LUMBERTON — Nge Reh and his wife Htwa Meh, both Karenni refugees from Mynamar, lived in refugee camps in Thailand for nearly a decade while they dreamed of a better life for their three children.

That dream fueled their decision to move to the United States, so their children could have the opportunity to live better lives as free people. Before the family moved, Nge Reh’s children only knew life behind the camp’s walls where they had been born.

The family is adjusting to the American way of life here in Lumberton, but they, along with the rest of the Karenni population, still have a lot to learn.

“They want to grow up in freedom. They want to learn English. They want to pay taxes and live their lives in peace,” Jody Cross said of the Karenni. She and her husband Tim have been working with the Karenni since 2009. “They don’t want their children to face what they have faced.”

The Karenni began moving to Lumberton in December to work at Mountaire Farms, a chicken-processing plant.

Nge Reh said he and his wife work different shifts at the plant, so one of them can always be home with their children. During the day, Nge Reh takes care of his 5-year-old daughter and his 1- and 3-year-old sons, while his wife works the first shift at the plant from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. When she returns home from work, Nge Reh heads out to the plant and until 2:30 a.m., leaving little time for the couple to see each other.

During an interview with Nge Reh, a translator — They Law — relayed the difficult aspects of working at the plant.

“It’s very demanding,” Law said. “His fingers are in pain, but there are no other options — they have to work (there).”

Since the 1940s, the Karenni have been persecuted and murdered by the Mynamar government and were forced to leave their homes, according to Cross. The Karenni fled Mynamar — it was formerly known as Burma — to the camps in Thailand, near the border, as a temporary living situation until the unrest subsided. But for many the camps have been their home for more than a decade, Cross said.

In 2007, the United Nations began moving the Karenni out of the crowded camps, where disease and hunger were rampant.

“They just want their children to grow up without that,” Cross said. “They are good, hard-working people who just want freedom.”

The United Nations began placing them in Canada, Australia, Finland and in the United States.

World Relief, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and disaster/emergency relief, began bringing the Karenni into North Carolina in April 2009, according to Cross.

There are between 7,000 and 10,000 Karenni throughout the country and about 350 are in Lumberton, according to Law. They plan to stay and are seeking U.S. citizenship.

“They want to be good citizens ... (but) they need help understanding the American culture,” Cross said.

Wendy Fields, a member of the Hyde Park Baptist Church, is helping the Karenni adjust to American culture with the “Karenni Konnection.” The program informs people on how they can become involved with the Karenni by helping them move into their homes, helping them create bank accounts, teaching them English and life skills classes.

“We want people in Lumberton to be there to help them,” Cross said.

Fields said donations can be made at the Hyde Park gym. Household items, such as dishes, towels, mops, brooms and trash cans, are particularly needed, as well as beds and mattresses. Bikes and helmets are needed because that’s their main way of traveling, said Fields.

The Hyde Park Baptist Church is partnering with Long Branch Baptist Church to raise money to purchase a van for volunteers to transport Karenni families, according to Fields.

Karenni children, because they are so young, are adapting quicker to the new culture than the adults, according to Cross.

“They (children) love chocolate, pizza and love school,” Cross said. Some of the children were worried that they wouldn’t get to learn during summer vacation, she said.

When Cross asked some of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up, they said, “Americans — teachers, doctors.”

“They want to do something to help their people and America,” Cross said.

She said the Karenni, a community-oriented and humble people, are doing that by giving back to the community to show their appreciation. Some of the Karenni women have been donating their hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that makes wigs for people with medical hair loss. Karenni teens are also giving back to the community by volunteering and singing for residents at nursing homes.

“They want to give back, because they’ve been helped so much,” she said. “It’s been really cool to see that. They’re not just taking ....”