Seattle is home to 10% of the Eritrean population in the United States.

Many Eritrean immigrants found political asylum in the U.S. in the 1980s and 90s due to the Eritrean War of Independence.

For some young first-generation Eritrean Americans like RadioActive's Alex Mengisteab, this history feels both close and slightly out of reach. So to better understand it, Alex talked to his family friend Habtom Hagos about his experiences growing up as a child during the war.

This story discusses the realities of war and thoughts of suicide.

Episode webpage: https://www.kuow.org/stories/separated-from-his-family-in-eritrea-at-7-this-seattle-man-mentors-east-african-kids

[RadioActive Youth Media is KUOW’s radio journalism and audio storytelling program for young people. This story was entirely youth-produced, from the writing to the audio editing.]