This is an encore presentation of "Access Utah."
Luma Mufleh was raised in a wealthy family in Jordan, but left that life behind to come to school in America. After graduating from Smith College, she moved to Georgia to begin a life for herself. She did not have family support and was struggling on her own. One day she made a wrong turn and came across a group of refugee boys playing soccer. She says they were barefoot, playing with an old ball, and having the time of their lives. Mufleh continued to watch the boys play, and on her third visit, joined them. That was the beginning of her Fugees organization, which grew from a focus on soccer to include education and more. Luma Mufleh continues to help hundreds of refugee boys and girls through Fugees Family. www.fugeesfamily.org.
A book which tells the story of Luma Mufleh and the Fugee Family, “Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference by New York Times reporter Warren St. John, was chosen as the common literature assignment for the 2010 USU Connections class. We revisit our conversation with Luma Mufleh from August of 2010.
