When he was five years old, Jonathan’s* father abandoned his family, eventually finding another wife and starting a new family in the United States. Back in El Salvador, his mother struggled to support her three children on her own, but she did everything she could. “My mom made sure we went to school and helped with homework,” Jonathan says. [...]
Sometimes, the most heartbreaking journeys can still end in new hope. Elisa’s* story is a testament to that. Growing up in Mexico, Elisa endured abuse from all angles just because she was different. She says, “From a very young age, I did not conform to or identify with the [male] gender assigned to me at birth.” Whenever she expressed her [...]
Hashem* was born in the 70’s in Iran to an extremely conservative Muslim family. Although it was all he knew growing up, there were many aspects of his family’s religious practices and beliefs that made Hashem uncomfortable. Some of the rituals included self-harm, polygamy, and public executions by stoning. As an Islamic state, Iran’s citizens live under this Islamic law, [...]
Victoria’s* closest family growing up was her mother and her cousin, Gloria*, who was more like a sister to her. In the Democratic Republic of Congo – a country in central Africa – Victoria’s mother supported their small family by working as a shopkeeper. In addition to her day job, her mother was the president of a local women’s rights [...]
As the third of four siblings growing up in Cuba, Leonardo* had a hard time gaining the support and education he needed. His family struggled financially and he eventually had to drop out of school at age 14. He says he did it, “In order to help my parents and siblings because we did not have enough money to eat.” [...]
I hope that you and your loved ones had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. My name is Tom Laube. As a longtime supporter of Casa Cornelia, a Board Member, and a Volunteer Attorney, I have gotten to know the organization from many angles. My time dedicated to ensuring access to justice for my Casa Cornelia clients have been among the [...]
Marcel* was born directly into the conflict between the English and French-Speaking regions of Cameroon. With an absent father, Marcel grew up with title of his mother’s Anglophone culture - he attended school in English and adopted Christian practices. But disputes with his father’s family over his up-bringing resulted in Marcel moving to a Francophone region with his uncle to [...]
In a small town somewhere in Cuba, a young girl named Adriana* had a dream of becoming a doctor. After persevering, she graduated from medical school and began working at a clinic. One day while working, she was approached by Communist Party members pressuring her to join their party or attend political meetings. Adriana continuously refused, not bothering to hide [...]
