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PODCAST

The Archive Speaks

The Refugee Archive Team

From war zones to resettlement camps, from data to diaries, this podcast brings the archive to life. The Refugee Archive is a nonprofit organization and global center dedicated to preserving and amplifying the voices of refugee women leading households. Featuring refugee women, scholars, and archivists, it champions the power of voice, the preservation of memory, and the stories that shape policy, hearts, and minds. therefugeearchive.substack.com

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

13:59

How A Single Mom Rewrote the Narrative for Refugees:...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/10/09

Arriving in Nigeria as a penniless refugee with a six-month-old infant strapped to her chest, Yvonne faced the immediate, terrifying reality of starting from absolute zero. With her home back in Cameroon reduced to ashes and no family to rely on, she found herself sleeping on bare concrete floors in a foreign land. In this third chapter of Yvonne’s oral history, she recounts her extraordinary journey of survival, resilience, and grass-roots innovation. From working as a commercial bus fare

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9:41

The Terrifying Night That Changed Her Life Forever -...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/10/03

After earning her nursing degree and starting a new life working in Thailand, 26-year-old Yvonne believed she was stepping into a chapter of security and freedom. But when personal choices, cultural expectations, and political unrest collide, her life is radically rewritten overnight. In this second chapter of Yvonne’s oral history, she recounts the crushing social stigma she faced upon returning to Cameroon as a single mother. The public shame forced her into isolation within her own community,

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10:53

What Happened to Her at 9 Years Old Shocked an Entire...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/09/24

Before she became a humanitarian and a refugee in Nigeria, Yvonne was a young girl growing up in Kuke Mbomo, Cameroon, in a family where caring for others was simply part of everyday life.In this first chapter of Yvonne’s oral history, she takes us back to her childhood in a large polygamous household where more than 20 people shared one compound. She remembers village life, her family’s cocoa farm, and watching her mother feed and support people around her — including Nigerian workers and tenants

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45:34

Ep 30 | Madeleine's Story Part 3 – Uganda: Life...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/09/06

"Every single day is a battle to survive."Madeleine is a Congolese refugee and single mother living in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda, where she is raising three boys on her own. In this chapter of her oral history, she describes the daily struggle of finding work, securing food, caring for her children, and trying to keep them in school.Most mornings, Madeleine completes her household chores before going into the fields to collect firewood. She then heads to the Somali quarter of the

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19:06

Ep 29 | Madeleine's Story Part 2 – Uganda: Life...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/09/04

Madeleine walked by foot from Goma to the Settlement in Uganda…In Part 2 of Madeleine's oral history, a Congolese refugee currently living in Uganda recounts the night armed men attacked her village in Rutshuru, North Kivu, and set her home on fire.Madeleine was already a mother of two when the attack happened. In the chaos, she escaped carrying her one-year-old baby, only to realize that her four-year-old son was still inside the burning house. Other people fleeing with her returned and found him

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35:43

Ep 28 | Madeleine's Story Part 1 – Uganda: Life...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/08/24

She believed that marriage was her only way out…Madeleine is a Congolese refugee currently living in Uganda. In this first chapter of her oral history, she takes us back to her childhood in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she grew up without her parents and was raised by an elderly woman in Kadutu, Bukavu.Her earliest memories include playing by the lake, attending school, helping care for the woman who raised her, and dreaming of becoming a doctor. For a time, she remembers

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33:03

Ep 27 | Merveille's Story Part 4 – DRC: Motherhood Is...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/08/17

What makes someone a mother?In the final chapter of Merveille’s oral history, she reflects on the years she spent raising her daughter while completing her education, working as a teacher, and navigating the challenges of life in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.Merveille first took responsibility for her daughter when the child was six years old. While still a student, she depended on her father’s support before eventually finding part-time teaching work to help cover rent, school fees,

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26:12

Ep 26 | Merveille's Story Part 3 – DRC: Fleeing...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/07/30

That time war reached Merveille’s doorstep…In this final chapter of Merveille’s oral history, we follow her through one of the most difficult periods of her life as the M23 offensive reached Goma in early 2025. Living in Kabutembo, near the city’s airport, Merveille had begun building a future through teaching and a small baking business while continuing to support the daughter she had raised as her own. Then, almost overnight, conflict transformed everyday life.As violence spread across North Kivu,

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53:13

Ep 25 | Merveille's Story Part 2 – DRC: The Daughter...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/07/17

What makes someone a mother?In this second chapter of Merveille’s oral history from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she reflects on growing into adulthood while unexpectedly becoming the primary caregiver for her older sister’s daughter. What began as a temporary responsibility became a lifelong commitment that reshaped her education, relationships, work, and understanding of family.As Merveille navigates adolescence, she speaks about the women who prepared her for adulthood, the cultural

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23:34

Ep 24 | Merveille's Story Part 1 – DRC: The Daughter...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/06/19

In this first chapter of Merveille’s oral history, we travel to Katana, a rural community in South Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Long before she became a university student, a teacher, or a woman navigating the realities of conflict and displacement, Merveille was a child growing up in a large family shaped by faith, education, and hard work.Raised by a father who taught school and a mother who worked the land, Merveille grew up in a household where perseverance was not something

