 Back with white in the morning, and my name is by Moses or it's by money of social media platform It's time for strength of a woman and a strength woman of the day if I was to introduce her will take the whole day the credentials Amazing, but in a few words grace Farajah is a mother of three and she holds a bachelor's degree in accounting a master's degree in global Organization management and currently PhD student at the global in global human and social services She was born and raised in Congo lived in East Africa in countries Burundi Kenya and Rwanda But today she's in studio with me for strength of a woman All right, I hope I didn't miss anything. No, no, no, I know you sit in a number of boards, which we'll be talking about But yes, you are in Kenya for two weeks. Yeah, I've been here since March 17th March 17. Yes. Oh, you still you still have two weeks in Kenya before you go back to Yes to North Carolina. All right, so you live in North Carolina. I Don't know what to start if we should start with What's you doing North Carolina? What you're doing in Kenya currently? The actress is yours. What are you doing in Kenya since we help? I came here for two purpose for my research work and also I came here for To start a chapter for the African guys were foundation in Kenya. Yes. All right. What do you do in North Carolina for a living? I work with the Samaritan post international relief. It's a Christian organization working Over 130 countries You're a staunch Christian. I am you are born and raised born and raised Christian Yes, I hear you one of your parents was or is a missionary. Yeah, he's still a missionary My pastor he actually even have 11 churches here in Kenya in different places in different places in Kenya Yes, including true kind of the health including true kind of yes. Have you got to visit any one of these churches? Yes, I've been in give the right and Kasarani get right in Kasarani. Yes. All right. Which one was the most lively? They're all I went live anyway, you answer the question So what people don't know about you is before you're this degree older? master's degree holder and PhD holder a Lot has happened in your life. Mm-hmm born and raising come How long did you live in Congo after after after you were born? Till 11 years old if that's when they were brought down in Congo During the Mabutu when Mabutu died then things change and we had to live Because of the fight that was going on Then we lived in from one refugee comes to another at least Yeah, Congo Brazzaville Rwanda and Burundi and then here in Nairobi. So we Seen 1996 we Experience refugee life together with my family together with your family. How big is the family? I'm the first one. You're the first one. So we are five you're five something to look up to right here Amazing yes, and three girls and two boys three girls and two boys. Yes, all right So which is the first country you moved to after the war broke out in Congo Brazzaville Congo Brazzaville It's our neighbor Seem to get the difference You know I can excuse an American for not knowing Congo Brazzaville and that one But maybe you can break it down for the people we are we there's a river in between us and We are really neighbors. So it's very hard for people to really remember there to Congo It's to Congo. So one is the Republic of Congo, which is Congo Brazzaville and ours is Democratic Republic of Congo That's the difference which one borders Rwanda Congo the DFC All right, so you moved to Congo Brazzaville first. Yes, and then right after then Rwanda and Congo is very big even though There's a side where Congo DFC is There's a border between Congo and it's another side of Congo But where we were in Kinshasa, it's closer to Congo Brazzaville. So before we before we lived in the refugee camp in Rwanda It's like from coming from the west to going to the east. Yes. All right So I'd like to know life is really tough in the refugee camps. I've hosted some people who came from Kakuma Right here. We're musicians now cut a sea of project by Oktopiso. Shout out to Oktopiso, by the way. And They told me life in the refugee camp is tough, but it's even worse for women and children. Absolutely It's worse because I tested life as a young girl Living and wearing one clothes from Monday to Sunday not changing and also Our hair girls we love Yeah, no hygiene and water was very difficult not clean water and sometimes we shared a bottle of water Together with the family or maybe food. There was no food, but and you as you know for girls, it's worse We all know this so much that girls Needs the needs of girls and they're always endangered species. Yes. So there was no support for that So our mother struggled so much to protect you guys protect us. All right Living in the in the refugee camp. Did you understand what was going on at that particular point? I do not understand much because we used to cry. Why are we running away from our own country and until later when we We we arrived in Burundi and Rwanda and then our parents said it explaining to us what was going on the fight because I was just 11 years old So but still it was hard for us to understand what was going on. We were just there with the suffering and praying and Hoping for the best hoping that we will get to a certain place where we will sleep with no Shooting and all that way with where your life is not All right after Rwanda you move to which country we went to Burundi you went to Burundi Yes, all right at what point did you get to carry on with your education because I'm guessing you're a young girl Yes, and