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- Life After War
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- Jessica Partnow
New refugees coming to the United States have just a few months to find a job and a place to live. On top of that, they are 10 times as likely as the general population to suffer from post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Beth Farmer: "We've often thought we should give away t–shirts that say 'I survived my first year in America.'"
That's Beth Farmer, who works with refugees suffering from depression and PTSD.
In today's segment of "Refugees in Puget Sound," reporter Jessica Partnow talks to Iraqi refugees about recovering from life in a war zone.
More from Jessica Partnow
Starting Over at Sea-Tac
(08:10)
From: Jessica Partnow
New refugees have to juggle a lot. There's finding housing, getting kids enrolled in school; often there's learning English. And there's finding a job. Many refugees look to ...
Little Mogadishu
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King County is home to one of the country's largest populations of Somalis. They've been fleeing since the Somali government collapsed in 1991. The community is concentrated ...
Syrian Rappers Get Serious
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As demonstrations against the Syrian government intensified last month, a Syrian rap group called the Sham MCs released a song about the protests. It's called "From Syria."
Children of Refugees
(07:54)
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Once a refugee family has been here for a while, the children often become ambassadors to the outside world. It's the kids who have to translate for their parents and deal ...
Chaos Comes to Cairo.
(02:38)
From: Jessica Partnow
On-the ground interview from Monday Jan. 31st with CLP correspondent Nathaniel Greenberg, currently based in Cairo.
Friday in Cairo: "Change is Coming"
(04:26)
From: Jessica Partnow
On-the ground interview from Friday Jan. 28th with CLP correspondent Nathaniel Greenberg, currently based in Cairo.
The Pakistani Art of Truck Decoration
(03:21)
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Shipping is a big business in Pakistan. With new paved highways offering a fast track to Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, trucking is an important part of the country’s ...
Parrot Fortune Teller
(05:49)
From: Jessica Partnow
People come to fortunetellers for answers and entertainment, but not all fortunetellers use a crystal ball. In Karachi, Pakistan, one street vendor tells fortunes with the ...
Swat Refugees
(01:48)
From: Jessica Partnow
Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis were already fleeing the Swat Valley before the latest fighting broke out. Sher Ali Khan, 55, is one of them. He fled his home in a ...
Ghost Schools
(06:45)
From: Jessica Partnow
Primary education is compulsory in Pakistan, and the country has a large public school system. But many of these schools are just marginally functional. Corruption is ...
Related Pieces
Piece Description
New refugees coming to the United States have just a few months to find a job and a place to live. On top of that, they are 10 times as likely as the general population to suffer from post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Beth Farmer: "We've often thought we should give away t–shirts that say 'I survived my first year in America.'"
That's Beth Farmer, who works with refugees suffering from depression and PTSD.
In today's segment of "Refugees in Puget Sound," reporter Jessica Partnow talks to Iraqi refugees about recovering from life in a war zone.
Broadcast History
Aired on KUOW January 2012.
Transcript
TRANSCRIPT
The Kuba family lives in a small ground–floor apartment in Kent. Their few pieces of furniture are all crowded into one corner of the living room, as if pushing everything close together will make it seem like there is more of it. At dinnertime, they have to squeeze in around a tiny coffee table. The walls are bare.
But there's a lot more space here than they had a few weeks ago, when they were living in their car.
Amer Kuba: "I leave my home. And all my stuff in the street cause I don't have money for truck."
This is Amer Kuba. He is a refugee from Iraq. At his first apartment, rent was $735. But he only got $560 in refugee cash assistance. It caught up with him, and he was evicted.
Kuba: "I take just my clothes and I sleep in my car almost three month. I drive in night, and my family sleep in car."
Back in Baghdad, Amer had a small chain of electronics stores.
He says...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:New refugees coming to the United States have just a few months to find a job and a place to live. On top of that, they are 10 times as likely as the general population to suffer from post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Beth Farmer: "We've often thought we should give away t–shirts that say 'I survived my first year in America.'"
That's Beth Farmer, who works with refugees suffering from depression and PTSD.
In today's segment of "Refugees in Puget Sound," reporter Jessica Partnow talks to Iraqi refugees about recovering from life in a war zone.
OUTRO:Jessica Partnow is a cofounder of the Common Language Project. In tomorrow’s segment, she follows a South Sudanese teenager’s struggle to get herself – and her seven younger brothers and sisters – through college. Support for this series on refugees in the Seattle area comes from the Program Venture Fund. Contributors include Paul and Laurie Ahern (uh-HERN) and Puget Sound Energy.
Additional Files
- Audio clip for intro (03-ClipForIntro-BethTShirts.wav)
Additional Credits
Jim Gates, Editor
Mustafa Zaki, Interpreter & Assistant Producer
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