World Refugee Day, which falls each year on June 20, celebrates the strength, perseverance, and courage of millions of people, who flee from their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
One young former refugee and entrepreneur has sought to turn the refugees’ stories into something inspiring that empowers others who have fled their homes.
Mohamed Malim, a 27-year-old former Somali refugee turned social entrepreneur, is the director of the fashion apparel brand Epimonia, a small Minnesota-based company that he founded in 2018.
The company collects life jackets that refugees have worn, and the remains of flimsy build-it-yourself rafts from Greek beaches, and turns these pieces of the refugee journey into something more tangible.
“We take life jackets that refugees have worn crossing the Mediterranean Sea and turn them into fashion pieces to bring awareness of the global refugee crisis, and to support refugees’ arts, and designers,” Malim told VOA Somali.
The signature of Epimonia’s products is a vibrant orange bracelet manufactured out of the scraps of discarded life jackets that refugees used on their trip.
Malim says bracelets have been finding their way onto the wrists of young people in the U.S, especially in Minnesota, generating profit that partially goes back to the refugees.
“We support refugees through providing employment, spreading awareness, and donating 50% of our profit to U.S. organizations that support refugees with opportunities for education and advancement,” said Malim.
Over the weekend, at a small space in Washington D.C., Malim used a pile of life jackets and boat materials to celebrate this year’s World Refugee Day.
“It is something that I am very passionate [about],” said Malim. “Something that I am very inspired [about]. “It is an ability that God gave me to use my talent to make an impact in the life lives of the refugees through a unique medium: fashion.”
A former refugee, Malim was born in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. He was 4 years old when his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1999.
“We first settled in Texas and then moved to Minnesota, where my personal journeys inspired me to make a difference in the world, especially for other refugees,” he said. “I am really very grateful to be in this position where I can help my fellow refugees achieve their dreams and materialize their hopes.”
During the Washington event where Malim showcased his latest art exhibit, a young Somali-American poet, Elias Yabarow, better known as ALAKKUU, gave a live performance of an original piece reflecting the Story of Deeja, a fictional young Somali girl who risked her life to migrate from Mogadishu to Europe.
“The idea behind the story of Deejah is basically about the migration of young people, and the message elaborates the factors that force these young people to venture out on hazardous journeys to escape unbearable situations in their countries of origin,” Yabarow told VOA.
“Even though, the story does not feature if Deeja survived or not, this is the story of how a young woman crossed the coast, this is a story of hundred million people who were all in a same boat,” said Yabarow.
Elias Yabarow is the son of VOA Somali chief Abdi Yabarow, who was not involved in reporting this story.
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