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Subscribe to RSSThe International Rescue Committee helps refugees connect with their past and begin building a future in their new homeland with a program called New Roots. NBC's Diana Alvear reports.
By NBC News correspondent Diana Alvear
SAN DIEGO -- It's daybreak at the City Heights Farmer's Market. Under a bright yellow tent, Luchia Lokonyen is arranging the fruits of her labor (kale, and several other greens), while greeting her customers.
"Thank you," Lokonyen said. "Have a beautiful day!"
Those are special words for Lokonyen. She arrived in San Diego four years ago, not speaking a word of English. Civil unrest forced to flee her native Uganda.
"We run, yeah," she said. "Because we see the people kill in war and then we run away."
Lokonyen spent 15 years in a Kenyan refugee camp. It was a tumultuous and dangerous time, during which her husband was murdered, leaving her a single mother of five. That's where she met workers with the International Rescue Committee who were able to resettle Lokonyen and her children in San Diego.
While she was happy to be in the United States, she was unsure how she would support her large family. Fortunately, San Diego is one of 11 cities that feature the IRC's New Roots program, a program that provides refugees with a plot of land on which to grow the crops from their native lands. They can feed their families with their harvest, and sell whatever is leftover at the farmer's market. Most growers make between $100 and $800 a month.
Lokonyen harvests kale on a 600-square-foot plot, alongside 85 other families, refugees from countries as diverse as Cambodia, Burma and Somalia.
Ellee Igoe of the International Rescue Committee explains how the program, New Roots, gives refugees a way to connect with their heritage and forge a new life.
The man in charge, Bilal Muya, is a Somalian refugee who helped create the New Roots program six years ago. He, along with other Bantu refugees, requested some land to utilize the skills they learned in their homelands.
"Going back to the land, taking care of the land, that's our heritage," Muya said. "That's our history. That's our value."
IRC's Ellee Igoe said the program does much more than provide land for farming.
"What I hear them tell me is they feel stronger because they are eating healthier," Igoe said. "They feel happier because they have a place to be outdoors. And they feel empowered because they are doing something that people are interested in."
Muya believes food provides common ground for refugees.
"We could have been [from] different countr[ies], different looking, but we are common in food," he said.
In just a year, Lokonyen has sown the seeds of her success. Her stand is one of the more popular ones at the market, and she has regulars who depend on her for crisp, organic kale and more. She's doing so well, she is seeking a larger plot of land.
"When I'm here in a garden," she said. "I feel like I'm home."
Lokonyen dreams the American dream. Her goal is earn enough from farming to buy a home for her family, a home in a place of peace where they have planted new roots.
To learn more about New Roots, please visit their website: http://www.rescue.org/new-roots-america
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Now just hold the phone here. How in the heck can I get a plot of land for free in San Diego? I'm sitting here working and freezing my tail off in Iowa. Who the heck wouldn't this sweet deal. Move me to San Diego. I'll grow what ever you want!
Gregorovich, I was born and raised in San Diego, and I'm still waiting on my plot of land! And I'd like to make $800 and not have the government take a third of it! Unfortunately, immigrants are treated better than citizens in this state...heck, in this country!
Don't forget refugees get public assistance....as a matter of policy including subsidized or free housing, medical care, etc. I agree....it is a bit too generous given the fact we can't take care of our own.
Have you tried to live on $100-800 a month, whether it is taxed or not? And I'm sure CA is taking a bite out of that, along with SD, etc. It would have been nice if there had been more info on this program in this story, but you can always do a search and get the full details of what these war refugees are provided and where the land came from that they are growing their crops upon. My thought was how does she think she would ever be able to afford to own her own home anywhere in CA with their inflated housing prices (even with the housing bust of 2007-08.
BTW here is the link for the International Rescue Committee, which was organized all the way back in 1933
http://www.rescue.org/
Add new-roots-america after the link and it will take you to this new roots program, that is apparently just not in San Diego, but in other parts of the US as well.
It appears that in each of the 22 regional US offices, when the New Roots program is started, IRC owns the land that they make available to these people to get a start towards self-sufficiency. Your comments are just another example of how too many Americans have become me-me-me instead of helping your brothers and sisters. Maybe, instead of bitching here on Newsvine, Robbie, you should become involved in the SD regional office of IRC and help these war refugees become tax paying citizens.
No thanks, anti-trust. I already do volunteer work to help the citizens of THIS country, who seem to be forgotten when it comes to charitable largesse. How about we give a plot of land to grow crops to the American homeless or the citizens who've lost their jobs due to the recession? Or even the folks who work hard a low-paying retail and restaurant jobs who don't receive government benefits or charity handouts and haven't a prayer of ever getting ahead, let alone achieving the American Dream?
