our stories

  Abdul* was only 2 years old when he joined IRIS’ Family Literacy program. He barely escaped the bombings near Kabul airport with his family. When he arrived in Connecticut, IRIS enrolled him and his mother in our Family Literacy Program— a welcoming space for immigrant mothers and their children to learn English and connect with others. At first, Abdul had a hard time separating from his mother during class. His mother worried that the high ceilings of the classroom reminded him of the chaos from Kabul’s airport. Determined, she continued to bring him to IRIS’ Family Literacy program. Day by day, Abdul became more comfortable, playing games and interacting with other children. Over time, Abdul came out of his

Exactly 18 years ago, I started the most rewarding job I have ever had, Executive Director of IRIS. (Back then we were called the Interfaith Refugee Ministry). Later this year, I will be stepping down from my position at IRIS. I love this work, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my dedicated colleagues, our amazing clients from all over the world, and our incredible family of friends and donors. Very few refugee and immigrant service organizations enjoy such generous, sustained, and energetic support. Welcoming refugees and immigrants is our most noble national tradition. And it’s a demanding job. At this point in my life, I’d like to spend more time with friends and family. My two daughters live overseas,

© Jen Vickery Before the war, Iryna and her daughter lived with her parents in a suburb of Kyiv. On Dec. 9th, 2022, she was at home caring for her 4-year-old daughter when they heard explosions. The only shelter they had was an outdoor cellar separated from their home, so Iryna had to run across her yard with her 4-year old to get to the shelter. The next day, she decided to leave, but her parents refused to come along. Her 60-year old father wanted to stay to defend his country and her mother refused to leave her father alone. Iryna headed towards the Polish border, where she was soon joined by her sister and her sister’s three children. Together,

© Zeenie Malik Mursal used to enjoy a peaceful life in Kabul, before the Taliban took over. She was studying journalism and caring for her sons, Omar and Amir. But the Taliban gained control of the country, and she was forced to drop out of college and flee. “A refugee is someone who has lost all their belongings, and moves to a new country with hope for a better life,” Musal says. When Mursal arrived in Connecticut with her family last year, IRIS connected them to a network of volunteers who found them housing and enrolled the boys in school. Today, 7-year old Omar is nearly fluent in English. Mursal’s husband, Hamid, works as a Curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum

© Rachel Peet Sophia* fled Guatemala three years ago following her husband, who is seeking asylum, and hoping for a brighter future for their baby girl. Arriving in the US during the height of the pandemic restrictions, Sophia faced isolation and loneliness as she tried to integrate into the community. IRIS’s Services for Undocumented Neighbors (SUN) offered financial support, weekly groceries, and legal services. When baby formula was in short supply, IRIS provided formula and other essentials for Sophia to care for her newborn daughter. “Here there are resources that we don’t have in Guatemala. For example, doctor’s appointments that are covered by insurance, help with diapers, access to English classes, and because education is more advanced here, they’ll also

My name is Masha,* I am a mom of three beautiful kids. We arrived here with my sister and her daughter 9 months ago. My kids and I used to live in a small charming city, Bucha, 15 minutes away from Kyiv. We loved our small apartment and our time together. I loved my job, and my kids loved their school and friends. Most of all, the kids loved the moments when my mom and dad came to visit us. It has already been a year since they saw their grandparents for the last time. It has already been a year since they saw their dad for the last time. It’s so hard. I still remember that morning when Russia

By John Curtis Almost three years ago, Mario and Ruth and their three children arrived In New Haven after an odyssey that had begun in 2016 when religious persecution forced them from Angola. They spent two and a half years in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, where Mario resisted drug gangs’ efforts to recruit him. After several attacks and the murder of a friend, the family decided to leave. With just $500, they began a journey to the United States that took them by bus across Brazil and through Peru and Ecuador to Colombia. There they joined other refugees on a harrowing two-week march through the Darien Gap to Panama. In the jungle they lost their money and passports

Max and Abdul were paired up as part of IRIS’ Cultural Companions program. They’ve bonded over coffee, walking around New Haven, and knowing multiple languages. “I don’t always understand English but Max speaks Turkish and some Dari, so I don’t need an interpreter!” Abdul says. Abdul works for Amazon, but aspires to be a plumber, his former profession in Afghanistan. Once he gets better at speaking English, he’ll apply for his plumbing license. Abdul arrived in 2021, just days before the Taliban takeover. “Abdul has been full of stories. I’ve learned what the life of a refugee is like, particularly an Afghan refugee, which is a world I didn’t know too much about. He’s opened my eyes.” Max says.  Max

