Women of Refuge Podcast Series

The Refugee Storytellers Collective partnered with Daughters of Change to launch "Women of Refuge", a podcast series featuring the powerful voices of refugee women who are giving back to their communities across the United States.

Listen to Matilda’s Story. Matilda Issata Sawie is the Refugee Congress Delegate for Pennsylvania, a TB Screening Coordinator in the Department of Public Health, and is completing a master’s in public health at West Chester University. Being a former refugee originally from Liberia, this experience gave Matilda a lifelong commitment to public health, her work as a storyteller, raising awareness about domestic violence, and refugee, asylum-seeker, and immigrant rights.

Listen to Nejra’s Story. Nejra Sumic has been a refugee advocate for many years. Currently, she is the National Field Manager with the We Are All America Campaign, where she helps organize refugee leaders across the country. Being a former refugee who was forced to flee from her home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina has instilled in Nejra a sense of purpose, passion, and determination. In her free time, she likes to spend time with her family and go on hikes.

Listen to Ayda’s Story. Ayda Zugay is an award-winning leader, published author, and activist. Ayda also serves as a founding member of the Refugee Storytellers Collective. She is a believer in people’s individual capacity to drive global change. As a refugee trailblazer, Ayda uses her multinational, diverse field expertise to create and mobilize positive change across government, market, and civil society.

Listen to our kick-off episode now as Basma Alawee, National Campaign Director for “We Are All America” and Executive Director of WeaveTales, and Kate Brick, the Director of the Refugee Advocacy Lab, discuss how refugees are their most powerful messengers, the importance of owning your story, and how the Refugee Storytellers Collective came to be.