Nina
In Burundi, an African country whose constitution bars opposing views, with a police force that turns a blind eye to domestic violence, and where one in five people are infected with HIV, you will find the homeland of Nina. You could refer to her in various ways: mother, teacher, HIV/AIDS counselor, or now, a homeless person in New York City. Nina’s husband supported Burundi’s regime in power, while she opposed it. He made this disagreement clear by beating her. Nina fled to the United States. Here is her story.

Hi, my name is Nina. I went from leading a financially comfortable life in Africa to sleeping on lined up chairs in a drop in center. I came here to leave my abusive husband. Things in Burundi are not like here, where people just argue. In my country, even if you call the police, they don’t care because they believe in beating. So, I found life very difficult. Home was not a good place. There was a lot of killing. I left East Africa in search of a new life and saved enough money to come to New York City.

On a midsummer night, I arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport with nothing but a letter with information that would help me book a flight to California where I knew another family from Burundi. I also had about $1,000—in cash, just enough for the plane fare and living expenses to get situated. I purposefully brought cash because I feared the Burundi government would track me down if I used traveler’s checks. While in line to purchase my ticket, I discovered that someone had picked my pocketbook. So I remained there, penniless. I tried contacting my friends from California—there was no response. I remained in the airport, alone. Everybody was coming and going, coming and going, and I was crying, that was all I could do. A security officer approached me and asked what was the matter. He took me into his office and started calling around to different homeless services. He got a response from one group who brought me to the drop-in center where I stay now. So, I came from the airport straight here. I was so scared and just disappointed in my friends.

But I always try to find the silver lining in any situation. Many people have reached out to help me along the way. Shelly Moore, who works for Care for the Homeless, in particular has been with me this whole time. She is always here for me to answer any of my questions. Shelly holds all kinds of groups here to teach us about different things that have to do with our health and taking care of ourselves. For some people here, I think it is the first time that anyone has ever told them about these kinds of things, so without Shelly I don’t know what they would do. But she does so much more than just teach people about how to get and stay healthy. She really helps get me on track to where I want to go.

Care for the Homeless also has a doctor that comes in twice a week. I’m working on getting my greencard, but I don’t have it yet, so I’m not eligible for Medicaid. But the doctor here will see me anyway. It’s important to know that someone still cares that we are healthy.

My appreciation for life is what keeps me going from day to day. But, I’m still scared. I don’t know anybody in this country. I have no friends here. Still, I appreciate this place. As much as we are sitting in chairs, this is the only home I know here. I appreciate it because I get food—three meals a day, which is not bad. Sometimes people go to sleep hungry, especially in my country, which is a very poor country. From this perspective, I see that Americans care a lot. I appreciate this so much, and right now, while I’m in the process of receiving documentation, that is all I have – hope and appreciation of programs like Care for the Homeless.

See other stories at "Homeless Voices."