Family moves into home of possibility
Franciscans, volunteers help nine Somali refugees

As of March 2005, the house at 2303 W. Cherry St., Milwaukee, a former drug house for alleged criminals the Cherry Street Mob, was condemned. It was sold to a family in need, a family of nine Somali Bantu refugees who, until 2003, had lived for 13 years in a refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya. Just eight months later their house still needs minor repairs, but their home is complete.

The transformation of house and family was a joint effort. Faithful from the Milwaukee area came together in support of the weary travelers, who were looking for the same stability many Americans experience each day. Today, the Kusos can relax, thanks in part to volunteers, but especially their own recognition of the opportunity that lay before them as Americans.

The Kuso family first appeared in the Catholic Herald in December, 2003, when they arrived in Milwaukee with only a few bags. An aunt, Isha, would arrive later. They were greeted by members of the St. Michael, St. Rose and St. Francis Human Concerns Tri-Parish Committee, as well as by volunteers from St. Anthony, Menomonee Falls. Led by committee member Sr. Mary Jo Kahl, a Franciscan Sister of Mary, the jacketless eight were welcomed by a myriad of volunteers bearing warm clothes and open arms.

The refugee family left the daily struggles for survival in Kenya to be greeted by a whirlwind of issues they had never imagined. They once fought hunger, poverty and discrimination with regularity. In America they battle language barriers, the confusion of a culture completely backwards to theirs, and the fear they would be no better off in the United States than they were in Africa. A daughter, Arly, 12, translated for her father, Issa:

“There were 120,000 people in our (refugee) camp (in Dadaab). When food was brought in, those with guns took it. We sometimes did not see new food for 15 days,” he said.

His son Haji, 15, said he is never hungry anymore, but upon arrival he was uncertain of his family’s future.

Little did they know that Sr. Kahl of St. Francis Parish and her team of volunteers had spent countless hours preparing for the family’s arrival. A furnished apartment awaited them thanks to Mike and Nancy Schroeder and Jan and Mark Klawa of St. Anthony, as did the help they would need to get the children into school and the parents to work.

The transition went well enough, and the eight moved into a three-bedroom apartment near downtown Milwaukee. After a year of saving and fund raising, the family was ready to move into a larger space. Allied Churches Teaching Self-empowerment, a not-for-profit organization that helps families in need buy houses, came to their aid. ACTS also offers interest free loans.

ACTS acquired the house from the City of Milwaukee, and sold it for $2,000 to the Kusos. ACTS also provided a $3,000 loan for repairs, as did Habitat for Humanity. According to Sr. Kahl, the family scrimped and saved for part of the $2,000 and the rest was earned through, “blood, sweat and tears fund raising.”

“It was very hard to get that money,” said Sr. Kahl, “But (they family) saved every bit they could, spending only on what they needed. They didn’t fall into the American way of consuming, and it has made every bit of difference in their success here. It got them this house.”

When time came for the house to be repaired, Sr. Kahl called upon Bob Lochner, 66, who accepted her request. Lochner, a retiree from Pewaukee and member of St. Michael Parish, learned of the family’s arrival through a church bulletin.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’m not volunteering at all right now, I think I have some time to help out,’” he said. His involvement originally began by helping with paperwork, mostly accounting and running the numbers on expenses. By mid February, 2005, he was involved in doing the repairs.

From February through April, Lochner spent 30 to 40 hours each week plastering walls, repairing floors, laying carpet, fitting doors, and familiarizing himself with a family he said he is privileged to know. The work would have cost the family thousands of dollars, had it not been for his help, and the aid of nearly 100 volunteers who helped complete the task.

A grant from the Franciscan Sisters of Mary paid for a new roof, and another from the City of Milwaukee replaced every window.

Among Lochner, Habitat for Humanity, ACTS and the volunteers, the Kusos moved out of their apartment just before summer. Kishah Walters, the home ownership specialist from ACTS who handled the sale, was surprised by the short amount of time in which the house was completed.

The Kusos are Muslim, but according to Issa, they have a strong connection to Catholicism through those who helped them settle, especially Sr. Kahl.

“(The family) and some of their friends came to my jubilee celebration in Madison this summer,” said Sr. Kahl, “some 30 Somalis rode a school bus just to be there for me. During the Mass, they all went outside the church doors and knelt to pray, all 30 of them. They prayed and we prayed; it was so beautiful.”

For the six Kuso children the once condemned gang hangout is now a place to study, play, and relax said Haji. For his parents, it’s a place to rest after a long day. Issa, 43, works as a launderer for Covenant Laundry Service and, according to volunteer Nancy Schroeder, who helped him get the job, he is a model employee.

“He speaks little English,” she said, “but he trains new employees; he really works hard for his family. It’s what keeps us coming back to help — the devotion and appreciation.” His wife, Kawiye, 35, and aunt Isha, 50, are currently looking for work.

During a Catholic Herald interview with the family and Sr. Kahl, the sister related a story from the night before the children’s first day of school, just two weeks after the family’s arrival.

“The children sat around Issa, listening intently, as he spoke for about five minutes. Afterwards, I asked Arly if she could tell me what he said. She replied, ‘He said that we are in America now, and now we must go to school to learn. He said we must work hard and earn good grades, that we must do our best to succeed no matter what.’ I just couldn’t believe it. His value for education was really something.”

According to the children’s education coordinator, Kate Fontanazza, they are flourishing in school. The eldest Zahara, 17, and Haji, attend Washington High School. Arly, Hussein, 11, Maruwa, 9, and Abdi, 7, go to Story Elementary School. Sr. Kahl noted that they all have straight As.

With repairs coming to a close, Sr. Kahl is hopeful for the family.

“I don’t see that it’s going to be in the parents’ generation that we see success, but I really see a bright future for these kids. They’re going to take care of their parents, and they’re all going to be OK,” she said.

With distractions of repairs out of the way, the children have more time to study. Although most of the work is complete, a second floor furnace, a new front door and other minor work await completion. Sr. Kahl is working with her order on another grant of $3,000 for final repairs, which will bring Franciscan Sisters of Mary total donations to $9,000.

“It’s more than a house,” said Sr. Kahl, “there’s so much good, so much possibility in that family. They’re succeeding, and we’re going to help them all the way.”

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