right here right now. Yeah, I think you are the most educated in the room But how did you get to carry on with your education at the schools in this comes No, there was no schools. How did you get to go to school? What happened is that we used to continue just I have Sunday school And then the Sunday school will continue to help us in reading and all that. All right Yes, the power of the church. Yes, the church has contributed so much And I always gave thanks to God to to the leadership of the church because they they take they feel the burden of Refugees or any person who is going through difficulties and they take and I feel like The same way Jesus when he came on earth He did good and the same way the church also has taken over to do good to to people who are suffering All right, I'm quoting an author from From This country that borders Israel this one Egypt not easy We are almost there, but you know this country they have a problem with Israel at the moment. Oh, so this author was like post-traumatic stress Is the West is not is a is a Western thing Then I was like But just before before before I was I was thinking the same before I read the article So when I read the article she she was like We need to set standards for mental health or mental disorders Yes, because when you go to her country, you can't say these guys are going through post-traumatic stress post-traumatic stress is for a Soldier who leaves his country who lives in New York goes to an Arab country To fight and then he goes through all these things and then he goes back to his home Which is peaceful that is post-traumatic stress, but for somebody whose life is always in danger always Always fighting for his life or find trying to find something to eat You can't consider this post-traumatic stress now. So what do you think about this? Do we need to help these guys mentally and do we need to set different standards? I'll tell for fact that I think that's one big portion that our community need to make sure that we have we have people can take care of the PSD Communities for example in Rwanda with the genocide that happened We they have so much so many people that have been going through the PSD and and Rwanda's created offices or Department that counseling department and who will be who takes care of those people and but again I was saving the local community. We don't have to wait for The government to build this big office But even on local come because we has communities we understand one another and we understand What my neighbor is going through and we are the one who can help our neighbors to do something So we can always get into simple groups support groups and help each other and talk about our problems like in churches They have what they call Bible studies and the weekly Bible studies during those weekly Bible studies they can choose one of the day and Just a counseling day or discussion day about just normal life Because there's so many so many people who goes through the PSD Situation all right So the reason I brought this up is as much as we try to feed the refugees We try to help them with the maze. We try to help them with something they can eat We also need to care about the mental state as well. Yes This is something we need to give a priority for me as a former refugee and I know what I went through I lived here as a refugee in Kenya and And that's why we did not have many of them From my from my from my area, but now we have I believe more than even 4,000 refugee from East Africa including Congo Jersey, so Refugee people got the they they have gone through So many things like during the war losing their children losing their family members and when they come here first of all, they don't have this language barrier some of them don't even speak Swahili and English is another level and many of them have never gone to school and When it comes to women from my area my country, it's worse because I'm not going to They're considered second class it is elevate myself But I've done my research enough to know that I think I'll be either the first or the second Girl in my community in my tribe with a PhD level, which means these like We have the percentage is very low Which is sad and because They believe in Ali marriages number one from 14 years old and it's still happening until now and Ali marriages to a man who the girl did not even choose or make a choice, but parents here Make decision for them. Some of them are even second to or third wives or fourth. Yes, and and there's a gap But in a edge gap between And the and the husband. Yes. All right, which is something that is very backward Retrogressive. Yeah, I feel bad. I feel so much better. You feel so much pain when you see this This is why you have a project and this is the reason for this project that you have and this is the reason you're here Actually, absolutely. So tell me about this. Thank you for inviting me now. You're welcome You always welcome if you're doing something great to the community. We don't have a choice. Thank you what is this project about and How is it going so far? Yeah, African Girls Hope Foundation It's a project that is mainly to empower education of girls Especially the girls when the village is because I believe the girls when the villages are the most forgotten girls Girls were here in Nairobi in big cities or any other places. They have opportunity to meet other NGOs or maybe even a private donor to support them but and rich places or Villages it's very hard for the girls who are there. It's hard for everybody, but it's harder for the