Tolu Olubunmi, Host
From the flood plain in Bangladesh to droughts of Central America and rural Africa, climate change is becoming a driver of migration. Farmers leave their land when the weather makes it too difficult to harvest crops.
In this episode of “A Way Home Together, Stories of the Human Journey”, we look at the impact of environmental degradation and change.
What happens when the world fails to live up to the goal of safe, orderly and regular migration? In the latest episode of "A Way Home Together, Stories of the Human Journey", we look at an urgent search-and-rescue operation to save the lives of desperate migrants and refugees, who were crowded onto rafts and small boats in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya.
In late December, the U.N. General Assembly took a major step forward, voting to endorse the Global Compact for Safe Orderly and Regular Migration. In this episode, our podcast host Tolu Olubunmi discusses why migrant rights are important and shares some of her personal story as a Dreamer and a migrant. We hear Tolu's brave story of how she came out of the shadows to advocate for the rights of migrants.
Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are families-- mothers, fathers, children and grandparents-- who were forced to leave their homes. Unlike refugees who crossed a border, they remain in their home countries.
In this special episode, we speak with Mohammed Abdiker, Director of the Department of Operations and Emergencies at IOM, the UN migration agency, about his work with displaced people.
Around the world, the number of people forced from their homes and neighborhoods has more than doubled in the past twenty years. The current official estimate of displaced persons is more than 68 million.
In this episode, we ask: What would you hold onto if you were forced to flee your home and had only moments to decide what to take with you?
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are among the world's most vulnerable people. Each year, their numbers grow: Families and individuals forced to flee their homes, because of war, terrorism, government repression, natural disasters and climate change.
We also look at two new campaigns to raise global awareness of IDPs. "Holding On" is a new international art and multimedia exhibit, organized by IOM. #NotATarget uses a new kind of "selfie petition" to boost understanding of displacement.
What role can soccer play in bringing people together from different backgrounds and life experiences?
In this episode we hear from the teenage members of the Somali Stars-- a team of refugee kids in Utah, who are now part of the Cottonwood Football Club, playing other local teams. We also spoke to Mohammed, their 21-year-old founder and coach, tells us about his passionate commitment to the team.
Espoir was an infant when his family fled for their lives. He is a survivor of the civil war in The Democratic Republic of The Congo (DRC). Today, nearly two decades later, Espoir is making a new life for himself in Austin, Texas.
What does a 12 year old refugee have in common with the 83 year-old head of the International Organization for Migration, William Lacy Swing? Listen and find out. Basel Al Rashdan was 6 when his family fled Syria. They spent three years living as refugees in Jordan. Today he lives on Prince Edward Island in Canada, a world a way from the home he left behind. Basel and Swing both had to redefine their idea of home. And both of them—for very different reasons—-have become public voices on the need for safer and more secure migration.
Ahmed speaks to Mariam Abuamer, a singer based in Brooklyn, New York. Born in the Soviet Union and having grown up in Palestine, Mariam’s migrant journey is marked by struggle, persecution, empowerment, and freedom.
Ahmed’s family is resettled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After a year they move to Brookings, South Dakota so that Ahmed’s parents can re-evaluate their engineering degrees. After three years in Brookings, they move to Houston, Texas in search of new jobs.
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