#5 A Survivor from the DRC Rebuilds His Life in Texas

03/13/18 • 11 min

A Way Home Together: Stories of the Human Journey

Espoir was an infant when his family fled for their lives. He is a survivor of the civil war in The Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC).Today, nearly two decades later, Espoir is a making a new life for himself in Austin, Texas.

We hear about his extraordinary journey and what he has learned about identity and new beginnings. Espoir is interviewed by our host Ahmed Badr, himself a refugee, who also moved with his family to the United States.

This episode also includes an update from Jean-Philippe Chauzy, Chief of Mission in the DRC for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the worsening situation.

The spread of local violence has become a great threat to the lives of many millions of people. Malnutrition and unrest, largely caused by regional conflict, especially in the eastern part of this vast country, has forced many to leave their homes. Today, there are more than 4 million internally displaced people in The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This episode also includes an update from Jean-Philippe Chauzy, Chief of Mission in the DRC for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the worsening situation.

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#4 12 and 83

What does a 12 year old refugee have in common with the 83 year-old head of the International Organization for Migration, William Lacy Swing? Listen and find out.

Basel Al Rashdan was 6 when his family fled Syria. They spent three years living as refugees in Jordan. Today he lives on Prince Edward Island in Canada, a world a way from the home he left behind. Basel and Swing both had to redefine their idea of home. And both of them—for very different reasons—-have become public voices on the need for safer and more secure migration.

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#6 Soccer And The Somali Stars

What role can soccer play in bringing people together from different backgrounds and life experiences?

In this episode we hear from the teenage members of the Somali Stars-- a team of refugee kids in Utah, who are now part of the Cottonwood Football Club, playing other local teams. We also spoke to Mohammed, their 21-year-old founder and coach, tells us about his passionate commitment to the team.

Adam Miles founded the non-profit group Refugee Soccer, which provides financial support and assistance to the Somali Stars, is also a guest. Adam started Refugee Soccer after he raised money to send regulation soccer balls to poor communities in West Africa

"I started realizing instead of going eight thousand miles to Nigeria, I can go eight miles and have access to almost sixty thousand refugees in Salt Lake City, in the valley here," Adam told host Ahmed Badr.

We spoke with journalist, Franklin Foer, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of "How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization. He explains why refugees and migrants are essential to the future of soccer in America.