Celine's Story: From the Congo to South Africa to Toledo
The number of refugees worldwide is increasing daily. It’s now nearly 27 million, the highest ever. While abstract statistics might feel alarming, they often lack any personal connection. We hope to bridge that gap and would like to share more stories from refugees who have been resettled in Toledo.
We want to introduce you to one of our clients, Celine K., who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the Congo, who lives here in Toledo. Celine generously offered to share her story with Toledo’s AmeriCorps VISTA, Emma. She began her story by sharing how she came to be resettled in Toledo.
“She explained that black immigrants from the continent were targeted just for existing and ‘they can kill you for nothing.’ Her husband was murdered in South Africa because of this hatred.”
Celine fled her home country in 2003 with her four children. Her children were two, six, eight, and ten years old at the time. She and her family fled to South Africa, where her husband had fled two years prior. Celine describes that although she and her family had fled instability and conflict in her home country, she did not find refuge in South Africa. While in South Africa, Celine and her family faced the brutality of xenophobia and racism. She explained that black immigrants from the continent were targeted just for existing and that “they can kill you for nothing.”
She shared that her husband was murdered in South Africa because of this hatred.
Celine was candid about her experience and the immense difficulty of being a single mother at that time. Celine worked in a salon and struggled to put her kids through school. She was not paid a lot and struggled to make the money for rent, to feed her children, and for childcare for her youngest, who was two years old. She remembers being unsure of what to do with her youngest child while at work and asked friends for their advice. She at times had to bring the toddler to her work. She also struggled to save money for university. While struggling to have basic necessities met, she continued to feel unsafe due to the incessant xenophobia and racism. She explained that she could not return to the Congo because it was still unsafe and so eventually, Celine was determined to seek refuge for her and her children elsewhere and so she visited the refugee office to begin the process.
It was six years before she was resettled. In 2018, she was resettled by US Together in Toledo.
When Celine and her family arrived in Toledo, the US Together staff helped them find housing, enroll in school, find her a job, and navigate life in Toledo. She says that even now she calls US Together when in need of any assistance and that they are her support network in Toledo. As for employment, Celine worked at a salon in Toledo when she first resettled but lost her job due to COVID-19 and currently, she works at cookie factory. Her English has improved in the past two years and her children are now grown up. Two attend the University of Toledo and the other two are enlisted in the Army. While she acknowledges that she does not experience the daily immediate danger that she felt in the past here in Toledo, her resettlement in the US has not been without struggle. Some challenges that she has experienced while living in Toledo include that living expenses are steep for her wages, she struggles with English, and she confesses that her life in Toledo can feel isolating given that she does not know many people here. While Celine still experience challenges living in Toledo, she expressed gratitude for having the chance to share her story and thanked Emma for listening.
Hearing the stories of our clients is not only important for raising community awareness of the personal stories of refugees who live among us but also, it is vital for the US Together community to know and hear these stories so that our services and programs are the most effective and impactful possible. Thank you, Celine, for sharing your story.