girl It's more worse for the girls. But and because Sometimes the reasons why is like in my village where I come from Transportation is a big issue. So for an organization to go there It's difficult and especially with also the insecurity. They're still there. It's helpful and just to go there so So they a GHF or African Girls Hope Foundation is to empower the question of girls by supporting them with a free Christian or Christian Education By we sub we pay the tuition and and all school materials so that we can have As many as possible girls in school instead of this girl sitting home and waiting for For the traditional practice it to to go on So we have some of your work These are your girls you call them your girls. Yes, and they're doing quite well so far So we have a hundred girls up 200 girls. We have a hundred girls in DRC in five villages And here we have four girls in Kenya and our visit at last week I visited Sassimu Children's Center down there and I believe because I'm not give the right of which they are going to be part of The program. Yes these I love the story about Sassimu children. That's why I selected it. It's a very It's a very impactful Institution that I selected Yes, how does this work? So I see the profile of this girl. I see something like 200 and Something that's that's on my birthday. I said of people giving me a gift for my birthday. My brother's February 15th So I did a go for me go for me. It's a way of raising funds For any cause So for my birthday this year I had to Share with my friends. I don't need any gift Send your gift to So don't need something. This is something really creative To do because people are willing to give you gifts, but they forget that there's somebody that needs it Yes, so you just try to To enlighten them through this right now through this so you can donate on the website You can donate on the website and this go for me. It's a specific Specific website to just raise funds But other people donated directly to a website. Yes, so and it's amazing You know when you share a story that I think there's a there's an impact. There's a power in in a story So I believe that Soon enough God will bring more and more and more than us. I have no fear because this cause I Know where I come from because I went through the same difficulties of dropout Actually here in Nairobi. That's when I started I Realized that there are so many children not only suffering from the traditional practices But also suffering from financial crisis like I was when I was in death's University So I had dropped out many times and not completing my exams But by that my God grace through a Friso was a member of a Friso and I'm still I'm still a Friso alumni So Helen Tawali is my she was my teacher and she's still my best friend and she's Amazing so yes Through singing I was able to to get a full scholarship to complete my education at death's University Power to all the wonderful women out there shout to you Helen Tawali and everything you're doing Out there at least are in secret things that will might never know about you Just know about one particular story right here. And yes, so a hundred girls so far That have managed to get to get to get to go to school and improve their lives Do you think there's hope for Africa one day? We are going to have a fully educated Africa I'm going to challenge all the women Professional or let me know it's called professional because it's the heart that work If you're a woman of God or a woman with compassion God has given us power to change the world Nassau Mandela say Education is the most weapon that we can use to change the world And I believe if we come together as women and even men who need your support. Yes. Yes Yes, and I believe that one hand can do Cannot do What five hands can do so if we come together as women or men behind us and Support what we are doing. I think we are going to have a better generation That is coming a better generation Education for a better generation. Yes, that is coming white for for underscore channel on Instagram and white five phone Facebook white five for Underscore channel on Instagram Hashtag is why in the morning hashtag is points Wednesday. You've used your comments and your questions. I invited Please direct them to grace right here of a Roger. Oh, so undergraduate Deister yes Masters degree in global organizational management and the PhD in global human Undergraduate you did it in Deister in this area Master's Master's degree. What did you do in the US in the US? Yes, and then your PhD in the US as well All right, so being somebody who has lived in Africa gone through all these things in Africa And then you've been to the US doing your PhD People blame All these African problems on the West. Yeah Including myself. Mm-hmm. I'm guilty as charged. You'll find me Complaining so much about the West and how they imposing debts on us and how they colonized us And then they left some leaders to still colonize us and the rest of things What is your take on this first? Ah, you know, sometimes we'll complain too much and ourselves we don't we don't make any step to make a change Obama said that don't wait for another person to bring change. You are the change that the world has been waiting for so we I always before I complain I ask myself, okay, what what have I contributed? What is my contribution to this world or to my community or to my friend or to my family? And then I take a step. Okay. What can I do to advocate for this issue or for this cause, you know and the same way with African Girls Hope Foundation, I know There's so there's so many people are like, okay, you are doing this because you want to fight Gender stuff or traditional What we believe in no I my heart is to bring change to our community to elevate Education so that we can have a better family. There's a saying that say when you educate a man You're the kid and an individual when you take a woman you educate a family a community and a nation Yes, and the same I agree with so much because I've seen the impact of educating Young girls even in my village and the kind of things the kind of impact Back in the village after they make it big Another thing I'd like to know. What are some of the misconceptions that people have over there? About Africa that you deal with every single day of your life. Oh my god Why they think we live with animals. They think we live with animals Do you have seen a TV? So they have especially an educated people who are there because we have also some people who are not educated there Who have never gone to school? Yes, we have them too. So they don't even Understand if Africa is a country or is a continent when you tell them from Congo some of them be all Congo What is Congo? So there's so much to educate them to there's so much to educate them about yes So we need some Africa studies in the school absolutely and we need to represent Africa also in a very positive way Display the good things about Africa talking about Africa being a continent or a country We working towards you in writing Africa. I've seen Swahili has been introduced in South Africa in the curriculum So there's progress in one language. It's going to be better Do you think this is going to help us deal with all these dictators all these warlords and all? I think I believe it's going to help us because there's power in knowing languages The first job that I had when I resettled there was I was at a contract of translating in the court in the federal courts from one from all my six languages English and vice versa, and it's paid six Languages my brother and from that I saw the importance of knowing different languages and when you know language you are able to reach out to To all the nations Yes, I feel when I'm Kenya. I'm Kenyan. I can speak Kenyan, I understand some kikuyu or some combo There's so many similarities there, and I feel home when I go to Congo It's I speak Lingala and I sing Lingala. I can sing in all those languages As we proceed to its progress. Yes, let's unite Africa through Swahili. Yeah, I think it's the most common It has a format at least you can learn it in school and everything You're a musician as well as we come to the end of this music is your passion Tell me more about your musician or your musical side I started singing when I was a very young girl. I'm very shy at that time. I'm no longer shy for God for the gospel Yeah, so and being a missionary daughter moving from one place to another and planting churches like from scratch I Learned how to worship and that's how I came to know That I have a gift. I will sing and people will be surprised and Yes, I got my scholarship through music and and in in the US or so I do have African I'm also a fund of African gospel artists So I bring wash African worship leaders together and I do also invite other worship leaders from different countries and they join us every year for a weekend of wash workshop and Worship experience wonderful Wise a lot of wise words from you. You've quoted Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama Those are your favorite authors and your favorite leaders. These are the people you look up to alright So as we wind this up your camera is number four. I like you to share with the people How they can get to support your projects and how they can find it on social media And if you have a website, I prefer the website goes from the website We can get other social media handles your coverage number four your time to share is this one, okay? First of all, thank you so much and I do really appreciate at this time and I would like to invite you to be part of our African Gaza Foundation and You can reach out to us through our website. We have our email address there and also We have our platform donation online, but again our website is African WW African gas from this one dot com when you go there You have all our information and if you have any question, please send us an email and we have a team that will be Respond to any question that you have and also we have a Facebook And an Instagram so when you go the website, you have all the information and details But again, please reach out to us and we'll be able to share more and details and also here in Kenya We have a chapter that we are starting. Please call us or send us an email and we'll give you details for that Thank you very much. Grace for coming through. Thank you so much. Say hi to the family when you get back to North Carolina So we've come to the end of strength of woman today We had Grace for Azure who's doing amazing amazing stuff for the girl child and girl children in the refugee comes in particular if you know somebody who has a story that is impactful to the community at large Contact us through why to fight for channel on Twitter What if I for underscore channel on Instagram and what if I found Facebook and don't forget the hashtag why in the morning? So we can highlight the story on strength of a woman. That is if she's a woman I go with a little very Moses or it's very money social media platform Call me Val is coming up next with girl stalker a hot topic. You don't want to miss this