ARTICLES + LINKS

Articles and Links

Jakin's journey to a higher education

PROVIDENCE — Jakin Gerushom, originally from Uganda, recently graduated from Rhode Island College with a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW). We spoke with Jakin about his accomplishments and who he feels contributed to his success. Jakin says, “The Refugee Dream Center advocated on behalf of all refugees, including myself to ensure our rights are protected and that we have access to the resources and services we need to thrive in a new environment. The agency also connected me to my sponsors Kate and Ora who sponsored my college education.”

Ramadan in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE — Astronomers from the Majmaah University Astronomy Observatory Department in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, officially observed the new crescent moon on Sunday, March 10 at approximately 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. About five hours later, members of Brown University’s Muslim community assembled at the historic Ladd Observatory in Providence to do their own local moon sighting, as Muslim astronomers have done for over 1,400 years, and confirmed the official start of the month of Ramadan on Monday, March 11.

Afghan refugees are learning to call Rhode Island home

WEST WARWICK — Basri Darabi’s face is furled in concentration as she carefully constructs her sentence: “Akhtar is my husband.” She breaks into a beaming smile as she is given a clap for her perfect grammar and word choice – she and an Ocean State Stories reporter are using a common sentence structure to explain familial relations.

R.I. immigrant advocates predict rise in post-Title 42 arrivals. But how many?

The weathered face of the tall, thin man sitting at the head of a long plastic conference table inside a former Baptist Church on Providence’s South Side makes him look older than 42. His name is Sidi and he has been working long days at a convenience store and sending money back to his wife and child in Dakar, Senegal.

Refugee Dream Center aids in resettlement, assists with refugee employment, education

For Omar Bah, community advocacy was a priority well before he arrived in the United States. Formerly a journalist in The Gambia, Bah wrote a newspaper column focused on the work of major political figures in the nation, including former President Yahya Jammeh.

In new report, Rhode Island’s Afghan refugees detail their evacuation, resettlement experiences

In August 2021, nearly 76,000 Afghan refugees navigated bureaucratic confusion, experienced painful family separation and witnessed harrowing violence as they fled Kabul in the wake of the Taliban’s return and were airlifted to American military bases.

Migrants are arriving in RI from Mexican border but not from the countries you might think

A recent influx of migrants arriving in Rhode Island from the southern border has left a city nonprofit agency in need of more resources for those it serves. On a recent Monday afternoon, the lobby of the Refugee Dream Center was packed with new arrivals. Caseworkers are asked to offer rides to clients without the money for bus passes.

Dr. Omar Bah, Founder of the Refugee Dream Center, to Receive 2022 Wheeler Community Spirit Award

The Wheeler School and its Students Involved in Cultural Awareness (SICA) club are pleased to recognize Dr. Omar Bah, the Founder and Executive Director of the Refugee Dream Center, Inc. (RDC), with this year’s Wheeler Community Spirit Award.

Equity Leadership Initiative cohort members

Executive Director, Teddi Jallow has been selected to participate in the inaugural class of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative (ELI). Through the program, the Foundation will build a pipeline of Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous or multi-racial future leaders for positions of influence throughout the state

Seven stories that inspired us in 2022

While we were faced with devastating new conflicts and continued barriers for refugees in 2022, this year was also filled with stories of perseverance and hope. Take a look back at seven of our most inspiring stories from 2022.

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Providence refugee center ready to help migrants sent to Martha's Vineyard

Following the arrival of Venezuelan immigrants on an island off Massachusetts, the conversation about undocumented migrants continues in Rhode Island. Local nonprofit organizations are buckling up to figure out how they might help if their services are needed.

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Five students receive Carter Roger Williams scholarships

The four-year, renewable scholarships are through the Carter Roger Williams Initiative, which was launched by philanthropists Letitia and the late John Carter in 2017. This year’s recipients are eligible for $320,000 in aid over four years.

One woman’s path to Providence: How a refugee’s persistence propelled her from Somalia to the United States

Despite her physical limitations, Ubah Kahiye presses on, taking advantage of everything the country has to off er.

United Way Announces Design Team for Creating RI Nonprofit Resource Center

RDC's Deputy Director, Rakia Islam, was selected to be one of the United Way of Rhode Island’s Design Team members.

Through research collaboration, Brown scholars aim to improve experiences of refugees

Researchers at Brown’s Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies are working with the Refugee Dream Center in Providence to assess Afghan refugees’ needs and improve military-civilian partnerships across the globe.

Omar Bah ’10: “Whoever you are, you are valid.”

This is the story of Omar Bah ’10, a graduate of URI’s College of Arts & Sciences (A&S) with a B.A. in Communications Studies and a minor in Political Science.

Dr. Omar Bah, Teddi Jallow and Night Jean Muhingabo featured on The Providence Journal as among the 22 to watch in 2022

RDC Founder Omar Bah Featured in University of Rhode Island’s ‘Stories of the First Amendment in Action’ Series

RDC Founder Omar Bah, along with other members of the greater Rhode Island community recently took part in the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Stories of the First Amendment in Action series, a compilation of how “they are guided by the First Amendment in their work and their lives”.

Global Impacts Trauma, health equity, human rights focus of HMS certificate course

In a small study of 46 participants, Bah examined several factors that may explain how a leader who has suffered trauma manages to survive. These include physiological response to thinking about and narrating trauma, resilience, belonging, and experiencing a sense of well-being in life.

