Mosaics

Chandra Upreti is a dedicated advocate for refugee rights and resettlement. Born in Bhutan, he experienced displacement at a young age, fleeing to Nepal as a refugee. After spending 17 years in Refugee Camps, Chandra was eventually resettled in Twin Falls, Idaho, where he found a new home and purpose. With over a decade of experience in refugee resettlement, Chandra was recently named the field of...

Sangam Kumari has experienced many transitions in her life. When she was 4 years old, her family moved from India to Nepal. She took an even bigger leap at the age of 8, moving without her family to America with a family friend. Sangam’s career has also transitioned from environmental engineering, in which she has a Ph. D., to social work, where she feels a true heart calling. She’s currently earn...

Today we share in a powerful conversation with Rita Thara, who owns Thara Fashions with her mother, Veronique. They import fabrics from Africa to design and create modern clothing, handbags and accessories with a traditional African twist.   Veronique learned to sew from her own mother at the age of 7 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She studied sewing and worked as a model in Switzerland befo...

Friends call Yi Feng the "Mental Health Guy" for doing many things relating to mental health for the ‎past 12 years. He is a Registered Social Worker, Certified Master Solution Focused Practitioner, ‎Certified Narrative Therapist, and Organization Development enthusiast, seeking to build mentally healthier workplaces and more socially impactful ‎organizations. ‎ Yi Feng hails from Singapore and vi...

Today we hear from Joel Ntando, coordinator of the Refugee Speakers Bureau at ‎the Idaho Office for Refugees. Joel has a background in theater and academia. He ‎lived and worked in South Africa for 14 years before resettling in Idaho and is ‎originally from the Democratic of Republic of Congo. He shares what World ‎Refugee Day means to him personally and what it means for everyone on a global ‎lev...

Aanish Shamim is a first-generation immigrant from Pakistan who has called Idaho home since he was 3. Aanish has a degree in international political economy from The College of Idaho and is the City of Boise’s Community Engagement Coordinator. He previously worked closely with students at the College of Western Idaho and helped empower marginalized communities through his role at Jannus Economic O...

Klaudia Saric is a Business Development Specialist at Jannus Economic Opportunity in Boise, Idaho. She works with aspiring entrepreneurs from many backgrounds, including former refugees like herself. Klaudia and her husband are from Bosnia & Herzegovina, which they fled in the 1990s due to war and ethnic cleansing. Klaudia saw firsthand the damage that is done when people are manipulated into...

Welcome Corps Allows Private Americans to Help Resettle Refugees Joe & Kim Mitchell are part of a private sponsor group in Idaho Falls that welcomed refugees to the city for the first time in decades. In April 2022, through the Operation Allies Welcome program, their Sponsor Circle welcomed three Afghan Air Force pilots, allies of the U.S. military operation. The community response was so over...

Eliza Shabire was a young girl when she and her sisters were separated from their father when he had to flee the Democratic Republic of Congo for his safety. She lived with relatives in Rwanda for many years before reuniting with her father in her early 20s in Idaho.   Eliza is now a mother to 1-year-old Mina. They are waiting for her husband's case to process so he can join his family in Idaho.  ...

Sakhi Hasmati was born in Afghanistan and lived in Pakistan, India, and United Arab Emirates before moving to Idaho to reunite with his parents and siblings about seven years ago. “My parents, one of the reasons they were moving around, is because they had concerns about their children’s safety,” he said. Now, Sakhi helps other people who are earlier on in their resettlement journey, as the Idaho...

Sadia Abdulkadir is a social work student at Boise State University. Born in Kenya, Sadia is part of a large, tight-knit family who resettled in Boise in 2008, when she was 4.   “Since I was young, I was able to kind of adapt and change into the culture a bit more,” she said.   Fashion is a way for Sadia to stay connected to her cultural roots.  “I just appreciate people representing themselves,”...

Moses Mukengezi is a dad, husband, soccer coach, commercial real estate broker, nonprofit board member and former resettlement worker in Boise. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moses’ family resettled in Boise, Idaho, in 2007 when he was 13. It was through soccer that he first felt connection to the community. He went on to play for Boise State University, where he earned a bachel...

University professor Andrea Soleta Schmutz moved to Pocatello, Idaho, in 2022 and wanted to do something to connect and empower other immigrants. She founded Empowering Immigrant Women, has helped launch a weekly mental health clinic for immigrants and refugees, and will teach a community course to help New Americans navigate higher ed. Andrea, who is originally from the Philippines, collaborates...

