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Did you know World Refugee Day is in June?
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Did you know World Refugee Day is in June?
 World Refugee Day is June 20, 2013. It was established by the United Nations to honor the courage and determination of people who are forced to flee their countries because of persecution, war or violence. Since 1975, the United States has resettled more than 3 million refugees with more than 60,000 coming to Oregon. DHS and its Refugee Program, in conjunction with the resettlement agencies and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), will host a display celebrating the diverse cultures, backgrounds and experiences of refugees resettled in Oregon. The display runs June 24-28, 2013. To view the display, visit the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building at 500 Summer Street NE in Salem between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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Did you know more than 60,000 refugees have been resettled in Oregon?
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Did you know more than 60,000 refugees have been resettled in Oregon?
 Humanitarian efforts brought nearly 1,000 refugees to Oregon in 2012 alone and 60,000 total refugees since 1975. Refugees are people who were forced to flee their countries because of persecution, war or violence. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are the main reasons refugees flee. DHS and its local partners resettle refugees in Oregon by providing services and supports to help them learn the American culture and language, help children adjust to school, and prepare adults to get and retain jobs. Today refugees in Oregon mostly come from Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Cuba, Iraq, Iran and Somalia.
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Ali: All those years are behind me… all the war and hatred
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Ali: "All those years are behind me… all the war and hatred"
 Ali Mousa does not believe it is safe to share details of the life he led in Baghdad, Iraq. “It was a very dark history, a very dark time,” said Ali, who worked for the Ministry of the Interior and as a police officer in Iraq. “Every day we experience suicide bombs and killing and fear and worry and hardship.” Life has been stable and peaceful for Ali since he came to Oregon as a refugee. “I left behind very hard days and chaos and now I’ve come here and I experience very tranquil days,” he said. Read Ali’s refugee story
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Ke Zia: When I lived in the refugee camp
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Ke Zia: “When I lived in the refugee camp, I felt no freedom.”
Civil war split the village where Ke Zia, a Karen, was born into two. After Ke Zia’s family moved from the Thailand to the Myanmar (Burma) side of the village where the family had its roots, Ke Zia began spending many childhood days hiding underground. “The adults say that when the enemy comes they are afraid that the children cannot run fast enough to hide underground so the children must stay hidden.” At age 11, another war drove Ke Zia’s family to a refugee camp in Thailand. Ke Zia’s family has been in the U.S. since April. “When I arrived in America, I felt that everything was very new for me.” Read Ke Zia’s refugee story |
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Bo Bo Everything is new
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Bo Bo: “Everything is new. I feel like my life has begun again.”
Bo Bo wanted to keep going to school in Myanmar (Burma) but family and financial barriers didn’t make it possible. His parents, who were day laborers, sent him to become a Buddhist monk. When the chance came to live with uncles in Thailand so he could work to support his parents, Bo Bo went. The uncles kept him in school and he worked and waited, hoping to be part of the refugee resettlement program. “At last my dream was fulfilled because on April 10, 2013, I got a chance to come to the United States,” he said. Read Bo Bo’s refugee story |
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