Ali was born in Bangui, Central African Republic, where he was raised by his grandfather. He has fond memories growing up there as a teenager with a big city for a playground. Ali studied Business Management at university and made true friendships. During this time, he also worked for his family truck rental business, which is how he got involved in humanitarian work. When agencies such as Doctors Without Borders needed transportation out into the villages, he would help them in the mornings and attend classes in the afternoons.
Ali never finished his degree. War broke out in 2013, so he made his way to N’jdamena, Chad and then south to a refugee camp. He arrived alone, finally safe, but without connections or family. Nine years later, on April 13, he arrived in Rhode Island, once again on his own.
Ali started job training at Beautiful Day in May. We especially love working with new arrivals and he told us that the longer he was at BD, the more comfortable and less disoriented he felt. He even posed for this picture to help us market our granola.
Ali wants to learn enough English to go back to university and one day start a family. He knows having a good job will give him a successful life here in the US. For now, he’s starting janitorial night shift work. Ali is determined, ambitious and learning quickly. We have no doubts he’s going to go far.
