ABOUT THE REFUGEE RESPONSE
The Refugee Response was founded in 2009 by two local Clevelanders, Mr. Paul Neundorfer and Mr. David Wallis. In 2010 ground was broken on the Ohio City Farm in Cleveland's Historic West Side and the Refugee Response began to recruit mentors to support refugee students, established the REAP program and began to sell organically farmed fresh produce to some of Cleveland's best restaurants.
Now the Refugee Response supports over 60 refugees each year, provides opportunities for hundreds of Clevelanders to mentor and volunteer and supports over 20% of the annual budget from farm sales.
Refugee Stories
"Home is built and secured when like minds and hearts move together decisively and yield real results. In our way, through our organization, we are building this community in Cleveland for those seeking refuge. We hope that they can again find a home for themselves and their families and through this we can also have a greater appreciation for what we have and work to continually protect and strengthen our home."
The Refugee Response 2017
Amina
Many Somalis have been displaced since the collapse of the regime in 1991. Before Amina fled Somalia due to violence and drought, she was a farmer growing potatoes, carrots, corn, and beans. Nearly 20 years ago, Amina left Somalia, making her way through Kenya before reaching a refugee camp in Uganda. In Uganda, she worked as a housekeeper before resettling in Cleveland in January 2014. Amina has seven children and two grandchildren. She speaks Somali, Swahili, Kiganda, and some English.
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Pawkee
​​Pawkee fled Burma at the age of 9 and spent the next 19 years in Umpiem refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border. In 2008 she was resettled in Cleveland along with her husband and four children. Pawkee is happy for the security her family now has and for the education her children receive. Farming was once an important part of her life and she is excited to be farming again alongside Burmese friends at the Ohio City Farm.
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Edward
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​Although Edward's family is from Burundi, a small country in Central Africa, Edward was born in Congo. Burundi is directly south of Rwanda and east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). When fighting broke out in Rwanda, Edward's family fled to the DRC; however, wherever Edward's family seemed to flee, violence followed. Edward was resettled to America with his family in 2008.
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