Mosaics

A conversation with Wahid Amani, a cook, physical trainer, and army veteran from Afghanistan  

Wahid Amani studied physical education in Kabul and joined the military in 2012, working closely with U.S. and NATO allies and building up a sports program for the Afghan army. When the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan, Wahid and his brother and cousin, both Afghan Air Force pilots, had to evacuate with other military personnel who became targets for the Taliban.  

Their journey brought them to Boise, Idaho, where Wahid now works as a cook at St. Luke’s Health System and Zullee Mediterranean Grill. He dreams of opening his own Afghan restaurant someday and helping people as a physical trainer. 

When Wahid arrived in the U.S., he saw a woman in the airport holding up a sign that read, “Welcome to your country.” That small gesture made all the difference  

“When you lost your country, lost your family, lost your friends, everything -- you got so far and you come in a new country, and somebody accepts you. Somebody says, welcome to your country. … From the first day I'm feeling it’s my home, it’s my new home,” Wahid said. “It’s my second country.”

Zeze Rwasama shares his story from DRC to Rwanda to the U.S.

Zeze Rwasama is the director of the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Programs, which resettles refugees in Twin Falls, Idaho. 

As a child Zeze dreamed of becoming an engineer in electronics, but his passion shifted to helping refugees after he himself become a refugee in 1995. Conflict stemming from the Rwandan genocide moved into his community in the DRC (then Zaire). Zeze and his family, part of the Tutsi ethnic group, became targeted and were forced to escape to a refugee camp, where they lived for several years before relocating to the U.S. 

Over the years Zeze has held several key roles in and outside of the U.S. helping refugees integrate into their new communities. He is married with four children and holds a master's degree in public administration.  

Much of Zeze’s outlook on life and relationships comes from his father’s kindness toward others and from the generosity he himself received from strangers, life lessons he is now passing on to his own children and the people he works with.

Joetta, a young Idaho educator, shares about pushing through struggles to embrace her calling

Mosaics is thrilled to welcome guest Joetta Julugbeh of Pocatello, Idaho.  Joetta works in the classroom as a K-12 teaching assistant while earning her degree in education.  

Joetta is the founder of the Makatas Dancers, a mentorship program that teaches girls traditional African dances, and the Makatas Heart Foundation, which works to advance education in Liberia.  

“My mom told me, ‘If you are able to, once you’re stable, don’t forget the others,’” Joetta said. “And that’s what we’ve been doing.” 

Joetta and her family resettled in Boise in 2003 when she was 10 years old. She graduated from Boise High School in 2012 and later earned the title of Miss Africa Idaho, representing Liberia. 

Join our conversation to learn what Joetta’s first week in Boise was like, and why her fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Lincoln, inspired her to become a teacher herself. 

You can see the Makatas Dancers in action at World Refugee Day Boise on June 17!

Idaho has a heritage of refugee resettlement that’s enriched our culture, economy, and communities. On the Mosaics podcast, we’ll hear from Idahoans with lived refugee experience and from community members who are building a culture of belonging. We all have a role to play in creating the bigger picture of a vibrant and connected society.

Presented by the Idaho Office for Refugees with grant funding from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

This week Mosaics talks with Tina Polishchuk, executive director of the Ukrainian Welcome Center.  

Tina, whose own family fled religious persecution in Ukraine more than 30 years ago, was building her career and raising a young family in Idaho when Russia invaded Ukraine last year. What started out as a clothing drive became a twist in her own life that she never saw coming. 

The Ukrainian Welcome Center in the past year has welcomed and assisted more than 500 people fleeing the war. Learn more about why they chose to seek safety in Idaho, and how people came together to help them feel at home. 

The community is invited to mark the one-year anniversary of the Ukrainian Welcome Center on Saturday, May 27, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Welcome Center, 304 16th Avenue North in Nampa. The building is the former Boise Rescue Mission’s Lighthouse shelter, which coincidentally closed as the conflict in Ukraine was starting up. The Rescue Mission’s CEO quickly jumped on board with using the space for assisting Ukrainian refugees instead.  

“Despite the fact that there’s a lot of evil in the world, there’s always a place for good,” Tina said. “And I think we’re seeing that realize itself in the Ukrainian Welcome Center.” 

Learn more at www.ukrainianwelcomecenter.org.