Daily News | Hundreds from across the globe now calling Philly home celebrate World Refugee Day at the zoo
The trail between the zebra and giraffe enclosures at the Philadelphia Zoo was filled with chatter in different languages — including Ukrainian, Burmese, Swahili, and Pashto. About 300 people from all over the world and of various ages had come together Sunday atWhat they all had in common is that Philadelphia has become their new home.In the crowd were Jaseng Pan’s two daughters, Maybawknoe Galau, 4, and Sengmun Galau, 7, who were on a mission to see a Koala bear.
Bibi Hawka Akhtri, a 17-year-old from Afghanistan, came to Philadelphia about 10 months ago with most of her family. “I’m so happy,” she said as her family strolled through the zoo exhibits.and is commemorated annually on June 20. Sunday’s local celebration was organized by the Philadelphia Regional Refugee Providers’ Collaborative, a coalition of multiple organizations, including HIAS Pennsylvania and Nationalities Service Center.
“Every year the celebration looks different,” said Anneke Kat, community engagement specialist at HIAS PA, a large refugee resettlement organization in Philadelphia. “This year we really wanted to do something that felt like a celebration and a day of family fun.”