Johnson Wor says Network of Nations has been his home away from home since he landed in the U.S. from his home country of Ghana.
“I realized that the distance from O’Hare International Airport to NIU is over an hour. And I was wondering, how do I get there from the airport?” he said.
Network of Nations picked him up and drove him to DeKalb for the first time, like they do for dozens of students every semester.
They're a non-profit supporting international students at NIU. Network of Nations celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
A few years later, Wor now picks up new international students from the airport, making sure they feel at home too.
“It is an opportunity to extend the help I was giving to new students coming. So, it's cyclical," he said. "You receive support, and you try and give support.”
Airport pickup is just one of many services Network of Nations provides. They also provide English as a Second Language classes, religious groups, clothes, kitchen supplies, and much more.
Executive Director Lisa Dietrich says it’s grown from a small international student ministry to a network of over 20 local churches and a team of volunteers.
“I think Network of Nations is all about hospitality and encouragement," said Dietrich. "It's all about bringing the world together in respect and honor.”
She says they support around 300 students a year from over 120 countries. They’re not part of the university, just a support organization for students.
For their first few decades, their meeting place was never near campus. But, last year, they moved into a new building only steps away from the student center.
“Students come and make coffee and study and just have a place to rest other than the library and going home for lunch," she said.
As they’ve grown, services have expanded, but one of their most enduring events is Intercultural Café. It’s a free weekly dinner with a rotating menu of dishes from around the world, often cooked by students sharing a piece of their culture, of their home.
“I was kind of broke, so I was like, you know what, free food!" said, Brandon Ty remembering why he came to his first café. He’s a student from Cambodia. "And since the first day I was there, my first Friday, I struck up friendships with a lot of different people.”
They come from very different countries and cultures, but he says they share the same longing for home…staying up late at night to call family…missing birthdays, weddings, and funerals.
“Network of Nations kind of helps them build their own family here," said Ty. "It makes the longing and all that a lot more bearable, or even maybe their life here even more enjoyable.”
He says making friends from around the globe has changed his life in ways way beyond trying delicious new food.
“It really opened my eyes to different people of different backgrounds and to learn tolerance and having the ability to sympathize with those who are much different from you," said Ty.
Johnson Wor says that bond has felt more crucial as President Trump targets international students. Earlier this spring, the administration revoked then reinstated the visas of five NIU students.
“There is a wave of fear for all international students and we are just hoping and praying that things will calm down so that they can have the peace of mind to study," he said.
Wor says it’s made some people scared to drive to the airport to pick up new students; that they’ll get stopped by the police and they’ll revoke their visa.
Haniel George Mngodo is a recent-grad from Tanzania. He says he can’t imagine an NIU experience without Network of Nations. In fact, he doesn’t know how he would have gotten his diploma without them.
When the pandemic hit, his parents back home lost their jobs. He couldn't pay school fees and was out of class for months as his dreams of graduating evaporated. He couldn’t even afford groceries.
“I was actually forced to go back home in January 2021, but, through Network of Nations, specifically Lisa, she introduced me to a group of families that were from a Lutheran church, and that they agreed to sponsor my education all the way up until I finished," he said.
Mngodo remembers crying on the phone when he found out. And, like many alums, he stays involved with the group.
“It was amazing in that it made a being away from home feel like home,” he said.
When you’re so far from home, it’s tough for family to travel across the world to watch you walk across the stage to receive your diploma. That’s why, on top of their services, Dietrich says her and her volunteers go to graduation every year to cheer them on.
And she hopes they can keep growing this home away from home in the next 25 years.
