August 7 
August 7
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Students welcome us to their literacy class |
"When given the chance to speak, one man stands up and greets us in eloquent Somali---grateful for our visit, thankful for the help they’ve received, and proud of how far his people have progressed. He goes on to stress, however, that life has not become easy for them and that in a dry and desolate place like Kakuma they still suffer hardship. He asks us to remember his people and that their only real hope and expectation for the future is to come to America as soon as possible. The only response we can give is that we’ve seen many people in the government working to process their refugee cases quickly and offer the assurance that we and hundreds of volunteers in the U.S. are preparing to greet them and greatly looking forward to their arrival. At this answer, the class breaks into applause---evidence of how eagerly they are awaiting their new lives. As we leave the classes we visited, the students begin clapping in rhythm and chanting, nearly singing, “Bye, see you later! Bye, see you later!”