Fellows are excited about the future and the friendships they plan to make in their educational careers
Cultural divides are an inevitable part of moving anywhere, especially to a new country, as seen when the fellows at Urban Promise International moved from their hometowns in Africa to the United States,
“Sometimes I wish instead of people saying, ‘you have an accent’ I wish they would come in and say, ‘where are you from?’ and ‘what makes you speak with this different accent?’ and try to connect with us,” said first-year fellow Gilbert Mfitumdinda, who moved from Uganda.
Although it has been difficult to adjust to a new country, the fellows are excited about the future and the friendships they plan to make in their educational careers here in the United States, specifically Haddonfield.
Each member has successfully met the qualifications and rigorous standards needed to be given the opportunity to further their education and build their leadership skills through the Urban Promise International program. In their fellowship, each member is in the process of completing their master’s of arts in organizational leadership through Eastern University. After they complete their fellowship, students must present their nonprofit ideas to the board of directors at Urban Promise for approval to start their own nonprofit.
First-year fellow Joy Ogbowwaya said, “Before I came here, I was running a school, a local school for children from low-income backgrounds. I started a project to help train teachers. I’m here to sharpen my leadership skills and then go back home to do much more than I was doing before.”
Second-year fellow Vanessa Mwangala from Malawi started a program with young girls, providing them with basic needs while motivating them to stay in school. Mwangala’s goal after completing her fellowship is to become a director of her own organization back home.
Each fellow is a leader back in their native countries, starting programs and helping their communities back home thrive. Through Urban Promise International, students come from all over the world to work in some of America’s most challenging areas.
“All of our sites work in places and communities where people don’t have what everyone else has, that’s our whole method to our madness, that’s our whole calling,” Director Nadia Vanderkuip said.
The Haddonfield First Presbyterian Church donated a place for Vanderkuip and her family to stay, which she uses to host the fellows and has now become the fellows’ home away from home. The fellows can enjoy the amenities Haddonfield has to offer while forming relationships with residents.
“Haddonfield becomes a bit of a sanctuary, when these guys have a break, sometimes they just come and stay the weekend at our house.” said Vanderkuip “In Haddonfield they can go to Starbucks or Saxbys and walk to the grocery store, they can just go for a walk in the green nature because it’s safe and beautiful there.”
Vanderkuip also throws community dinners, one of which is her monthly African dinner where African dishes are served and dancing is not an option — it’s a must. The Haddonfield community is welcome to attend and get a taste of a unique culture, and meet the individuals who are changing the world.
If residents are interesting in attending an African dinner, contact Vanderkuip at (856) 577–1792. For more information on Urban Promise, go to www.urbanpromiseusa.org.
