Latest news with #LostBoysofSudan
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former refugee becoming a homeowner with help from Blount County Habitat for Humanity
ALCOA, Tenn. (WATE) — A man in Alcoa is on his way to becoming a homeowner thanks to the Blount County Habitat for Humanity. Mathiang Gutnyin has worked at Clayton Homes for more than a decade, and while volunteering for Habitat through the company, he learned he could apply for a Habitat home. 'This is the only way I can afford to purchase a home for my family,' he explained. He is looking forward to having a home where his family can all live together. Habitat shared that he currently lives in a two-bedroom apartment with his oldest son while his wife and two younger children, who are US citizens, remain in Uganda until she can finish her visa paperwork to live in the United States. Remembering David Hodson: Knoxville veteran who led 150 Marines to Iraq and back dies at 76 Gutnyin is one of the 'Lost Boys of Sudan,' a group of boys displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War. He fled in 1987 to escape the war and was naturalized as an American citizen in 2008. 'I'm feeling great today because this is very important. I will soon have a home. I am in a program for Habitat for Humanity, and knowing that in a few months I will be a homeowner is exciting,' said Gutnyin. He is in a 10-month program through Habitat, where they are working to set him up for success once his home is complete. The program includes classes to prepare people for home ownership and volunteer work. Gutnyin told 6 News that volunteering is helping him prepare to fix things around his future home. 'It's amazing knowing that one of the things that we do here is you work on your home, and also at the same time, you work on another home for a different person. So knowing that you are also helping one of the homeowners that is going to come along, it's a great feeling,' said Gutnyin. More homes on the market could drive down prices in East Tennessee Around 300 Clayton employees volunteered over 1,200 hours for Habitat in the neighborhood where Gutnyin's home will be built. His home is also one of the houses sponsored by Clayton Homes. 'So for them to be part of my life journey in my process, to own a home and partner with me to sponsor my home is a great feeling, and I'm grateful for that,' said Gutnyin. 'A hard business' South Knoxville restaurant to close after 8 years 'To get the chance to volunteer and come out and really just that hands-on work, whether it's putting down some subfloor, putting up framing, or painting, and that's what gets really meaningful. And it starts to stick like, this is going to be somebody's house,' said Ted Rutland, social responsibility program manager for Clayton Homes. Habitat builds homes for families who would not otherwise be able to afford to become homeowners. In Blount County, it costs over $190,000 to build one Habitat house. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With Duke player in mind, NC reps push Rubio on South Sudanese visa order
Two North Carolina Democrats are pushing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reverse his order on South Sudanese visas, with a Duke University men's basketball player in mind. Reps. Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee are calling for the reversal of Rubio's order, which sought to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. 'The South Sudanese visa holders in the United States are not foreign enemies, nor are they responsible for any disagreement you and President Trump may have with the transnational government of South Sudan,' the duo wrote to Rubio. 'These are members of our communities, students pursuing an education, athletes hoping to compete at the highest levels, workers contributing to our economy, and families who sought safety and refuge in our country.' The North Carolina Democrats noted that the state is home to a significant South Sudanese community, including the 'Lost Boys of Sudan,' who were driven from their homes amid a 1980s civil war. Rubio's order came as freshman center Khaman Maluach and the rest of his Duke Blue Devil teammates in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Malauch was born in South Sudan and grew up as a refugee in Uganda. He played for South Sudan's Olympic team last year before going to Duke. Now, under Rubio's order, he may face deportation, The Raleigh News & Observer reported. Rubio announced over the weekend that the U.S. would be revoking visas for South Sudanese passport holders because the country's traditional government did not accept citizens who were deported from the U.S. The former Florida senator said the U.S. would be willing to 'review these actions' once South Sudan is in 'full cooperation,' arguing the country was taking advantage of the U.S. 'Enforcing our nation's immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States,' Rubio said. 'Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.' South Sudan, which is in East Africa, is one of the world's poorest countries. It is also one of the newest, declaring independence in 2011. Tensions have risen in recent weeks in the country, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned the country was falling into a crisis. The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
