WHAT OTHER ENTITIES SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES? More than 75% of our students are ethnicly Rohingya, and, despite the fact that we are a secular organization, more than 95% of our students are Muslim (because of current geopolitical issues). Almost all of our students had been denied the ability to embrace their cultures or practice their religions in their native homelands because of repressive regimes. For these families, a large part of reclaiming personal and intellectual autonomy and thriving in American civic life is choosing what to embrace and what to believe. We at FORA are not a cultural center and are not involved in religious matters at all, but we do honor what is meaningful to the families we serve. Chicago's Rohingya Culture Center (RCC) in West Ridge is so important to our FORA families. The RCC is the cultural hub for the Rohingya we serve. The RCC provides countless services to newly-arrived Rohingya refugees, helping them find a robust community here in America. If there is one organization that is crucial to the success of the Rohingya community in America, writ large, it is, indeed, Chicago's RCC, just right down the street from us. Almost all of our Rohingya families consider it an essential part of their lives, and so do we. It has been a source of great joy for us to be able to collaborate through attending each other’s celebrations, supporting grant proposals, and working together to ensure that our refugee community members are protected against COVID. To note, in large part because of the RCC, it seems that a large majority of Rohingya teenagers and adults have been vaccinated. The RCC has made a huge difference during the pandemic.
Best of all is when we and the RCC can work together to support our students’ educational aspirations. This year we and the RCC, with RCC in the lead, worked together to ensure that a young Rohingya refugee woman, a recent high school graduate, will be able to pursue her goals to become a pharmacist. Before moving to the United States, she lived in Malaysia, where she was not allowed to go to school and study. Now, she is a recipient of the Hope Chicago Scholarship and a part of the inaugural Hope Scholars Cohort, making college affordable to her, and paving the way for future students in her community and beyond. We at FORA feel so fortunate to be able to work with the RCC to make our neighborhood of West Ridge a place of learning, understanding, and empowerment. If you are interested in finding out more or contributing to their work, please visit their website at www.rccchicago.org.
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