Refugee Voices

There are many ways to hear the voices and see the faces of our refugee communities. Their stories are a unique part of the beautiful tapestry that makes the United States a diverse and wonderful place to live. Some of those stories are featured here.

Community Conversations: Refugees

NBC4 Anchor Kerry Charles sat down in 2022 to speak with members of the CRIS Refugee Speakers Bureau about their lives and experiences living in Central Ohio.

 

Sowdo’s Story

We are proud to introduce Sowdo’s Story, produced by Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), which features CRIS staff member, Sowdo Mohamud.

 

Bedtime Story, from Breathe Free

In this excerpt from Doug Swift’s documentary “Breathe Free”, CRIS staff member Tara Dhungana discusses the impact of xenophobic rhetoric on his family, particularly his children.

 

Blaise Balazire at TEDx Yearling Road

Blaise Balazire is a member of the CRIS Refugee Speakers Bureau. He shared his story at a TEDx event in June of 2017.

 

Stories of Hope from Bhutanese Refugees

This video features refugees who resettled in the United States after living in refugee camps in Nepal for nearly two decades.

 

Family Reunification

This video features six children who fled Somalia following the disappearance of the mother, and murder of their father and grandfather, and the work of CRIS to reunite them with their family in Columbus, Ohio.

 

TEDxColumbus: The Voices of Today’s Refugees

In this direct to camera TEDxColumbus 2016 talk, Angie Plummer, the director of CRIS, introduces 4 refugees who have resettled in Columbus Ohio