Jordanian Principal

““On March 13, 2013, my wife and I, our five children, and my mother left our home with only the clothes on our backs.”
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"My family and I lived in a nice home in a village of Daraa, Syria, which is a large city near Jordan. The people in my city were highly educated and hard workers—there were many doctors, engineers, pharmacists, etc. I was the principal of the local high school and I owned a large lot of land which I farmed. I lived a good life.

During the war, things began to change. There were bombs in my village every day. People died. We lived in terror and fear. The military took our home and everything in the village. We could not stay there. On March 13, 2013, my wife and I, our five children, and my mother left our home with only the clothes on our backs. We walked 20 kilometers (12 miles) during the night to cross the Jordanian border. At the border, we carried my elderly mother across. If someone would have seen us leaving, we could have been killed.

We lived in the Za’atari refugee camp with 100,000 Syrians. At first, we could not stand life at the camp. We all lived in a small tent. We used our money to buy a larger tent. It didn’t have a bathroom or kitchen, so we built a bathroom and kitchen between the tents and that became our home. I did not sleep at night for the first year because the camp was not safe. Finally, the Jordanian police began watching over the camp and things improved.

We were living in a desert with no air conditioning. We had limited access to resources like water, kitchen power, healthcare and hospitals. I have diabetes and was very sick because I could not get medication. I wasn’t allowed to work, but I volunteered teaching the high-school-age Syrian students. We received only 100 dinar ($140) from the United Nations each month. We lived like that for three and a half years.

Finally, the UNHCR called us and asked if we wanted to go to the United States. We said 'Yes!' After a year and a half of waiting and eight interviews, we came to Utah.

I am now 50 years old. I live in America with my five children, my wife and my mother. Every day I drive my wife to work, care for my mother, and do all the cooking and housework for my family. I want to continue learning English and in two or three months, I will begin studying psychology at the university." 
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From: Syria
Refugee Camp: Jordan
Current Location: United States
Family: Wife, 5 Children, Mother
Age: 50

Burundi To America

“ Each day, I walked at least two miles to fetch clean water from the fountains.”

“I was born in Burundi in 1994 and that same year we fled to Tanzania. In Burundi there are two ethnicities that are opposites and hate each other - the Hutu and Tutsi. The Hutu were attempting a genocide against the Tutsi. My parents are from different tribes; my mom is Tutsi and my dad is Hutu. If my mother would have stayed, she could have been killed. So my parents, older brothers, older sister and I left during the war.

My parents remember hearing gunshots when we fled. They covered us as we trudged through the rain and deep waters. We made it out of our village and hid during the night. My dad borrowed a government vehicle to help us escape.

We fled to and lived in a huge refugee camp in Tanzania for twelve years. It was built by refugees. It had dirt roads and homes built of wood and bricks. The main source of transportation was by bike. When it rained, there was an incredible amount of flooding. Water ran everywhere. The sewer was terrible.

Each day, I walked at least two miles to fetch clean water from the fountains and then I went to school. Every Wednesday, we received our food supply for the week. For twelve years that was my life; I couldn’t imagine anything better, except what I had seen in movies.

The Tanzanian government wanted to restore refugees to their countries after the war in Burundi ended. We couldn't go back because there were people from Burundi who were trying to kill those who fled during the war. My parents decided that it was better for us to go to another country. We started applying with the United Nations in 2005 to go to any other country besides Burundi. It was a very long process filled with meetings, seminars, interviews, pictures, and an investigation to determine if our case was legitimate. Finally, after two years, we got approved and we were assigned to go to the United States.”

“There is a huge difference between how I’m living now and where I used to be.”

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“When we came to the States I realized that America was a total change from what I was used to. As a kid, you are just impressed, you want to enjoy things, but you’re not necessarily worried about being grateful and appreciative. But as I reflect back and have conversations with friends about what life was like before, I realize that there is a huge difference between how I’m living now and where I use to be.

Back in Tanzania, my parents had their own businesses. My mom owned a salon with her best friends and their work brought in a good income for our family. My dad imported corn and beans from other villages. He also was very skilled in sewing - African people like things that are very decorated. It was difficult for my parents when we first moved here. The manual labor in the factories was very hard on them. They were not used to cutting things and standing for so many long hours at a time. The language was also very difficult for them to learn since they didn't start learning until they were older. I’m so proud of my parents. They’ve done so much. They don’t have as much education as some, but if you look at the things they’ve done for seven children, it is pretty amazing. I don’t think I could do what they did with the knowledge that I have today. They brought us to a nice place and provided opportunities for us to learn. They are brave and intellectual people even though they did not acquire their knowledge in a school.

I want to study hard and learn as much as I can and then go to medical school to become a doctor. It’s kind of tied to my background - where I was, where I’ve been. In Africa health care is very poor. When I retire, I want to move back to Africa to help the people who don’t have as much as I now have.”
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From: Burundi
Refugee Camp: Tanzania
Current Location: United States
Family: Parents, 6 siblings
Occupation: Student
Age: 22

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Bombs over syria

“We left Syria after I saw the bodies of children in the rubble.”

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"I'm from Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria. During the war, as planes dropped bombs, I protected my children and prayed that we would not be injured. We left Syria after I saw the bodies of children in the rubble because I did not want to see my children end up like that. We fled during the night in between battles so that no one would see us. It was very dangerous, but thank God we survived.

My husband, three children, and I all crossed the mountains, even though it was very difficult and cold. I lost my shoes in one of the valleys, so I walked without them. All of my children were small and could not walk. I carried my youngest daughter across the mountains, and fell many times while carrying her. My husband carried one of our sons. We paid another traveler to carry our other son. The children were crying because they were so cold. When we crossed the border from Syria into Turkey we were put into a dark, cold room so that the police would not see us.

When we decided to cross into Greece, we spent the night outside in the cold air. The next morning we were put in a rubber boat. I couldn’t feel my feet because there were so many people in the boat. I was crying, but I told myself, 'You will survive.'

Thank God that my family and I survived the war and crossing the sea. But my heart is still in a lot of pain because of my family in Syria. I lost two brothers in the war. One was 20 years old and the other was 17 years old. The rest of my family--three sisters, one brother, and my father and mother--are still there. The situation is very bad. There are constant bombs and I know they are scared. There is no hope of getting out. They are just waiting to die. Every night I cry and pray to God that he will preserve them. I am trying to collect 3,000 euros to send to them so that they can get out of Syria. I hope that a miracle occurs so that I can see my family in Syria again."
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From: Deir al-Zour, Syria
Current Location: Greece
Family: Married, 2 sons, 1 daughter
Age: 28

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