Nonprofits share $100,000 in first round of Vax Challenge grants

Ten nonprofits from across Rhode Island will receive $10,000 apiece in the first round of funding from the Vax Challenge, which awards grants to nonprofits on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic every time an additional 5,000 Rhode Islanders are vaccinated.

Their past was a nightmare. For many refugees, the Dream Center offers hope.

Teddi Jallow’s clients often call her “mama,” or “Mama Dream.” Or sometimes just “sister.” In many ways, she and her husband, Omar Bah, are like family to the 300 refugees they serve at the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 2015, the center provides case management services to people who have fled violence or persecution, and runs programs that focus on health, youth mentoring, and adult education. But the couple also want to make sure Rhode Island refugees have a place to turn when they run into trouble.

Wheeler student wins prize for app that pairs refugees with volunteer translators

Josefowicz, a 16-year-old junior at the Wheeler School, realized that, for many refugees who come to the United States and don’t speak English, dealing with government bureaucracy can be a massive challenge.

The Census Count Relies on Private Philanthropy

And that could produce an uneven count depending on the private dollars available in various communities. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing with the Census Bureau director and the Government Accountability Office about the status of the count, which fully begins one month from today.

How Omar Bah, Founder of RI’s Refugee Dream Center, Is Helping Community During Coronavirus

“As COVID-19 spreads across the world and social distancing has become the new norm, children are no longer seen playing basketball in the parking lot of the Refugee Dream Center, located on Lockwood Street.

Refugee Dream Center gives support to hundreds of Rhode Island's refugees

Refugees living in Rhode Island already have difficulties getting the same resources as everybody else. In a time of global crisis, this vulnerability is amplified. In Providence, the Refugee Dream Center is working with 125 families new to this country who are now also struggling with the challenges of life during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fear of census common for immigrants in R.I.

“I’ve worked in this community for 11 years, and this is the first time that I’ve seen fears this heightened.” – Omar Bah

Refugee Dream Center honors intersections between World Refugee Day and Juneteenth

“There are over 26 million refugees around the world,” said Bah. “People suffering because human beings made them suffer. How is that different from a police officer killing someone in broad daylight? Here in America, we see people of color, black men especially, facing violence and precarity like that which drives refugees from their homes.“

Politics casts shadow over celebration by R.I. refugees

The Refugee Dream Center planned for its World Refugee Day celebration Saturday to be a relaxed affair, said Omar Bah, the center’s executive director. Yet for him, it took on political overtones the moment President Donald Trump tweeted about nationwide immigration sweeps that were slated to start Sunday

Celebrating World Refugee Day with the Refugee Dream Center

World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations (UN) in 2000 to “honor all refugees,raise awareness and solicit support.”

‘What makes America great.’ Son of Holocaust survivors teaches English to Syrian refugee in Providence

“Three years after Mohamed Alshawaf came to the United States as a refugee from Syria, he can now have a basic conversation in English.” Read more about Leonard Newman, an English-language tutor for the Refugee Dream Center, and his student Alshawaf

Dr. Omar Bah, Teddi Jallow and Night Jean Muhingabo were featured on The Providence Journal as among the 22 to watch in 2022

RDC Founder Omar Bah Featured in University of Rhode Island’s ‘Stories of the First Amendment in Action’ Series

A real-world lesson in the value of press freedom

Speaking to a class at Roger Williams University, the Director of the Refugee Dream Center expressed concern for the state of the press in the United States, and “seeing a president of a democratic country like America saying certain things that dictators would say”

24 Hours in America

“Snow. That is what Isabel Kayembe remembers being excited about during her first few days in the United States. She had never seen snow before.” -Isabel Kayembe, Case Manager at the Refugee Dream Center.

Syrian refugees in R.I. feel strain of family separation

Omar Bah, Director of the Refugee Dream Center touches on the dramatic decline in refugees admitted in 2019. He estimates that about 12,000 will be admitted in 2019, which he calls “a very big problem and a betrayal of refugees.”

American Greatness Rests in Compassion

“America is a rainbow nation of natives, immigrants, refugees and a variety of cultures and creeds. It was founded on the fundamental desire for freedom, human rights and equality.” – Omar Bah

State of Mind with Dan Yorke

Omar Bah, Founder of the Refugee Dream Center, responds to Trump’s refugee policies.

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Rhode Islanders criticize Trump's 'ideological test' for immigrants

Omar Bah is interviewed along with lawyer Roberto Gonzalez and Imam Farid Ansari

Starting Over

Nothing is impossible for Bah and the hundreds of refugees he’s helped as founder and director of the Refugee Dream Center in Providence—quickly becoming the go-to place for recent arrivals seeking guidance, or just someone to talk to. Bah is the perfect listener.

A Beacon of Hope in Providence

Omar Bah welcomes refugees from all over the world.

Mulling it Over: From Nightmare to a Dream

Omar Bah describes his journey in a podcast. Click below to listen to the podcast.

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Fitz’s Hits: Do more than cheer Refugee Olympic Team; Put vandals to work on Little League field

Omar Bah is quoted in the press about his thoughts regarding the Refugee Olympic Team.

Omar Bah -Rhode Islanders of the Year 2015

As 2015 draws to a close, we’re honoring people who live and work in Rhode Island who have contributed to the community in a major way over the past year. They’ve accomplished great things, not because it’s what they get paid to do, but because it’s what they felt called to do.

Omar Bah ’10

Omar Bah was nearly beaten to death in a jail cell in Gambia a decade ago. His crime? Writing newspaper stories about the country’s brutal dictator. Here in America, we take freedom of the press for granted. In the West African nation, it doesn’t exist.