The Life of a Refugee Chef Living in Oakland

Somalia has been trapped in a civil war for nearly 30 years. With the conflicts ranging from the overthrowing of General Siad Barre in the late 80s to the current ongoing war with the Islamic extremist group Al Shabaab, the country has been in a constant state of turmoil. Halimo, a Somali refugee now living in Oakland, fled Somalia when the civil war first started. She and her family walked from their home in Somalia all the way to what is known as the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. She was part of the first wave of refugees in the camp, and life in the camp was very hard at first. After some time had passed, Halimo decided to open the first restaurant in the camp, where she would serve injera, a Somali sweet bread, to her customers. Halimo ran the restaurant there for over a decade before she was finally granted asylum in the United States. Halimo landed in Oakland not knowing a single soul, but through the help of her children has adapted to life in the United States quite nicely. Enjoy as she shares her amazing journey with us.