The Idaho Office for Refugees is pleased to welcome Mr. Joel Ntando as our new Refugee Speakers Bureau Coordinator. Joel, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, holds graduate qualifications in Cultural and Media Studies, French from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has professional working experience in academia and media. As the coordinator of the Refugee Speakers Bureau, Joel will oversee the recruitment, training and development of speakers from immigrant and refugee backgrounds, with a focus on building strong relationships. He will work closely with the Idaho Office for Refugees Communications Team to plan and execute training and speaking opportunities that promote positive social change and build bridges of empathy and understanding among Idahoans from different cultures and backgrounds. The Refugee Speakers Bureau offers trainings and paid speaking opportunities. If you or someone you know is interested in joining as a speaker or hosting a speaker at your event, please contact Joel at [email protected] or find a sign-up form at https://www.idahorefugees.org/refugeespeakersbureau.html. Welcome, Joel!
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The Afghan Cultural Center of Idaho is excited to bring the community together for a soccer match Saturday, October 28, between Toofan F.C. of Boise and United F.C. of Seattle. Check out coverage of the game! The Afghan Cultural Center is a new program of the Idaho Office for Refugees, founded to promote Afghan culture, traditions, and customs, and to foster and nurture a positive relationship with the wider community. Idaho has welcomed refugees from Afghanistan for many years, and over the past two years Afghanistan has been one of the top countries of origin for folks resettling here.
Nearly 20 years later, Boise garden program continues bridging gap for Idaho refugees - Idaho Capital Sun Moving day comes for Nampa Ukrainian Welcome Center - KTVB Investing in refugee resettlement is investing in America’s future. I’m proof of that | Opinion by Halima Hamud - Idaho Statesman Refugees Are An American Immigration Success Story - Forbes In a recipe rut? Get a little exotic - Boise Weekly One way ticket to Freedom: A former Idaho Governor and a local Afghan American worked to secure a flight for American allies out of Afghanistan - Idaho News 6 ![]() The Taste of Persia is a new Afghan restaurant in Boise opened by husband and wife Hafiz & Bahija Karim. The family fled Afghanistan in the mid 1990s after the Taliban targeted them because of the education they received outside the country. They lived in Pakistan and Turkmenistan before resettling in Boise in 2005. Hafiz is a skilled engineer. He currently drives Uber and taxi to provide for his family. Bahija is a skilled seamstress and owns her own custom drapery business, The Golden Needle. The couple has four children and supports other family members, including relatives who were refugees in Ukraine when the war hit last year and were again displaced from their home. Their oldest daughter is in medical school, their older son manages Taste of Persia, their third child is working as a pharmacy technician and earning a degree in computer science, and their youngest is in high school and teaches Taekwondo. The couple also adopted a nephew who was beaten by the Taliban and paralyzed several years ago. The family opened Taste of Persia as a way to provide for their extended family and share their Afghan culture with other Americans, and to provide a place for fellow Afghan-Americans to enjoy a taste of home and have parties and celebrations. Check out Taste of Persia at 10386 West Ustick Road in Boise, open 12-9 p.m. every day except Monday. |
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January 2025
Author: Holly BeechIdaho Office for Refugees Communications Manager Thank you to the generous organizations who
support our outreach: |