.  The oldest son came to Arizona 4 months ago and is  already working in the Phoenix airport.  He hopes to one day become the host of a radio talk show. The other children are studying English in the Alhambra school district prior to continuing their education. The youngest son wants to pursue an education in science and technology. 

 

The second visit was to an Ethiopian gentleman who came to Phoenix from Cuba.  In 1989 political problems in Ethiopia prompted him to leave his country and he was awarded a scholarship to study in Cuba. In 1996 he graduated from university with a degree in Industrial engineering, then worked for 10 years in construction related activities. He came to the United States after applying to the U.N. for refugee status.  He has two brothers still in Cuba studying Economics and Accounting, and three sisters who have remained in Ethiopia.

 

The third family was an Iraqi family: a father age 45, mother age 40, daughters ages 20,17,14,12 and a son age 7. They came to the U.S. via Egypt.  The father was working with the U.S. Army in Iraq until their home was bombed. They fled to Egypt where they lived for 4 years.  The father had previously worked in the technology field in a university, but was not allowed to work while they were in Egypt.  Without an income, and forced to pay for the children’s school, they sought refugee status with the U.N.   Despite the long,  tedious trip to the United States, they are happy to be here and look forward to their 4 daughters and 1 son being able to receive an education.  The father hopes to continue his career in technology.