Rami's Story: Resilience from Syria to Toledo

To continue bridging the gap between the alarming statistics of refugees in the world and refugees as individuals with their own unique stories, we are sharing another story of a refugee who has been resettled in Toledo.

We want to introduce you to one of our clients, Rami. A couple of weeks, Rami generously shared his story with our AmeriCorps VISTA, Emma, who was assisted by our Director of the ESL program, Bashar, who translated for Rami.

Rami lives here in Toledo with his wife and three children. Rami is originally from Homs in Syria and resettled in Toledo in March 2015. Prior to resettling here in Toledo, Rami spent several years in Jordan after he and his family fled Syria in October 2011. He was declared a refugee by the UNHCR when he lived in Jordan and lived there for several years working as tailor, his trained profession, in Jordan. When he and his family resettled to Toledo, he was able to continue working as a tailor here in Toledo. Unfortunately, due to the complications surrounding COVID-19, Rami had to find another job and currently works delivering packages. Rami hopes to one day open a tailor shop of his own here in town.

Resettling in the US as a refugee comes with many significant challenges. Rami explains the biggest challenge for him was the language barrier and the adjustment to American culture and society. He remembers not knowing how to navigate American systems such as the healthcare system, employment, etc., but also the difficulties of living daily life in the US. He explains that because of his limited English skills he was unable to find a better paying job.

“While there have been many barriers to his resettling here in Toledo, Rami remains optimistic and proud of the resilience of himself and his family. He emphasized that he has never given up and has continued to work through all his struggles and has found new jobs and made a clear plan forward.”

While there have been many barriers to his resettling here in Toledo, Rami remains optimistic and proud of the resilience of himself and his family. He emphasized that he has never given up and has continued to work through all his struggles and has found new jobs and made a clear plan forward. Two of Rami’s children attend school and their third was born just this year. Rami noted that he is also proud of the successes of himself and his wife. Rami attended citizenship classes and this past January he passed his citizenship exam and became a US citizen! He is proud of his wife who now attends Owens Community College.

He also is very appreciative of the US Together staff, especially when Rami and his family first arrived in Toledo. He says they were of great help in the beginning with transportation and getting them to appointments. He also remembers fondly the celebrations at the Toledo office for World Refugee Day in the past years and hopes that they continue in the years to come. He specifically wanted to thank Bashar and Corine, our Director of Programs, for all their help, and asked that they be included in this story.

Thank you, Rami, for sharing your story and we hope that one day we can visit you at your very own tailor shop!