Sadeq Hauter looks out the window of his family’s convenience store at the steep hillsides and hollows of Appalachia and is reminded of his hometown in Yemen. The difference is that here he can see a future for himself and his wife and children. He relocated them in 2015 to escape Yemen’s escalating civil war. The family opened Eller’s Quick Stop on a flat stretch of U.S. 52 in Northfork, a town of 372 in McDowell County.

Their arrival presents both a stir of hope and a challenge to a community that — like so many rural places in America — is trying to eradicate generational poverty while simultaneously adjusting to the huge economic shifts roiling the nation.

In the last 15 to 20 years, most of the youths left,” said Elder John Hale, pastor of the Midway Shiloh Temple Pentecostal church in Keystone. “The parents, the churches, practically everybody encourages kids to leave. McDowell County is a wonderful place to retire, but it’s not a place where you can make a career or money.”

The Hauters see McDowell differently. Sadeq Hauter chose Northfork because he “likes country better than the city” and saw the gas station and store as a sound investment. And so far he’s been pleased with his choice. Though McDowell County has no English as a Second Language teachers to help his children adjust that “was the only one problem.” In fact, Hauter said he was happy with the schools. From his perspective, “education here is better” than home, despite McDowell’s test scores being the worst in West Virginia.

 

Read the full article by Peggy Barmore about this Yemeni family seeking refuge from The Hechinger Report