Language is an essential part of everyday life.
It seems almost impossible to imagine life without understanding a single word. Yet a simple task like buying groceries or taking the bus can be a significant challenge for many refugees.
“It’s not easy to find work. It’s not easy to communicate with the population,” Abdoulaye Ranzi, Utah Valley Refugees client, said.
Life as a refugee is more than just having a language barrier. It includes dealing with the struggle of losing your own home.
Vladlena Kocheva is a refugee from Ukraine who came to the U.S. in 2023.
Kocheva said she was serving her mission in Latvia when she received a message from a close friend.
“She messaged me and she told me, 'Pray for us. The war started,'” Kocheva said.
Kocheva said that she was grateful for the support she received when she initially moved to the United States.
“I felt because the government prepared the way for us, it was kind of easy to become legal in the States,” Kocheva said.
Yet many refugees are anxious about the future of their legal status. Recent executive orders from the Trump administration have halted funding for refugee programs.
“They're on the verge of being homeless because all the housing funds have been stopped," Best Bagalwa, the Utah Valley Refugees resettlement director, said. "We are trying our best to see how we can prevent homelessness within the refugee community.”
Nonprofits like Utah Valley Refugees supply many resources that refugees need to live, such as food, housing and English lessons.
And while these nonprofits aim to help refugees, they said public reception is not always positive.
“I feel like refugees are added into that category of illegal immigration or illegal immigrants,” Bagalwa said.
For many of these refugees, the transition is difficult, but it’s all about finding their new home.