In late 2009, Helen was struggling to get on her feet. As a refugee from her home country, Liberia, she and her family had recently suffered extreme hardship in refugee camps in a second country. She felt blessed to have been relocated to a third country: the United States. Only about 1 percent of refugees […]
From Liberian Refugee to United States Citizen Read More »
Viola is from Honduras. She moved out of her family home at the age of 13 to escape being sexually abused by a family member. When she was 16, she married a police officer who was very well connected with the local government in their hometown. Viola’s husband was incredibly abusive and beat her regularly.
Escape from Domestic Violence Read More »
Marisol came to the United States from Guatemala in 1997. Back then, there was a rise in poverty and crime in her village. She saw neighbors who were mugged in the street. Teachers were often assaulted just for having stable jobs, and, as a teacher, she feared for her life. She chose to leave Guatemala,
A Mother’s Strength Read More »
This year Karen’s two elementary-aged sons will not be the only ones going back to school. Armed with a green card and her newly minted Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), Karen will begin her new job as a school bus driver. While she has worked for the county’s transportation department as a bus monitor, she is
A New School Year for the Whole Family Read More »
Esther, a young Nigerian woman, fell in love with a man while she was still living in her home country. He was an American citizen. They were married in 2014. Esther and her husband both wanted to live in the United States to start their family and eventually, they moved to the United States together.
Abandoned by her Husband, Caring for Her Child Read More »
Ana arrived in the United States at 18 months of age with her mother fleeing violence in Honduras, which continues to endure one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Since her arrival in the U.S. 22 years ago, Ana has married, had children, fostered a child, and presently works with autistic children. Sadly, Ana is
Just Neighbors Paves the Way for a Promising Future Read More »
In the past week, we have all heard rumors of possible ICE enforcement action in the interior of the U.S. Just Neighbors has no direct information on the likelihood of these raids but remains concerned about the negative impact the detention of area immigrants may have on the rich fabric of residents, both immigrants and
Just Neighbors Statement on ICE Raids Read More »
Alina comes from a culture where arranged marriages are common, and her family had arranged such a marriage for her. She was excited to come to the United States, get married and start a new life with her husband and his family. She met her husband for the first time on their wedding day. Unbeknownst
Arranged Marriage: Hope, Despair, and Now Hope Again Read More »
By: Jeanne Barnes The views and opinions expressed in this reflection are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Just Neighbors. Write what you see; this is often the instruction given to writers. I am basically an optimistic person, so I want to write what I saw
What I Saw: A Volunteer’s Experience at the US/Mexican Border Read More »
Victoria is a single Mom with 3 children now living and working here in Northern Virginia. But her story begins in El Salvador. Her Mom had emigrated to the USA when she was a child, leaving her to be raised by her grandparents. Then at an early age, she was a single Mom with a