When Bill Clinton Hadam's refugee family was approved for resettlement in the U.S., the boy's parents faced a "Sophie's Choice" dilemma: him or his sister. After escaping slaughter in Congo and Rwanda, the family waited in a Tanzanian camp for nearly a decade. Rape was common there, and Bill's teen sister Neema was a victim. Afterward, she ran away.
The friends Bill Clinton left behind in Africa
Published August 22, 2009
Until they were 6, Bill and his friends Emmanuel and Jean-Jacques lived together in Mkugwa, a camp of 2,000 Central African refugees in Northwest Tanzania. Their parents were close friends, and the boys grew up sharing meals, soccer games, wheelbarrow rides. Then, in October 2006, everything changed.
First, Bill's family won the "resettlement lottery"and were granted visas to the United States. Then Mkugwa closed, and Emma's and Jean-Jacques's families were sent on to different camps, different probable futures. Gulfs started to yawn among the three boys' experiences. Today, the onetime soccer buddies are nearly 10. For a glimpse of their lives now, click above
The sister and nephew of Tanzanian refugee Bill Clinton Hadam, whose family resettled in America, could soon be reunited pending DNA tests and government screenings and fees.
Refugee Bill Clinton Hadam finds a comfort zone in elite Olympic training. And his family now includes its first US citizens – newborn twins.
Gateways
Grantee
Mary Wiltenburg is a Baltimore-based reporter focused on refugee issues. For a decade, she has contributed to publications and programs including This American Life, The Boston Globe...