This episode features two stories from our recent World Refugee Day storytelling event, stories that highlight courageous journeys of leaving everything behind to seek asylum in the US.

Arina Lekht was a child when she and her family fled Odessa, Ukraine in September 1991. Her story weaves humor and heartbreak as she tells of the unbelievable events leading up to and during her family’s departure. Hayman Linn Lae Zaw left her home in Burma in 2022 after the military coup and subsequent state-sponsored violence on civilians. Hayman’s story uncovers her difficult decision to flee her country and settle in North Carolina.

Both storytellers show us what courage looks like: the courage to leave, the courage to find home in a new place, and the courage to belong in a world with borders.

The Flame Tree Story podcast is produced by  ...