Five years after reaching Connecticut, members of a Syrian family become citizens and homeowners and reflect on their first days. By John Curtis In January 2017, Reem Alhaji arrived in Connecticut with her husband, Khaled, their two-year-old daughter, Elin, and a mix of emotions. The family had left Syrian’s Kurdish region to escape the country’s civil war and lived in Istanbul for three years while applying to enter the United States as refugees. They arrived in America with two bags of clothes and diapers for Elin. “I was scared and happy at the same time,” Reem recalled. “We had no family here, no language. We were thinking, how is it going to be there?” After the ride from the airport

By Thomas Buckley On a cold day in January, 2017, a Syrian couple, Ebrahem and Ranim, and their four children arrived in New Haven after spending 30 hours flying from Jordan. They were welcomed by four anxious but enthusiastic members of Westminster Presbyterian Church and Beth El Temple. For the past nine months, the congregations partnered with IRIS to plan for the arrival of a refugee family. They were trained as part of IRIS’ co-sponsor program, to resettle the family with housing, furniture, financial aid, school enrollment, English lessons, and access to healthcare. Less than two weeks before their arrival, IRIS got notice of the Al Radi family of six, originally from Syria. They each arrived with a single piece

  By John Curtis On a Saturday in June, Fadi and Eman Al Asmi and their three children welcomed two visitors from IRIS, offering dates and orange juice in their home in an apartment complex in Bloomfield. Their two daughters, Sham, 7, and Farah, 8, vied for space on their dad’s lap as he and Eman recounted their journey from a war-torn Syria to a new life in Connecticut. Outside on the porch, Eman had left slices of red pepper to dry in the sun. Six years after their arrival, both Fadi and Eman have full-time jobs, the girls are in elementary school, their brother, Hamzi, starts eighth grade in the fall, the family has learned English, and they recently

A few weeks ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tricked 50 Venezuelan asylum-seekers in Texas into boarding a charter plane and flying to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. They were told they were going to Boston, where they would find a range of assistance, get legal aid, and be given jobs.  All of this was a lie.  Although the Martha’s Vineyard community was surprised by these new arrivals, they gave them a warm welcome. Hundreds of individuals, several churches, shelters, and several aid groups scrambled to help the asylum seekers. At around the same time, Texas Governor Abbott chartered two buses of asylum seekers to arrive at Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence. Over the past several weeks Abbot has sent more than 5,000

From Cultural Companions to a Multicultural Café Story & Photography © Rachel Peet What started as a simple pairing of cultural companions seven years ago has now flourished into an interconnected, multicultural family at a heartwarming café and fellowship program in downtown New Haven, called Havenly. The two women came together through IRIS’ Cultural Companion Program in 2015, after both having arrived in the States the year before. Caterina Passoni arrived from Italy to begin her studies at Yale University in the Fall and Nieda Abbas arrived with her family in the Summer. Nieda worked as an accomplished chef and entrepreneur in her home country of Iraq, and then in Syria before immigrating to the U.S.  After Caterina and Nieda’s

Jeremie Moves Ahead Story & photos by Zeenie Malik Jeremie is originally from the Congo but has spent most of his life in a refugee camp in Tanzania. He speaks French, Swahili, and now he’s trying to master English. “My priority is for my kids to study. I want my kids to help the community, work here, be good people here. I know with IRIS this dream can be true,” Jeremie says. Jeremie, his wife, and three boys were welcomed to Connecticut by IRIS in 2020. He meets weekly with Mark, a volunteer tutor at IRIS, for English lessons. Jeremie currently works at Amazon and ImageFIRST Healthcare Laundry Specialists, but aspires to be a mechanic or electrician, once he improves

Four Afghan Refugees get a Warm Welcome in West Hartford. Story & Written by John Curtis | Photography © John Curtis When Sarah Martz talks about “the guys,” she’s referring to four Afghan soldiers who left their country after the fall of Kabul last summer. They now share a two-bedroom apartment in West Hartford and Martz is one of several volunteers who is helping them start new lives in the United States. She visits them three times a week to help them learn the ways of life in this country. “I always have a list,” Martz said during a visit in early March. “We do money on Wednesday—using ATMs, paying bills. Today I had to get them to sign forms