How the ancient art of candle making is creating a brighter future for refugees | Why This Matters

In the US, one social enterprise hires newly arrived refugees to make sustainable candles, helping them earn money, practise English and build an employment record

When Maguno arrived in Olympia, Washington, in 2023 with two of her adult sons, after fleeing war in the Congo and spending 30 years in a refugee camp in Tanzania, she was not only starting again. One of the first things she wanted to do was pay back the travel loan that had helped bring her family to the US.

Like many refugees resettled in the US, she was expected to repay the cost of those flights after arrival. For Maguno, clearing the debt meant work, income and proof of independence in a country where newly arrived refugees can find themselves shut out by language barriers, missing references and no local employment record.

That chance came from Relume, an artisan candle company in Olympia, where resettled refugees are paid to hand-pour sustainable candles while practising English and building the kind of work history that can help them move through the US jobs market.

“Work is necessary because it is how you get food, pay for housing, and live until you pay the bills,” Maguno tells Positive news. “Work is good for a human being. When you are healthy you must work.”

With her wages from Relume, she has now paid off the loan that helped bring her family to the US. Repaying it, she said, felt like honouring the chance she had been given.

“I feel like I’m being honest, that is why I paid off the loan with them from America,” she said.

Relume was founded by friends Rand Roedell and Karima Bassalé after they saw newly arrived refugees in the Pacific Northwest struggling to find work. Many had the will and the need to earn, but applications stalled when employers asked for fluent English, US experience, local references or simply felt unsure about hiring someone who had only recently arrived.

“The language barrier was a huge component for people not getting hired,” said Bassalé. “We witnessed translators being pulled last minute from interviews, after working tirelessly to find one. There was also the component of the unknown, people weren’t willing to take a risk on hiring someone who had newly arrived in the country, and I’m not certain as to why.

“But these people are our friends, we know them, and hiring them has been a great joy for us.”

These people are our friends, we know them, and hiring them has been a great joy for us

Candles were a practical answer to a practical problem. The work can be taught on the job, does not require fluent English or a formal education, and gives people the chance to learn while earning.

“Making candles does not require proficiency in English, nor does it require a formal education,” said Bassalé. “Creating this business was also a way for other people in the community to get involved. Often, we feel helpless when people in positions of authority make decisions that negatively impact certain people groups, but buying a candle is something people can do to help become a part of the solution.”

Relume’s candles are made with soy wax from US-grown soybeans, phthalate-free fragrances and cotton wicks free from zinc and lead, then poured into recycled Spanish glass jars designed to be reused. The product has to be good enough to stand on its own, but the way it is made is what gives the business its purpose.

Eiman, another Relume candlemaker, was born in Syria and fled with her family to Jordan after war broke out when she was 10. In December 2024, she arrived in the US with her husband, Tarek, and their two young sons, beginning again in a place where ordinary tasks could feel difficult before language, work and community began to fall into place.

“At first it was difficult, we didn’t know anyone here, nor did we speak the language well. The future was uncertain – we didn’t know where to go or what to do – but we faced all the challenges and now we are doing very well.

“Relying on myself, interacting more with people, gaining a better understanding of the language, and earning money have all empowered me,” she said.

Relying on myself, interacting more with people, gaining a better understanding of the language, and earning money have all empowered me

Volunteers come into the candle shop to teach English on work days, with the candlemakers paid for that time, while families also gather for meals, helping make the business feel less like a temporary fix and more like a community.

“The team takes ownership of the candle shop, they have a strong sense of belonging with the larger Relume community as well,” said Bassalé. “One day, we would love to serve as a reference for them as they grow beyond Relume.”

From its workshop in Olympia, Relume now ships candles to customers across 40 US states, according to the company. Its growth suggests that people are willing to buy from businesses where the human story is part of the product, as long as the product itself is worth buying.

For Bassalé, Maguno repaying her travel loan gave the founders a sharper sense of what steady work can unlock.

“It was joyous and emotional when we learned she paid off her travel loan debt,” said Bassalé. “We learned how important her financial independence was to her. It made me realize that there’s restoration that takes place within a person, when they can work, particularly if they have been unable to for decades due to their circumstance, which was no fault of their own.”

Maguno’s loan is now paid, Eiman says she feels more able to rely on herself, and Bassalé hopes Relume can one day be the reference that helps someone move into their next job. For a small candle company, that is a useful kind of light to be making.

Images: Relume