Meet Aisha and Her Girls
A single mom and her children escape danger, spend years waiting for their ultimate destination and finally arrive in a strange land where they achieve success, independence and happiness against all odds.
This story may sound like a fairy tale but it is the farthest thing from one. No magic was involved in this happy ending, just grit, hard work and a belief in the possibility of a better life.
Aisha and her five little girls fled the violence and chaos of Rwanda and sought refuge in Uganda. After 12 long years there, they were finally granted refugee status by the US and were resettled in New Jersey in 2018
How it Started: 2018, soon after their arrival in the US. With RAP Thanksgiving basket.
Despite the huge differences in environment and culture, the family quickly set about to make a real home for themselves in their new country. They connected with RAP very soon after their arrival and we helped them with resources and support when needed. We could see, right from the start, that they would ‘graduate’ from our family team program and steadily achieve independence and self-sufficiency.
But we could not have imagined just how successful this family would be.
Aisha and her four now-adult daughters are American citizens. Her youngest daughter, 17-year-old Thurrayah, will become a citizen when she turns 18.
Two daughters recently graduated from Rutgers. Comfort, with a degree in mechanical engineering, has a job lined up with Pratt and Whitney. Reality, with a degree in accounting, is studying for her CPA before starting a job with Deloitte in September.
Confidence just finished her sophomore year at Notre Dame. Thurrayah just graduated from high school and will be attending Essex Community College for two years before earning her bachelor’s degree. Gift, the oldest daughter, chose to enter the job market after high school and is excelling at her job at Amazon.
Aisha, who worked as a nursing assistant in a nursing home during the height of the Covid pandemic, is earning her LPN degree and will then bridge into a part-time RN program so she can continue working. She also now serves on RAP’s Advisory Committee helping us to better structure our programs and outreach to meet the needs of refugee families.
How it's Going: 2024 at the graduation party. Aisha's sister Pascasie is standing next to her.
We’re honored to call this amazing group of women our friends. Click on the gallery to share the family's big moments.