(Photo by Inge Kathleen)
Every year more than one million people immigrate to the United States. Most immigrants join other family members already living in the country who can help them get settled. But many others, particularly refugees, have no family to ease the transition. They have to rely on churches, nonprofits, and government agencies for help. One of these nonprofits is located in the college town of Bowling Green, Ky. Every year the International Center of Bowling Green helps hundreds of immigrants find housing, apply for food stamps, enroll their children in schools, learn English, land jobs, and do all of the other myriad things that it takes to create a new life in a new land. The young Burmese boy looking out of the school bus window (above) is one such immigrant. He arrived in the United States along with his parents and three brothers. Before coming to the United States, the family lived in the Umpiem Mai refugee camp in Thailand. Most refugees are never granted the official refugee status that allows them to immigrate to another country. Instead, millions of people are stuck in refugee camps for years. Although establishing a new life in a foreign country is not easy, this boy and his family are six of the lucky ones.
Read more stories by Eric Nee.