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Hassan Dayow, thriving in South Carolina
Hassan Dayow
Photo: Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas
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Less than two years ago, Hassan Dayow, his wife, and their four daughters were in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp. Today, this Somali Bantu family is thriving in Columbia, S.C., where Dayow, 35, works as a cemetery landscaper. The job offers health insurance and paid vacation, and Dayow's employer has helped him learn some English and Spanish.
"In America, you have to have a good job. Then you can succeed," Dayow said, commenting that paying all the bills is one of the hardest parts of life in the United States.
Resettled under the auspices of CWS affiliate Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas, the Dayows and their three youngest girls arrived in June 2004. Co-sponsor Friendship Baptist Church helped them settle in to their first apartment and "feel welcome in America," he said.
When their fourth, eldest daughter joined them early in 2005, the Dayow family moved into a "nice house," a former church parsonage. "They found the home on their own," said LFS caseworker Michelle Adkins. "Hassan calls me if there's something he needs, but mostly he handles things on his own."
The Columbia World Affairs Council is cosponsor of the eldest daughter, who gave birth to a baby boy, the Dayow's first grandchild, in October.
Read more about Somali Bantu resettlement.
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