Welcome to Your New Home

The following is told by a Rohingya woman that we recently welcomed to the Houston area through the Welcome Corps Program. Her story of displacement and violence is all too common in our community, but her resilience and strength is inspiring to us all. We are glad to welcome her and her three children as the newest members of Houston’s Rohingya community.

My name is Syeda Begum, and my story begins in Buthidaung, where I was just six months old when my family was forced to flee to the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. My father, at only 40 years old, died from a stroke while being forced into hard labor by the military. After his passing, the military began recruiting my mother to take his place, as my brothers were still too young. The persecution in our state of Rakhine grew worse, and my mother could no longer bear the burden alone. She made the difficult decision to leave our homeland, fleeing with other Rohingya families to seek refuge in Bangladesh.

I was about 5 years old when we settled in the refugee camp. A few years later, when I was 8 or 9, the Bangladesh government began arranging repatriations, attempting to send us back to Burma. But the situation in Burma was still unstable, and violence against the Rohingya continued. We were not ready to return, yet we were forced to go back against our will. I still remember being beaten by authorities on the journey back.

Life in Burma was unbearable, and we eventually made our way back to the refugee camp in Bangladesh. But things were still tough. The rationing of food was cut, and my family often struggled to survive. At the age of 14, I was married off by my mother to a man in the camp. I became pregnant soon after and gave birth to my first son, Nurul Amin.

Unfortunately, my husband was abusive from the very beginning. His abuse escalated after the birth of our second daughter. He would beat me with knives and sticks, breaking my fingers and even cutting my face. He never came home at night, never supported our family, and had affairs with different women. I worked as a cleaner in the camp, 15 days a month, just to provide for my children.

After years of abuse, I could no longer endure the pain. I made the decision to leave him for the sake of my children. I didn’t want my son to grow up learning his father’s violent ways, and I wanted my daughters to stand up for themselves and find good husbands one day. After the birth of my youngest daughter, I divorced him.

Life as a divorced woman in my community was difficult. People called me names, looked down on me and my daughters, but I didn’t care. I knew I could give them a better life on my own. I wanted to raise them in freedom and give them the chance to go to school, something I never had.

I am deeply grateful to the United States for accepting us as refugees. When we were sponsored to come here, I was overjoyed. I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing my sister Sharifah and her family picking us up at the airport. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe. From this point forward, I am determined to work hard and build a future for myself and my children. I hope one day to become a U.S. citizen and continue to create a life full of hope and opportunity.