The Story of Us

Cinthia Penner is part of the volunteer program at Eastman Immigrant Services. She volunteers as a language buddy. Her main role is to give an opportunity for a newcomer to practice English.

Micheline Kizeza is a Canadian from the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). As a journalist and political refugee, she left her country in 2003.

“What is my purpose in life? Where am I headed?” Marcel needed to understand this for himself. Life had many twists and turns over the years, ups and downs were something Marcel could count on but still these questions haunted his mind.

Jorie came to Canada in July of 1995. Before she left for Canada her brother asked her what she would do if something went wrong?

“We have to move out. We have no place to go.” The woman from whom the statement came sat across from me. She looked scared and lost. Her 18 year old son stared blankly ahead.

Thierry Tshiswaka spent the first 23 years of his life growing up in the western part of the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family.

In the winter of 2016, Sascha Birohi and his family were finally together again. They had been separated on and off over several years because of delays in immigration documents and difficulties finding work in Canada.