Youth Profiles
LSS refugee youth who’ve found their foster homes.*
Refugee Minor
When Abdi was 14 years old fighters invaded his home in Mogadishu, Somalia. He watched them kill his father and rape his mother. He was shot in the shoulder and pretended to be dead until the men left. After the incident fearing for his life he left his mother, nine siblings and the only life he knew. Abdi has flourished in foster care. He now attends school for the first time in his life, plays on the school soccer team and works part time at a grocery store to send money back to his mother.
Asylee Minor
Maria’s mom died when she was three. At six, she started selling tortillas on the street. When Maria turned ten, she joined a gang. After being told she must “kill or be killed” she knew she must leave. Fearing for her life, Maria choose to come to the US undocumented and alone. After being apprehended she spent 6 months in a shelter scared and unsure of her future; until she was granted asylum and transferred to the URMP. Maria hopes to learn English, get a job and be a part of a family.
Trafficking Minor
When Bertha was 12, her aging grandmother and sole care giver became ill. Knowing there was no future for Bertha in El Salvador, the grandmother used life savings to pay a smuggler to bring Bertha to the US. After crossing the border, the smuggler forced her to work in a brothel. Bertha was found during a raid and was declares a ‘Victim of Trafficking’ and was transferred to LSS foster care. Bertha loves to dance and dreams of being a teacher.
*All cases are examples of real cases but dates and names are changed to protect client confidentiality.
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