This story was originally published in our 2018 Fall Newsletter.
Here in Vermont, it can be impossible to imagine the horror of trying to survive in a war-torn country with meager food supplies and poor sanitation. The Somalia Civil War has been going on since the 1960’s, as a variety of groups have fought for control. Somalia has remained classified as a “Fragile State”, a list of countries vulnerable to collapse and whose citizens are at great risk. Decades of war, as well as drought, floods, food shortages and lack of economic opportunities, have caused hundreds of thousands of Somalis to flee their homes.
These horrific conditions are why young Ahmed and his family and young Jasmin and her family left Somalia for refugee camps in Kenya. Imagine young children living with the terror and uncertainty, and how frightened their parents must have been for their families. Ahmed and Jasmin actually met each other in the camp as children.
After years in two different refugee camps, Ahmed, 19, came to the US with his uncle in 2004 settling in Nashville, TN where he got a job working in a chicken slaughterhouse. The $9 hourly wage was difficult to live on and certainly not enough to marry Jasmin, who was allowed to come to the US with her parents in 2005. Ahmed asked around to find a job where he could make more money and was told about deep sea fishing in Alaska! He had never fished before nor been on a boat but he interviewed for a job, was hired on the spot and flown to Seattle, Washington the next day. Needless to say, deep sea fishing is hard and dangerous work, but Ahmed was driven to save money so that he and Jasmin could be married. They married a year later.
He moved to Vermont in 2011 and was hired as a welder with Fab Tech, where he now trains other workers. The company so values him that they will be allowing him to have every other Tuesday off so that he can do his required GMHfH sweat equity hours, helping to build his home. Jasmin works as a caregiver for a woman with disabilities and will be working at the ReStore towards their sweat equity hours.
Ahmed had a dream to buy a home for his family and applied for a mortgage but couldn’t qualify because of his income. Jasmin spoke, with a warm smile, about their belief “that we would have a home of our own, after spending our lives in camps and rentals. We were patient and believed it would happen someday.”
The family lives in a rental apartment which they keep spotless but which has some serious problems including loose wiring and mold. Ahmed stated “As a renter, I am not allowed to fix the issues that come up. I like to fix things and when we own our home I will be able to keep everything in good shape.”
Ahmed shared, with a broad grin on his face, “A home means we are staying in this community, that we will raise our family here. This is such a dream come true. And, I am excited about learning how to help build our house, with the volunteers, and to thank them for helping.”
At last, they will become members of a safe community, using the “hand up” provided by you, to move their family out of poverty and on the path to financial stability. “Owning our own home will give us security and we know we can stay there forever.”
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