Welcoming Refugees Starts with You: Walk with someone like Khin Lay
Imagine spending over 15 years in a country that doesn’t legally recognize you. This is the reality for countless refugees around the world, including those in Malaysia, where Khin Lay fled to escape conflict in her home country of Myanmar. Now, after nearly a year in the US, she and her family are building their lives with support from people like you. The road to stability is not easy, but it’s full of hope.
Before arriving in the US nearly a year ago, Khin Lay and her husband spent 17 years as refugees in Malaysia. Malaysia does not officially recognize refugees, leaving them without legal rights to work and limited access to healthcare, education, and housing. The risk of arrest and exploitation runs high. The couple had each other to navigate this tough environment.
“We have been married for about 18 years,” says Khin Lay of her husband. “So whenever we faced difficulties or problems, we solve them together. Sometimes I want to give up, but he anchors me. It’s always been the two of us together struggling through what life brings our way.”
Welcome to the United States
The years of limbo ended in early 2024 when the family arrived in the US through the refugee resettlement program. Our community of welcome helped them secure housing, find employment, access healthcare, enroll their children in school, and more. The transition has not been easy, but Khin Lay is determined, adaptable and making progress step-by-step.
“When I first arrived in the U.S., I didn’t even dare to speak to people,” she says. “I did not understand what they would say to me. I couldn’t speak back to them.” She enrolled in English Language classes hosted at a local church and taught by World Relief teachers.
“Gradually I became a little bit more brave to speak to other people. It’s important to learn English because this is where I’m going to be living from now on.”
Looking Forward
When it comes to the future, Khin Lay’s children and her hopes for them pull her forward. Her daughter, 16, dreams of becoming a content creator who makes documentaries and tells the stories of people in need to get support for them. Her son, 9, is passionate about electronics and hopes to become an engineer.
“What mainly gives us hope and keeps us going is our children,” says Khin Lay. “It’s for the two of them that my husband and I live our lives. That we struggle and make money. This is such an eagerly welcoming country—I think we are going to live here until we are old. So there are a lot of new things we have to learn. And we are learning every day.”
During the last year and a half, we welcomed more that 1,500 refugees like Khin Lay and her family. They have laid a basic foundation, but need friends and volunteers like you to continue walking with them as they gain stability and pursue their dreams.
Sources on Refugees in Malaysia
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/asa280062010en.pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-00606-8?