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24:12

Ep 23 | Elizabeth’s Story – Nigeria: Displaced by...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/06/10

In this first oral history from Benue State featured on The Archive Speaks, we hear from Elizabeth, a displaced mother whose life was shaped by poverty, motherhood, violence, and survival. Raised in rural Benue after losing her father at a young age, Elizabeth grew up helping her mother farm and care for her siblings before marrying and starting a family of her own.For years, life revolved around farming, raising children, and finding ways to provide for her household. But when violence reached her

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51:00

Ep 22 | Ruth’s Story Part 3 – DRC: The Cost of Staying

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/06/05

This is why she chose to stay.In this final chapter of Ruth’s oral history from the Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩, she reflects on life in Goma under rebel control, raising a young daughter alone, and surviving a conflict that has shaped nearly every stage of her life.Ruth remembers fleeing violence in Walikale as a child, only to experience war again in Goma years later. Today, she lives in a city where insecurity remains part of daily life, opportunities are scarce, and many families stay

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32:21

Ep 21 | Ruth’s Story Part 2 – DRC: “I Stayed Because...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/05/25

What happens when the future you imagined for yourself disappears almost overnight?In this second chapter of Ruth’s oral history from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩, she speaks about becoming a young woman, experiencing love for the first time, and the events that led her into single motherhood.What began as a relationship built on trust slowly became isolation, abandonment, and survival. Ruth reflects on pregnancy outside marriage, family rejection, domestic violence, and the

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14:55

Ep 20 | Ruth’s Story Part 1 – DRC: Gift of Simplicity

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/05/18

How would you look back on your childhood after living through war and displacement?In this first chapter of Ruth’s oral history, we meet a young woman from Walikale in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo who remembers life before conflict altered its course. Today, in Goma, where insecurity continues to shape daily life, Ruth sits with us and returns to memories of family, faith, school, and the small routines that once made the world feel stable.Ruth grew up in a household of eleven children

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63:43

Ep 19 | Marie’s Story Part 3 – DRC: “I Carry...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/03/30

What does it mean to carry a household on your own—every day, without pause?In this third chapter of Marie’s oral history, we move into the structure of her daily life in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Not as a single moment of crisis, but as a system of responsibilities that repeat, accumulate, and rarely ease.Marie describes what it means to raise three children as the sole provider. Her days begin before sunrise with housework, and unfold into a constant search for income—through

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21:59

Ep 18 | Marie’s Story Part 2 – DRC: A City Under Watch

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/03/20

Goma is a city where life continues, but not freely.In this second part of Marie’s story, we return with her to a place she knows well, yet experiences differently each time she comes back. She speaks about living in Goma now—not as a child moving between homes, but as a mother responsible for three children, navigating a city shaped by conflict, uncertainty, and watchfulness.She describes what daily life looks like when movement is limited, when trust is fragile, and when routines are built around

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26:49

Ep 17 | Marie’s Story Part 1 – DRC: Raised Between Moves

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/02/20

What does it mean to grow up in a place where conflict never fully leaves?In Part 1 of Marie’s oral history, we meet her as a daughter of eastern Congo—born in Masisi, raised between Bukavu and Goma, and shaped early by movement, family expectations, and instability. Long before she became a displaced single mother, Marie was already learning how quickly life could change.She speaks about childhood marked by love and discipline, pride in Congolese identity, and the quiet weight placed on girls

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37:39

Ep 16 | Kolima’s Story Part 2 – Rohingya: Life in the...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/01/07

What does life look like when displacement stretches into years?In the final chapter of Kolima’s oral history, we hear from her as she lives now — inside the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Her days are shaped by sickness, ration schedules, paperwork, and the quiet labor of keeping a household together without a husband or extended family nearby.Kolima speaks about managing illness with limited medical care, repairing her shelter after landslides, standing in long lines for food, gas, and cash

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30:23

Ep 15 | Kolima’s Story Part 1 – Rohingya: The First...

The Archive Speaks ·

2026/01/02

What does it mean to learn survival before you have words for it?In the first chapter of Kolima’s oral history, we meet a Rohingya woman whose early life was shaped by family, restraint, and the quiet labor expected of girls as they grew into womanhood. Her story begins in Rakhine State, Myanmar, where daily life unfolded inside the boundaries of tradition, poverty, and increasing restriction.Kolima speaks about growing up, reaching maturity, and how her world narrowed as expectations changed

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44:08

Ep 14 | Lucille’s Story Part 2 – Congo: The Day the...

The Archive Speaks ·

2025/12/09

In Part 2 of Lucille’s oral history, she returns to the morning everything changed in Goma. One moment, the neighborhood hummed with its usual rhythm — children walking to school, women bargaining at the market, the soft echo of church songs drifting between houses. And then, without warning, the city fell quiet in a way only conflict can silence a place.Lucille recounts the moment she knew the rebels were close, how the streets emptied, how families pressed together behind locked doors, listening

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34 results

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