CRIS 30th Anniversary Story | Haben
When she arrived in Columbus in October 2017, Haben came alone—without her family, without her son Hamid, without much more than hope and faith. But what carried her through was a single conviction: that her son deserved a better life than the one he’d be forced to live if she stayed in Eritrea.
Her journey began years earlier, in 2010, when she welcomed her first son. Holding her infant in her arms, she could already picture what his future would look like under a government that forced its citizens into indefinite military service. She herself was only one year away from being conscripted during her final year of school. “I wanted a good future for my son,” she said. In 2012, she decided to flee Eritrea for a better life–for her and Hamid. She did not feel that taking Hamid with her at that time was the best decision for him. She explains, “I could have taken him with me when I left Eritrea, but I would not have had any support along the way. I felt it was better for him to stay with my mom.” So Hamid stayed with Habin’s mother.
What followed was a five-year journey through multiple countries. Habin traveled from Eritrea to Sudan, then to the border of Libya. From there, she spent a year in Egypt, where she was presented with two choices by officials: return to Eritrea or go to Ethiopia. Eritrea was not an option. “But I was afraid of Ethiopia,” she said. “I only knew about the wars between our countries. I didn’t know the language, and I didn’t know there was a refugee camp there. If I had known, I would have gone straight there.”
She ended up spending four years in Ethiopia, where she lived in a refugee camp while waiting for her case as a refugee to be processed. Still, the separation from her son was agonizing. For years, she had no phone contact with him.
The early days in Columbus were hard. She first stayed in the home of CRIS staff member Mulugeta, and soon moved into an apartment with another refugee woman, thanks to CRIS staff member Ahmed Kamil who made the roommate connection. She got involved in a local church, where she now sings on the worship team, and began to build community. “The first year was very hard—getting a job, learning to drive,” she remembers. Her first job was in a warehouse, picking and packing items. She later worked at a local chicken farm.
In time, she married, and she and her husband welcomed twin boys in 2019. But their family was still incomplete without Hamid. In 2022, she was able to take her twin sons–almost three by then–to meet their brother Hamid for the first time, in Ethiopia. This was also the first time Haben had seen Hamid in 10 years. Two years later, in February of 2024, the moment finally arrived for which Haben had waited so long –Hamid arrived in Columbus.
Since then, Haben has done everything in her power to actualize the dreams that began when Hamid was a baby. She has done everything possible to help him adjust to life and studying in the United States. She takes all three of her sons to tutoring and extra English classes each week, makes frequent trips to the local library, and relishes her role as mother. “I want my kids to grow up smart and healthy and be good students and involved in church,” she says. Hamid, now 15, loves his younger brothers and helps care for them. She’s proud of his independence but reminds him, “You are big. You are learning to take care of yourself. If you have homework or a test, work hard. If you need help, tell me.”
Above all, her faith and her family have carried her through. “I passed a lot of challenges,” she says. “But God is good. I’ve come here by God.” As she looks ahead, she sees a future filled with possibility—for her children, and for herself. “You have a chance in America,” she says. “My son can pursue what he’s interested in. In Eritrea, that would not have been possible. I don’t have anything in the world without my kids. They are my everything.”