Idaho comes in last place for the number of doctors we have per capita. Yet when immigrant and refugee physicians move here, the process to get back to practicing medicine is complex and expensive.  On today’s episode we’re joined by local doctors who are addressing this issue – Drs. Scott Smith, Paula Carvalho, and Sampson Nde.   Scott is a mentor with Global Talent working with a cohort of New A...

Meet the Afghan-American family behind the newest and one of the only Afghan restaurants in Boise, Taste of Persia.   Hafiz & Bahija Karim left behind their lives and careers in Afghanistan in 1990 when they were targeted by the Taliban due to Hafiz earning his college degree abroad in Russia. The couple resettled in Boise with their four young children in 2005, knowing little English and work...

Get to know Jan Reeves and Patty Haller, who worked together in leadership of the Idaho Office for Refugees for 20 years. We’ll learn more about the history of resettlement in Idaho and why programs like Global Gardens, Global Talent, and the Refugee Speakers Bureau got their start.  “So often refugees are labeled as refugees,” Patty said. “That’s an important part of their story, but it’s not the...

Mungo Ligoya uses the power of art to connect people and inspire conversations that challenge oppressive systems.   Mungo was born and raised in Malawi, a country known as the warm heart of Africa. He moved to Idaho five years ago to attend The College of Idaho in Caldwell. His roots in the local community and relationships with fellow artists have inspired Mungo to continue building his career he...

We’re joined by Reshma Kamal and Reshad Akbari to learn about cultural humility, the pitfalls of making assumptions about others, and the power of sharing one’s own story.  Reshad was born and raised in Afghanistan. After graduating from university, he worked in government and as a freelance translator. He moved to the U.S. in March 2022 through refugee resettlement and for the past year has serve...

Tune in for an engaging conversation with Winnie Christensen, founder and director of the  Culture For Change Foundation  based in Twin Falls, Idaho. Winnie immigrated to the U.S. from Kenya and attended high school in the small town of Blackfoot, Idaho, where her family was one of a handful of Black families. Over Winnie’s life she has helped build understanding through storytelling. She’s also g...

Ahmadi served as a transport pilot in the Afghan Air Force before relocating to Idaho Falls in 2022 through a private sponsorship group, along with two other pilots from Afghanistan.   He’s now interning at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, a city of 67,000 people in eastern Idaho, and is working toward an electrical engineering degree at Idaho State University. He has applied for asyl...

This week we hear how the experiences of refugee resettlement impact children in the classroom, and what teachers can do to build a culture of welcome and empowerment.  Our guests are Chantale Niyonkuru, the REACH Youth Program Specialist at the Idaho Office for Refugees, and Sara Skinner, a facilitator, trainer and consultant.  Chantale and Sara are part of a Neighbors United group offering train...

Today we’re getting caught up on resettlement updates in Idaho. It’s almost the end of the fiscal year, so you’ll learn about arrivals for the year and what we’re expecting for the year ahead.  As always, you can reach us at  mosaics@idahorefugees.org  with feedback, questions and ideas.   Links from today’s episode:   Job Opening ! Refugee Speakers Bureau coordinator, with the Idaho Office for Re...

This week we talk about what it means to feel welcomed, and what it takes to reach the next level of belonging. We hear from Lana Graybeal, City of Boise Senior Community Outreach Manager, and Beth Norton, Idaho Office for Refugees Events & Partnerships Coordinator.  In September, communities across the country celebrate  Welcoming Week . This global initiative by Welcoming America brings toge...

Halima Hamud is a Boise State University graduate who moved to Minnesota last year to pursue a graduate degree in Development Practices.   Halima was born to Somali parents in a refugee camp in Kenya. She and her family resettled in Boise in 2009 when she was in fourth grade.  Halima was among just 62 students in the country selected as Truman Scholars in 2021. She is now studying at the Universit...

The deep polarization of our time can feel overwhelming. On today's episode, we'll explore how to move  from hostility to hospitality.  That's the title of a workshop created by Nick & Laura Armstrong of Glocal Community Partners and Reshma Kamal of the Islamic Center of Boise and International Rescue Committee of Boise. They aim to increase understanding of current and historical expressions...