120 Stories: Day 114
“My name is Claude, and I am from Rwanda. I am happy to be here in America. It is a big honor to be here, because you get more opportunities in everyday life, as well as opportunities to prepare for your future. As refugees back home, you have no future. Every day you do the same thing, and you never know what will happen tomorrow. I like America because I can make my future better by doing well and loving others. I can work and get a good job that I choose. The best thing about America is the education. Here, everyone has the chance to go to school for free. There are also more opportunities for scholarship and college level education, if you do well in school. I am interested in Engineering, and looking into college. In America everyone has freedoms; speech, religion, as well as everyone have their own rights. One you are a refugee, you don’t have all of your rights, and are not equal to citizens. In America it is different, and it is a wonderful place to come to. I believe everyone should just do what you love, and enjoy life. There is always good and bad.”
Claude
About 120 Stories in 120 Days
The executive order titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Born Terrorist Entry into the United States” halts the national refugee resettlement program for 120 days and dramatically reduces the ceiling for refugee arrivals from 110,000 to 50,000. In response to this executive order, Catholic Charities Atlanta created the 120 Stories in 120 Days Project in order to tell the stories of those individuals who have fled their home due to violence or persecution.
This project will tell 120 stories of clients, staff, volunteers, and community members involved with our resettlement program. Our hope is that these stories will humanize the refugee crisis, highlight the successes and the contributions that refugees make to their local communities, and help readers understand that our similarities far outweigh our differences.
In his address to Congress in September 2015, Pope Francis reminded us all to “treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves…The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.” Catholic Charities Atlanta remains in solidarity with those we serve.
If you would like to donate to help Catholic Charities Atlanta continue our important work supporting refugees and immigrants, please click here: https://give.catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/supporting-refugees-and-immigrants.
If you have a story to share, please contact Kimberly Longshore at KLongshore@catholiccharitiesatlanta.org