There's plenty of free land for farming. Do a search for community gardens in your area. Farming is hard work and with 5 kids she's probably not living very luxuriously. And if she can produce a valuable product instead of just living on wellfare, I say she's welcome here.
you know its all fine and dandy if you look at just one individual situation. BUT lets look at the whole picture. how many americans born and raised or americans that are were born some place else and have worked hard in this country for years (like my parents) would not like to have that opertunity. With all the problems that this country is facing can we afford to take care of more people. you want your taxes going to help a family survive that recently arrived or a family that is already here in need?
Beautiful!
beautiful!
My hats off to Mrs. Lokonyen who came to a foreign country with five children not knowing the language or anybody.She is learning English and working for a living.I wish her the best of luck in obtaining her dream of a bigger piece of land and home ownership.I'd rather have immigrants such as her living in my state of California than the American born and raised gang banger's and their American born and raised welfare mothers.
My grandmother came to this country at 13 and alone prior to WW1, never saw any of her family again, didn't speak the language, never learned to read and write, yet raised 4 children and her and her husband bought the home they lived in all with no government assistance. This crap they are doing makes me angry as I struggle day in and day out with no help from anyone. If they want to live here they need to make it on their own not handouts from the govt. or anyone else. If I have to make it on my own and my grandmother had to make it on her own, then they should have to as well or go back and fix the mess that their country is in.
Myrmickat...............I think it's a shame you never learned to read and write either. Her and her husband? Give me a break.
My grandparents came here in 1916. They already spoke German and Russian, but they decided they needed to learn the language of their new country, to show how much they appreciated being American. Why didn't your grandmother do that?
Great, a african refugee with 5 kids to suck off the tax-payer. Just be sure they stay in California.
I don't see any imigration status mentioned in any of this. Did they come here with proper documentation or is this another "come on over, I need more voters to vote for me" Owebamination.
I'm sure the powers that be has looked into this but I would be a little apprehensive about introducing non-native plants that could possibly cause huge problems, the ramifications could be great, like kudzoo,nutria, on and on. I'm sure we are safe and they have considered all this.....I am so glad they put my people on reservations, where some of the last clean water, air can be found.
Oh good! Great idea! Lets start bringing in street people while our house go into foreclosure and our family is hurting. Whose idea is this? Surely not a taxpayer/ US citizen idea.....is it?
more stinking foreigners feeding off the American taxpayers. when do the taxpayers get taken care of, instead of foreigners and free loaders
Did she get an Obama phone?
Behold... the American d*p sh*t!
(See above.)
Pay them to go back home....USA hasn't given me a dang thing except maybe a hard time...outrageous!
Ruth...............The USA hasn't given you anything? You were born into freedom, and you're so stupid you don't know how to take advantage of that? How about working hard to get an education? How about working hard at a job? How about working to help others that don't have it as good as you do? Nah. That'd be too hard, right Ruthie? Easier to bitch and moan. How about I pay YOU to leave?
another obama deal bring in refuges when he has tacked on 4 trillion debt himself in his first four years and jumped the taxes on the rich and middle class, what people do not know he plans on bringing over 200,000 refuges from africa to add to the rolls of the inproveded more welfare and food stamps are food stamps went from 32 billion to 47 billion a year he is tearing down america and making it like france and everybody knows france is about to declair bank rupt! the countries that are growing are countries like china and russia did you know the russians pay a flat tax of 13 percent there gnp is growing by leaps and bounds, america has become stagment and inflation has hit but is covered up by the 87 billion in american bonds each month when they become mature look at double digit inflation and a dollar that is worth 25 percent less than it is now america is in real trouble but america has a congress that is weak and a senate that is twice as week and knowbody wants to do the right thing and that's to stop the spending in washington did you know we are forgiving egypts debt and giving them another couple of billion and we owe the chinese over a trillion and do you think they are going to forgive are debt to them wake up america
snooky the wise???? Hey snookie. Obama added about one and a half trillion. Bushie added 15 and a half. He isn't planning to bring over 200 thousand refugees. He has nothing to do with that. It's already been set up for years how many people from different countries may emigrate. Where exactly is he tearing down America? And France is about to declare bankrupt??? How many years have YOU been in this country, you can't even speak correctly?
You're so upset about all of this and you blame people who come here? Why not blame the richest one percent who are really to blame? Did you know their incomes have gone up 200 percent in the last 20 years? While regular working Americans incomes have not gone up at all? Why the f**k aren't you angry about that?
SoSick.....
