Client stories

For  Nafia Al Daghir,60, coming to the USA was not just a dream, but an  utter necessity to keep his mental sanity and for the safety of his  family. Born in early 60s, Nafia grew up in an Iraq that witnessed the  worst times in the country’s history, when war, internal conflict, tough  economic sanctions, embargoes, and American intervention for nearly  five decades saw unending suffering among the Iraqi citizens. 

The horrors of war

Added  to this, Nafia’s work as a head video journalist in a leading  international news network in Iraq made him financially stable, but  emotionally drained by the end of his twelve-year stint. “Filming the  damage caused to my country - the killing, violence, bombings, watching  the sufferings of my people and the wreck of our heritage buildings and  sites are all archived in my mind. I cannot get rid of these memories,  and they will be with me till my end,” said Nafia. 

The  government in Iraq had forbidden Iraqis to move to the United States  because of the strained relations between the countries, so while  growing up in the 1970s, it was Nafia's dream to come to the US, and  slowly the dream turned into a need. The violence and the unstable  situation in Iraq deeply affected Nafia's life and was the main reason  for him to move.

Nafia  not only lost his three brothers in the chaos but also as many as 20  cousins and uncles had gruesome deaths. Fifteen were lost at the same  spot in a bomb blast. 

“I’ve  lost friends, neighbours, and their memories, the awful way that they  were killed, and the unjustness meted out to them will never leave my  heart and my mind. What hurts actually is to be oppressed by your  people. So, all this, coupled with the extent of the damage that you  witness while filming and doing your job is actually a huge baggage to  carry."

Nafia  is very happy with the way the US welcomed him. "The people at Church  World Services took great care of us and our needs when we first landed  and then people at the New Arrivals Institute took over and they are  simply fantastic. They evaluated our certificates so the girls could  start school.

“NAI  helped if there was a shortage with food, and they gave me a chance to  do some paid work for them, that really helped when you are initially  settling in and I am grateful for their continued support,” he said.

Nafia  started working with NAI in 2016, and continues to help with refugees  from Syria, Sudan, and other Arabic speaking countries. “Lynn, Leilani,  Chad, Kristian, Chealy and all at NAI are like my family. They are a  great organisation and a wonderful lot to work with,” he smiled.

But  like most immigrants seeking asylum, Nafia and his family have had to  surmount several challenges, and with the profession Nafia had, as a war  correspondent, he found it really difficult to find a suitable job in  the Traid. So, while he was happy with the schools for his young  daughters, the low taxes, and cost of living, among other benefits of  North Carolina, he could not find a suitable job for himself.

“When  you want to plant a plant, you need to choose the right season to  plant. Similarly, when you want to practice your job, you need to go to  the right place to practice the trade. The US is very big and I was  advised to come to North Carolina by a friend and there are things you  learn about the place when you start living here that Google cannot tell  you. So, for a war journalist, this is not the place and I couldn’t  find a job that could use my skills.

“I  was advised by friends to travel to DC or New York because it’s easier  to find a job. Since I was with an international news agency, I was  known by journalists in the US. But even though I had my networks in  place, I chose to be with the family because it was difficult for them  to manage four daughters without me. My elder ones were teenagers and it  was not easy to leave the family behind when they were struggling to  cope in the new environment," he said.