Barnaba, Esther, and their four children arrived in the United States as refugees from a small Sudanese village in 2000. They immigrated here to escape the religious persecution that they suffered as Christians and also to move their children away from the constant fighting taking place between the different religious groups.
In the Sudan Barnaba worked on construction and Esther worked odd jobs such as a seamstress to help support the family. Before the family could immigrate to the United States they had to spend three years in an Ethiopian refugee camp. Times were hard in the camp, with no chance of work and little space of their own, but that experience has made them all the more grateful for their new life here in America.
Presently, Barnaba works at Prarie Meadows Casino and Events Center. Esther works at the Renaissance Savery Hotel as a housekeeper. Besides their full-time jobs Barnaba and Esther are kept busy with the new additions to the family since arriving in the United States; Wendy, Kewa, Kena, and Teela.
The family is currently living in a crowded three bedroom house near a busy street. Barnaba and Esther are looking forward to owning a home with plenty of room for their children to grow and play. They also will be happy to move away from the busy street to somewhere safer with a yard and porch. With the kickoff of their Habitat for Humanity home in partnership with the Ankeny Circle of Faith Barnaba, Esther, and their family will not only realize their dream of homeownership with the new five-bedroom home, but they will also finally have a safe and secure place for their children to thrive.
Barnaba and Esther have said that other than to achieve homeownership, their goal is for their children to finish school so that they can be free to pursue whatever they choose to accomplish in their lives. Barnaba has said that, “in America it is easier to follow your dreams.”