You are an idiot. Where do you get your facts? You spread lies to support Obama. Bush didn't add 15 1/2 trillion. Obama has spent more than all the other presidents combined and he isn't slowing down yet.
Chuck, you're either stupid or a liar. Everything I said can be looked up and verified. Bush did indeed add 15 trillion...........add up two wars.
Obama has spent more than all other presidents combined? You are a poster boy for the uneducated.
I guess I'll have to get citizenship in a foreign country to be able to get land and money given to me from my own country-ya this is what the people elected Obama for to giver our country to non citizens-what about our homeless our starving americans who would be glad to have a spot of land to grow crops on-so this is what we are redused to-giving up what we have for some other country to come in and give everything to them-and everyone called Hitler a criminal at least he was trying to save germany for the german people. But the american people ask for this with their vote-ha ha-Like I've said before they put in there who they want to ruin the country
james................You say Hitler was trying to save Germany for the German people? Are you a complete idiot? Have you ever read a history book? Yeah, I didn't think so. The Jews Hitler killed were German. I don't think he was saving Germany for them.
Just like I told snooky..............why don't you blame who's really responsible? I'll do you a favor and tell you who it is, because you're too effing stupid to figure it out for yourself. The rich one percent. They screw you over and you're too stupid to even see it. Geez. Sometimes I wish stupids like you would to a different country. You're not doing the rest of us any favors by staying here.
WTF!!! this is crazy, and we wonder why our taxes are high. Stop giving imigrants everything short of a hand job, its time to revolt and impeach every holder of any power, we need to take care of our own. Its sad to see a soldier come back from protecting our country and loose everything when anyone claiming asylum cus there country is war torn get every thing under the sun.Stop allowing them into our country, we have our own problems that are ignored, we dont need anyone elses. and yes they can get welfare with no problem, but everyones grandma is cold and hungry and cant get help cuz she makes 800 dollars a month and that makes her over the limit. This is sad, very very sad
it's amazing the teachers of america are teaching the kids to be little reds and obama is implementing it and are congress and senate could care less because they do not give a @!$%#. to get america going have a flat tax of 10 percent where in are charters does it say we the people have to pay for education the ones who should pay for education are the ones that have kids every parent should be charged 5,000 a year per kid for education why should i have to pay for the education that the family has 10 kids and are on welfare and food stamps and the family has been on it for four generations in four generations from my great grandpa there is six grandchildren and five great granchildren so that's 11 people on these welfare familys they may have 200 to 300 great granchildren and in my family out of the 11 only five are the age to vote these welfare family have 150 votes! or more this is why america is going to sh*& obama never had a real job yet he's worth 15 million bill clinton is worth 100 million politics does pay and obama loves to be santa
To provide some background: refugees are people who have been forced to flee some of the worlds worst conflict zones. They are among the world's most vulnerable people, too often forced to live in limbo in refugees camps and urban settings around the world. (Think of what is going on in Syria right now). A lucky few (less than 1%) of the world's over 14 million refugees are given the chance to re-start their lives in the U.S. through the federal refugee resettlement program which has been in existence since the mid 1970s. The entire program is built on the premise that refugees become self-sufficient in as short a space of time as possible, which is that they strive to do. They are among the most determined, resilient, hopeful people I have ever met. Forced to flee war, political oppression, religious persecution, often leaving in the middle of the night with literally just the clothes on their backs, they come here determined to make the most of the opportunities this country offers, and to live full, rich, self-sufficient lives here. As a friend of mine once said, refugees would make the best world ambassadors for peace. They have seen the worst of humanity, and they still have hope.
I work with refugee immigrant in Seattle-Tacoma, Washington. I've long noted a mismatch with the nearly exclusively urban settlement of immigrants here in the U.S. and the desire of many of the refugees themselves to be closer to the land. On the east side of Washington, we don't have enough farm laborers to harvest apples and other crops. Meanwhile, here in Seattle and Tacoma, I see Eastern Europeans who pine for the farm and country life of the rural villages they left behind. Their slice of heaven is getting a little community garden plot here in the city. They didn't want to be in the city. The city is just where all the services are available for new arrivals. Likewise, many Somali immigrants are accustomed rural life; I suspect their rough assimilation into a literate, high-tech world would be more comfortable in a small U.S. town than in a big city. (Provided enough of their peers were available to have a sense of community--one reason why previous North American attempts at rural resettlement may have failed. ) Across the border in Canada, the government sponsors Punjabi wheat farmers willing to put their skills to use on the plains of Canada. Here in the U.S., as one part of the solution to chronic farm labor shortages, why don't we set up support networks for resettling refugees in rural areas in need of farmers or farm laborers? Kudos to New Roots! It's good to know about this program, and I may be getting in touch.