The places. People. And words keeping me company.

Congo

Indonesia

“What is the change you want to see for your community?”

Eritrea

“It is a story of moments. It is a story of small stories.”

Ethiopia

Syria

“Compassionate assessment means listening for strengths and resources.”

“We have clients who are dealing with issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, mental health issues, trauma, and a myriad of other physical health issues. We don’t just deal with immigration. We deal with the whole person.”

Rwanda

“Defining ‘trafficking,’ in the eyes of the law is complicated. Commercial sex vs sexual assault vs labor trafficking. They make it both nebulous and nuanced in what feels like an effort to continually prevent deserving individuals from receiving the benefits and services and resources they need to succeed here. ”

Turkey

“How do you burn out and then work through burn out? Because the work has a high burn out rate, but that’s not the end of the story. We have to keep going.”

China

“What I love about this work is that while there is a lot of need, it is not only crisis that brings our client to us, it is also the stories of joy. Stories of successes and reunification.”

Guatemala

Not just fleeing, but also liberation. Not a moving away from, but a moving toward.

The Distance Between Us By Reyna Grande

Exit West By Mohsin Hamid

Uganda

“The first time I met him, he is 4 years old mind you, his mother said - ‘ok, get ready, you are going to meet your case worker.’ So before the Zoom call he rushed to the bathroom, combed his hair and put on perfume.”

“It is the small victories. Not just the huge advocacy moments. It is the personal and direct advocacy. That is the story.”