Walk with Sophia, Isabella and her children as they rebuild their lives after displacement*
“In Zambia, it was difficult to eat three meals a day. We would eat around 4 p.m. It was difficult for the children to go to school. Here [in the U.S.], they are able to go to school, and they can eat three meals,” said Sophia.
Sitting beside her sister Isabella and nephews and niece, Sophia remembers what life once required of their refugee family — the need to survive.
“We felt peace and freedom here,” she said. “Before [coming to the U.S.], we felt like we were in bondage.”
Today, that freedom shows up in simple ways: children going to school, food on the table and smiles when the kids talk about soccer.
The family is resilient. They face the uncertainties of their journey with courage, dreams for the future and prayers for their family stuck in limbo.
Forced to Flee
In 1992, war forced Sophia and Isabella’s parents to flee the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sophia was only a baby. The family eventually made their way to Zambia, where Isabella was born. For years, this refugee family lived with the daily weight of displacement.
Work was difficult to find. Medical care was limited. Their father had been a doctor and artist in Congo, but when the family fled, his documents were left behind. Without proof of his training, he could not continue his profession. Work permits were expensive. Opportunity felt far away.
And food was never guaranteed. The next generation experienced the same need.
Most days, the children ate once a day.
When hunger comes first, school becomes harder. When survival takes everything, dreams can feel impossible.
But they continued to hope for a better future.
Arrival in the U.S., with federal funding stripped within weeks
After years of waiting, Sophia, Isabella and the children were approved to come to the United States.
They arrived in January 2025.
Just weeks later, promised federal funding that helped newly arrived refugee families meet their initial needs of housing and food was unexpectedly stopped. Nearly 4,000 such families being served by World Relief were impacted, including Sophia, Isabella and the kids.
The sisters and children still needed help rebuilding their lives. They needed housing. Food. Transportation. School enrollment. Medical care. English classes. Employment support. They needed people who would not simply point them toward resources but walk with them through each unfamiliar step.
At a time when promised support fell through, supporters like you did not walk away. You stood in the gap. Together, we served the family and helped cover initial housing expenses.
And, we continued walking alongside them as they pursued stability, belonging and a future where they could flourish. This included English language classes, employment support, and for Sophia, help navigating a foreign medical system.
“When I came here, I didn’t know where I would live or what I would eat. [World Relief] managed for me to be safe, when I [got] sick, they took me to the hospital … They always ask, ‘What do you want?’,” said Sophia.
Dedicated staff helped Sophia understand paperwork. They helped her get to hospital appointments and navigate the medical system in a new, unfamiliar land. They visited her, which left a deep impression on Sophia.
“When I was admitted in hospital, they were like my family. They always came to visit me,” she said.
We also helped her begin learning English, something she had tried to learn in Zambia but only truly began grasping after arriving in the U.S.
And in 2026, she joined her sister’s family in Baltimore.
Mom and sole breadwinner in a refugee family
For Isabella, World Relief helped open the door to work.
Jason, a World Relief employment coordinator, helped Isabella prepare for interviews and navigate the job search process. Sometimes, the most meaningful support was not just explaining what to do. It was going together.
Today, Isabella works at a global brand of hotels as a housekeeping attendant, cleaning 16 rooms a day.
It is hard work. But it is also work that helps her provide. Work that marks a new chapter for her family.
For families who have lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones to war and displacement, practical support can change everything. A ride to the hospital. Help reading a form. A child enrolled in school. A job interview attended with someone who knows the way. These are not small acts. They are the building blocks of stability, belonging and hope.
Childhood in a new land
For the children, life has changed in both ordinary and extraordinary ways since they came to the U.S..
Ethan is in high school. When he first arrived, the cold shocked him, especially his first snow. Making friends was difficult. But today, he’s progressed on the road to belonging. He loves soccer, math and Cristiano Ronaldo. He hopes to become a chef one day.
Stephanie is in middle school. She loves singing, especially singing classes at school, and dreams of continuing to sing as well as play soccer.
The youngest, Ivan, loves soccer, basketball and football. One day, he hopes to become a drummer. For now, he’s preparing to go into third grade
The children’s dreams are simple, beautiful and powerful.
A chef. A singer. A drummer. A student. A child with enough food to learn, play and imagine tomorrow.
Isabella’s dream for her children is clear: “Have a better future.”
She carries a dream of her own. When she was in Africa, she wanted to become a nurse. She is now taking online English classes through a community college, and as her English grows, she hopes to keep moving toward a career in health care.
Sophia dreams too. She enjoys fashion design and hopes to one day open a company or a school where others can learn design. She is also interested in becoming a pharmacist, inspired by family members who worked in medicine and pharmacy.
Refugee Families Need Community. Partners.
The lives of Sophia, Isabella and the children are still marked by uncertainty.
Policy changes impacted their SNAP benefits and will soon extend to their healthcare. The family continues to pray for loved ones still in Zambia, many of whom were approved to come to the U.S. before refugee resettlement was shut down.
But, they aren’t walking alone.
Together with compassionate people like you, World Relief continues walking alongside them. In June, Sophia was looking for employment. With support from the employment program, she began working in the same hotel as her sister in July! We helped them get months of food benefits, are working with them to navigate medical resources as well as access immigration legal services.
Will you stand in the gap again for families like that of Sophia and Isabella?
Because rebuilding one’s life in another country is not just about arriving. It’s a daily, ongoing challenge that requires courage, commitment and unwavering faith.
It is about healing.
It is about belonging.
It is about children going to school.
It is about walking into a job interview with someone beside you.
It is about families beginning to dream again.
They need advocates, guides and neighbors who will not look away. YOU can continue walking alongside families experiencing vulnerability / families in crisis. Through your gift, World Relief can continue walking with refugee and immigrant families on the long journey from crisis to community, from survival to stability and from displacement toward flourishing.
*Names have been changed for security reasons.