Firmin Ntakimazi was born in Burundi, where he grew up, received his education, and made a living teaching elementary school. When civil war broke out in 1993, he fled to Tanzania, where he spent the next 15 years in a refugee camp before being accepted to go to the U.S. and begin a new life.  ...

When Ahmad Tamim Sahel realized the need for halal products in his community, he knew he could help. Ahmad moved to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2017, so he knew the struggles of acclimating to a new country, culture and life. He decided to open a store: the Afghan Supermarket.  Ahmad’s Afghan Supermarket, located at...

When she heard about the news of the war in Ukraine, Zoya Staroselsky felt compelled to support her fellow Ukrainians, in more ways than one.   Zoya, who moved to the U.S. with her family as refugees in 1991, was empathetic to everyone being affected by the war, so she helped to organize fundraisers and two...

From dreaming of big cities, tall buildings and lots of cars, Pree, a former refugee, is now making her dream a reality.  “I’ve always seen the U.S. in movies. I dreamt of living in my own home and driving my own car. Now, my dream has come true,” said Pree.  Pree Aung and her family...

In 1996 Congolese civil war broke out in the present-day countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo, forcing then two-year-old Thomas Mbuthu into exile in a refugee camp in neighboring Zambia. After growing up in refugee camp, now 27-year-old Thomas applied to come to the United States.   When Thomas...

When Lwe Paw traveled from a refugee camp in Thailand to Iowa in 2012, she knew the path ahead would be rocky. Arriving in a foreign land as a senior, Lwe did not know English, the U.S. customs or culture, or how to navigate her community. Soon she made a friend who told her about...