Please meet Albert
Please meet our friend Albert and his family, 5 of the newest residents of the USA.
We first met Albert this past February at Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda. He was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 24 years ago, but his parents felt unsafe from the many dangers of their country and escaped to Uganda. Albert, his older brother Allen, younger sister Joy, and their parents have lived as refugees in Uganda for 22 years. TWENTY TWO YEARS!
During our time in Uganda in February, Dr. Suzanne was teaching the Butterfly ultrasound to midwives as we were teaching WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) classes was when we first met Albert. He was working for Planning for Tomorrow refugee school as their Education Coordinator and instantly became our right-hand man, helping us with organizing classes, securing supplies, and translation.
Returning to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in July, we were happy to see and work with Albert again, not just as our assistant but as a good friend. It was obvious that everybody at P4T school respected him and relied on his experience. Walking with him through the settlement, it was evident that the public knew him and admired him, which was not a surprise as he’s a very smart young man, kind, funny, and humble.
A few days ago, it was our great joy to hear that after 22 years of constantly applying for asylum, the US finally welcomed Albert and his family!! Imagine, 22 years of wishing and striving for a better life, then one day out of the blue, having your number called. Amazing!
This past week, we were excited to visit Albert and his family in their new home of Boise Idaho, the city assigned to them by the International Organization for Migration. After living in a refugee settlement on the warm equator of Africa, you can imagine many things were a shock to them as they arrived to a chilly and modern city in the USA.
Things most of us take for granted like flying in an airplane, showers in the house, hot water, safe drinking water from the tap, a fridge, flushing toilets, a washer and dryer…
During our visit with them in Boise, we were happy to experience with them many firsts. The beautiful fall colors of the trees, their first time seeing snow (and first snowball fight:), eating at an American restaurant (they chose Applebees), trying a cappuccino (nope, they prefer Chi Tea) and this time of year, why is everyone dressed up like monsters? We were happy to provide them with shoes, warm coats for the winter, and introduced them to an amazing store called Goodwill.
With daily welcome/integration classes, Albert and his family are ready to make the best of their new opportunity and new home. As soon as they receive a social security number, Albert’s parents are ready to work, any work. His sister Joy will be starting high school this week, and brother Allen is qualified and ready to work for a tech company. Just like in Uganda, Albert craves more education in economics and finance. He knows it will be a long journey, but he is not going to settle for minimum wage. When asked if he still wants higher education, “100% I want to pursue it. I will accept to be up for long hours juggling between work and my education career. It will be hard for me to accept in four years from now if I’m still doing entry level jobs. I know it’s going to be hard, but I have to go for it!”
Already, the whole family is a great addition to the fabric of America. The Congo’s loss, and Uganda’s loss, is America’s gain. After decades of struggle, their future is bright. Welcome, friends.
A Ripple
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