Another Leaf: A Refugee Story

Memories of Fear & Deep Hope Ma They Yare’s story begins in the tropical jungles of Myanmar, a land of infinite beauty and endless warfare. There, her life is a daily struggle. She, along with other villagers, must frequently flee deep into the dark forest to hide while one army or another burns their crops and houses, and steals their livestock. Other times she is made to clear roads under the constant threat of landmines. An arduous trek over mountains and through jungles brings her to a refugee camp, where she finds something akin to safety but little hope.

After more than a decade in the camp, she comes to Canada—a land she had never heard of. A single mother of five, she lives among strangers in this new country, strangers who speak strange words, wear strange clothes and eat strange foods, but who offer the luxury of hope.

Her story of courage is bolstered by an ancient Karen proverb—a proverb that sustains her determination to offer her family a better life.