Burmese Refugee Reads Dr. Seuss
I was pleased to see this article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper over the weekend: http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/getting-acquainted-with-dr-seuss-ep4dlde-141260183.html
It’s about a Burmese refugee named Paw Dow, a Waukesha Literacy Council student, and his tutor, Ed Boss, reading to 2- to 5- year-old children at a day care in Waukesha. The part that makes this really neat to me is that Paw Dow is a member of one of the families that we helped resettle.
I remember when he and his family arrived a few years ago. Paw Dow often smiled, but he didn’t speak much. He didn’t know enough English to hold a conversation. And, now, here he is reading to children!
It’s moments like this, when you see the progress made–the adaptation, the learning, the adjusting, the fitting in–from refugee to self-sufficiency that helps you realize how worthwhile refugee resettlement is. Well, at least that’s true for me. I see how worthwhile it is and I hope you do too.
Thailand could have one more family still living in a refugee camp, dependent upon others for survival. Or the United States can have a family who works, and contributes, and gives back to the community. The latter is the step in the right direction. Just one single resettlement and the world becomes a better place.
