At the start of the summer, Mohamed Safan along with his wife Lamyaa Shaban and children Somia Safan, Rofida Safan, moved to Iowa city from Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Welcome Network of Johnson County (IWNJC) strives to provide assistance to refugees and immigrants arriving in the Iowa City area. The organization aids these families with their social security, food stamps, housing, school enrollment, and job search. The IWNJC’s mission as stated on their website is,
to empower and prevent homelessness among newly arrived immigrants and refugees by providing transitional housing, comprehensive support, education, advocacy, and assistance in securing permanent housing. Through these initiatives, we aim to create pathways to stability, opportunity, and empowerment.
The INWJC provided the newly arrived Safan family with a house to stay in while they adjust to their new surroundings and begin the job search process. The mother and children from Egypt, and the father from Saudi Arabia came to America after winning a visa through random selection. The Diversity Visa (DV) program makes visas available through a lottery system, allowing countries with lower immigration rates to the United States to apply for a immigration visa. The chances of winning are low, which is why the family was in complete shock upon receiving the news. The Safan family came to America in pursuit of the American dream. Mohamed believed the children would receive better education in the states. They viewed America through an optimistic lens, a land of opportunity and success.
Iowa city has a big muslim community which is how the family decided on this location for their move. They got connected with the IWNJC through a friend of a friend in the community. Iowa was also ideal because of the small community and nice schools. The move was exciting but also hard on the family. It was difficult for them to leave their family behind as they begin a new chapter in their life. The mother, Lamyaa, began to cry as she thought of her family back in Egypt. Lamyaa was due to give birth in the next month, she explained the process would be scary in a new country and without her mother by her side.
The two daughters Somia and Rofinda talked in anticipation about attending middle school in the fall. They beamed with excitement hearing about all the extracurriculars offered here in America. The girls wanted to experience all the different clubs and sports they didn’t have back home. While enthusiastic about their upcoming academic life, they were also extremely nervous. Coming from an all girls school in Egypt, they were slightly anxious to talk to boys after switching to a co ed school. Somia and Rofinda also worried they wouldn’t fit in, even asking if they would be discriminated against because of their headscarf and religion or the language barrier as they continue to learn english. The IWNJC is working to enroll the girls in an inclusive school. In the future Rofida hopes to pursue a job in technology or in the higher police department while Somia wants to work in the medical field, possibly as an army nurse or doctor.
