Trainees

Clementine grew up in Rwanda where she lived with her parents and four sisters.  She was studying accounting when she fell in love with Jerome, an American and former refugee, who had fled the war in Rwanda years earlier and finally returned for a visit.  Clementine had many friends and close family in Rwanda, so the hardest part about coming to Rhode island was not knowing anyone. But she says she wasn't afraid to move across the world because she trusts Jerome. The couple now have a son. Because Jerome works second shift, she's looking for a first-shift or weekend...

Alaa remembers growing up in Idlib, a city in Syria that was lush and green. She recalls cooking classes, playing a competitive sports team, and her extended family living in one unit, including aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She was married soon after high school and moved into her husband's family home. Her role was raising 3 children, and cooking for the extended family. Her husband ran a thriving business that helped others. "Now I'm in Rhode island," she said, "where a small business is helping me."  When things went "upside-down" in 2012, her family fled to Egypt and applied to...

Sahnun gave us permission to share his story: He grew up in Somalia where his father was killed when he was just 8. He describes it as "not a place to live." Escaping was no less traumatic. On the way to a camp in Qirah, Egypt, his family got separated. Only Sahnun, one sister, and his mother arrived. Nobody knows what happened to his 6 other siblings. He remembers the camp as a place of being bullied and beaten and has knife scars to show.  Sahnun is now 26. He arrived in May, 2017, and lives with his mom, his...

Like many of our recent trainees Mwarvita is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  She and her husband knew each other growing up, married at 17 and farmed.  They fled violence in 1996 and spent 20 years at a refugee camp in Tanzania where they found it painful to live by depending on rations and the help of others.  She arrived with her family of 10 in 2016.   There have been many firsts to conquer in the US: schedules, school, now going to this production training for the first time.  Because of the holidays we are now working extra days...

This month we introduce Beatrice. Like many high-schoolers, Beatrice wants to be her own person. She likes being trusted to do the right thing and having some independence. She brightens when talking about her (honors!) pre-calculus class and dancing at a local teen club. She also thinks about the future: college, making her mark in the world, making her mom proud, while also being able to, as she puts it, "breathe." Not always so easy when living between two cultures.  Beatrice grew up in Congo Brazzaville after fleeing DR Congo with her mother and older brother. Her vivid first memories...

This month we’re happy to feature our new (paid) summer intern.  She’ll be learning to sell granola at a farmers’ markets and creating original content (pictures and videos) for our social media. Marie, (15) from DRCongo, is part of a family of 8 that arrived in 2014 via Uganda and Thailand. Marie considers herself a young activist devoted to feminism, equal rights, and assisting refugees through trauma and resettlement. While Marie considers herself an outgoing person who loves History and is excited to call the USA home, one of her biggest adjustments involved starting at a big high school with...