From left: Ayee, Kpanah, Nudeh, Jaekar, Martha, and
Joewan Teah.
Photo: Allisonville Christian Church |
CWS Refugee Stories from Across the Decades:
Kpanah Teah, Liberia -- 2004
In May 2004, Kpanah Teah and five of her six children arrived in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her oldest daughter, then 20, was pregnant and gave birth in August. Her sixth child, a son, now in his mid-20s, arrived in September 2004.
Carmel Christian Church joined Allisonville Christian Church in cosponsoring the Teah family.
Kpanah’s parents couldn’t afford to send her to school, and she arrived unable to read or write, said Marylinda McCollister of Allisonville Christian Church. Before fleeing Liberia’s civil war, she had her own restaurant in Liberia. The family spent 12 years in refugee camps before coming to the United States.
“It has been a big culture shock for them,” the McCollisters said. “They didn’t expect the cold, or leaves falling from the trees in autumn, or eight inches of drifting snow, not to mention bills!”
While it took the Teah family members a little longer than some to settle in, they are now self-supporting. The mother learned numbers and got a full-time job sorting mail by Zip Code. She is in an adult literacy class. Two of the older children also are working full time and are studying toward their high school equivalency.
Read more stories from 2004: