Blog and Social Media Manager Caroline Anderson interviewed Wanjiru about how her work and how it contributes to peacebuilding. What inspired you to change your career? How did you make the decision to do so? The problem presented itself to me. When I met with African refugees and immigrants in State College I noticed that some Rwandese people who had been resettled in the US were adjusting badly. They had not…
PRIZE WITH A PURPOSE … Wanjiru Kamau, founder of the African Immigrant and Refugee Foundation (AIRF) that helps immigrants with a variety of needs as they adjust to life in America, was honored by the Montgomery County Council on Nov. 15 after she named one of five national winners of a $100,000 “Purpose Prize.” Financed by the Atlantic Philanthropies and John Templeton Foundation, the award is sponsored by Civic Ventures,…
Twenty students from Montgomery Blair High School sit in a circle and talk about their role models. It might sound like freshman orientation, or even a session with the school counselor, but actually, these students are members of the Africa Club. Ismahan, from Somalia, tells the other students that his inspiration is his mom. Sitting next to him, Sierra Leone native Carl Davis talks about how his parents have inspired…
Five people who set out to solve big problems in the United States and abroad have been named the winners of the sixth annual Purpose Prize, which recognizes people older than 60. One winner works to improve the care of Chinese orphans. Another introduces safe cooking techniques in developing counties. And another is spurring the growth of new businesses and jobs in Detroit. The prizes are given by Civic Ventures,…
As a group of young African immigrants struggles to adapt to life in the United States, an after-school drama program at White Oak Middle School in Silver Spring strives to make their lives easier by first making them a little harder. Project X is a program that uses drama, dance, poetry and other creative outlets to help students discuss the tough and sometimes painful problems they face as preteen immigrants…
Eight years ago, Cynthia Mandjila got off an airplane in Washington. Her family, refugees from war-torn Congo, in Central Africa, sought asylum in America. A French speaker who didn’t know a word of English , Cynthia had never seen snow or eaten American fast food. And who was this Harry Potter fellow everyone was talking about? As a student at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Cynthia was a…
Bethesda's Imagination Stage drew local students recently for the culmination of an after-school drama program geared towards underserved middle school students. Students from Argyle Middle School and White Oak Middle School — many of whom are immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean new to the U.S. — have been participating in the program, dubbed Project X, for several months. The project was a way to use creative outlets to overcome…
At the recent African Youth conference held at Montgomery College's Takoma campus in November, alumni of local African Clubs gathered to compare notes and report on their lives. They were so confident and loquacious, it was hard to believe that less than 10 years ago many were experiencing culture shock as they adjusted to life in suburban Maryland. Young Adja Koite is a case in point. The African Club alumnae proudly…
