Suitcase Stories®: Mapendo Reflects on Her Family’s Journey From the Democratic Republic of Congo and Starting Over
“This is when we knew we had to start life all over.” Mapendo, a refugee youth client at IINE, is originall…
A year after the fall of Kabul – Zahra’s story
On Sunday, August 15, 2021, the Taliban surrounded Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, and retook control of the battered nat…
Becoming a New American
The resettlement process doesn’t end once our clients safely relocate to their new communities. This is often just the …
Carlos’s Story: An Unaccompanied Youth Builds a New Life in the U.S.
Carlos was fifteen years old when he left Honduras on his own. Fleeing violence and seeking a better education, and med…
Safeena: An Afghan Refugee Finds Welcome and Opportunity in Lowell
Safeena came to Lowell, MA as a refugee from Afghanistan in 2017, with her husband, two young children, and another bab…
Brenda’s Story: Helping Young Immigrants Discover Their Potential
Brenda, now 24, came to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was just eight years old. Her family initially settled in Al…
Memory Lane Calling – IINE Client Comes Full Circle
By Sherry Spaulding, Education and Youth Program Manager I received a very special phone call today. It was Samuel Jord…
Welcome to America. You Are Now in Lockdown. – IINE Resettles Refugee Family
This message comes from Rahmatullah Aka, IINE’s Community Services Manager in Boston. He shared this story as part of o…
She Was an Asylee With COVID-19 and Needed Help
This message comes from Sabyne Denaud, IINE’s Community Services Manager in Lowell. She shared this story as part of ou…
Persistence Pays Off for Hospitality Training Program Graduate
When Adolfo Gomes first arrived in the U.S., he spoke little English and worked entry-level jobs in restaurant kitchens…
Three Generations Now Thriving in Nashua: Kanyere and Frediana
Kanyere and her mother, Frediana, fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004 and lived in the Kyaka II refugee c…
Seeing Success in the Crisis: How IINE Clients Are a Source of Inspiration
By Emma Tobin Seven weeks ago, the IINE community in Lowell faced an enormous challenge: the families we serve were dis…
