MILWAUKEE — More than a million Rohingya refugees have fled the violence in Myanmar since the 1990s.

What You Need To Know

  • More than a million Rohingya refugees have fled the violence in Myanmar since the 1990s

  • They are escaping a campaign the U.S. government has called genocide, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

  • Mohamed Anwar is the first certified medical Rohingya interpreter in the U.S and one of the founders of  the Burmese Rohingya Community of Wisconsin

  • Anwar is among the hundreds of thousands who fled Rohingya. He said Rohingya Muslims are still fleeing genocide today

They are escaping a campaign the U.S. government has called genocide, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Mohamed Anwar is the first certified medical Rohingya interpreter in the U.S. He is one of the founders of the Burmese Rohingya Community of Wisconsin.

Anwar said since 2016, the organization has served Rohingya and Burmese resettled refugees.

“This organization is to help these underserved people so they can strive in their lives, in their future,” said Anwar.

Anwar is among the hundreds of thousands who fled Rohingya. He said Rohingya Muslims are still fleeing genocide today.

“They are killing people because they are Muslims,” said Anwar. “They are different from them. You are a minority. You don’t have power, whether it is economic power or the other kinds of power, you know, so they don’t recognize us as citizens.”

The organization provides a variety of services, from English classes for kids to technology literacy workshops for adults.

Anwar said they even have a dedicated prayer space for families.

Andrew Trumball is one of the co-founders of the organization. Trumball said the group’s main focus is on education. He said he knows how difficult it can be for young people to adjust to a new life as refugees.

“We want to create content that kind of serves multiple purposes to help the kids and their education, help the parents with their new lives here and their trajectory,” said Trumball.

Anwar said giving back to his community is deeply personal. He said he wants these families to have a safe space to practice their religion and rebuild their lives.

“I know some English,” said Anwar. “I have some education. It’s time now to give it to your community whichever way you can, so I really feel myself feeling humble and happy that I want to do something to help my community.”

He said they want the world to know what’s happening in their homeland.

“We need to let people know what’s going on right now,” said Anwar. “It’s happening every day.”

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