Gallery: The World’s Refugees Find an Unlikely American Sanctuary: Idaho
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Rita moved to Boise with her mother, Veronique, four years ago. They fled political violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997, though Rita’s father was shot and killed by militia. They spent a decade living in the Central African Republic before being granted refugee status by the US. Rita now has her own business called Thara Fashion, which her mother helps her with.
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Patrick and Derek moved to Boise from the Democratic Republic of Congo six years ago. In Kinshasa, their parents died, and they had to fend for themselves. When they first moved to Boise, they were neglected by their foster family and eventually homeless for two years. In 2012, they were adopted by a couple that serves as ministers at the New Heart Baptist Church.
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Sar Bah Bi came to Idaho from Burma five years ago. She and her husband, a refugee from Somalia, have a business called Umoja Na Uluru World Farm and sell produce at the Capitol City Farmer's Market downtown. She dreams of opening her own restaurant.
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Khamisa and her mother fled Sudan when she was young after her father was killed over a land dispute. They lived in a Kenyan refugee camp before being granted US refugee status and moving to Boise eight years ago. She works at a sporting goods store and imports and sells Sudanese palm baskets on the side. She wants to become a nurse.
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Alfonse is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She moved to Boise eight years ago and stands outside her apartment building, wearing a dress she designed and sewed.
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Tito was born in Rwanda and lived in a Tanzanian refugee camp for 10 years before moving to Boise. He is 21 years old, works at a call center, and is an aspiring filmmaker. He dreams of going to film school in California to edit movie trailers.
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Paw Lah Say and Paw Lah Htoo are 25-year-old twins from Burma. They arrived in Boise less than a month ago from a refugee camp in Thailand, where they lived for 13 years after the Burmese military burned down their home.
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Sonia moved to Boise 18 years ago and is now an American citizen. She is originally from Togo, West Africa. She works at local hospitals and also braids hair.
