CBS 6 Article: Rabiul Alam fled his war-torn country as a child and landed in 'dream' Virginia home

Elizabeth Homes from CBS 6 sat down with a former foster youth, current foster parents, and our own BeBe Tran to talk about the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors foster care program in Richmond. 

Watch the video and read the full story.

Highlights from the story:

From a former foster youth:

"The first time sleeping on a bed, I slept all night. It was the moment every kid dreams of, coming from my country or my situation" - Rabiul Alam

From current foster parents:

“I said, 'How did you like your flight from your home country to here?' She said, 'Oh no, Daddy, I walked. I walked for days, days, days, days, days, days, days, days, with no food, no water. I hid on a bus. I hid on a boat.' So, it was nothing like I thought," Joe Buttner said.

"It feels like we have a purpose; we have a good purpose of doing something in the world," Cathy Buttner said.

From foster care specialist BeBe Tran

"They come with traumatic experiences that they witnessed before they arrived here... they say that they even witnessed the killings of their own parents."

Tran, who came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam with her family 50 years ago, said unaccompanied refugee minors often have limited options once arriving in the United States and are often teenagers when they arrive, an age group often overlooked by families looking to foster.  

Learn more about CCC's Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program and how you can become a foster parent.

URM at CCC