In May 2012, Ibrahim Salih and Nada Ahmed arrived in Greensboro as refugees from Sudan. They got on a plane to the United States after three and a half years of living as asylees in Egypt. “We didn’t even know English, not even a little English. Zero, zero, zero.” English proved to be only one challenge among many. Just before …

Po Rmah came with her family to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam when she was 7 years old. Last week, she began classes at Western Carolina State University, receiving the John R. Kernodle scholarship and becoming the first person in her family to enroll in a 4-year college. Today, she took the time to talk with me: …

This year, CWS Greensboro has enjoyed the hard work and dedicated effort of Erin Sexton, who served as an Americorps ACCESS member. Under the umbrella of the national Americorps program, Americorps ACCESS is a state-wide project that places volunteers at local sites for one year to provide direct services to refugees and immigrants. Erin’s last day was Friday, August 31st, …

A refugee’s resettlement journey is not for the faint of heart. Besides the trauma of life-threatening situations and pointed persecution in their home countries, refugees suffer the grief of losing friends, family, and community.  Once in the United States, they must rebuild their lives from the ground up equipped merely with a suitcase of belongings and the assistance of a …