Former refugee provides support to Salem’s newest families

When Sifa Kipanga meets families of refugees at the airport, she greets them in their home language.

Many of them come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she’s from, or the neighboring east African country of Burundi.

“Congo and Burundi, we can talk Swahili. We are neighbors,” she said. 

Kipanga speaks Swahili, Lingala, French and says she’s still learning English. Her language skills make her an asset to Salem for Refugees, where she…