Drocella Mugorewera: Reclaiming Your Power
Women’s Month Spotlight
For Refugee Congress Board Member and Honorary Delegate Drocella Mugorewera, reclaiming your power starts with investing in yourself and being your own best advocate.
“You can lose material positions and possessions, but you can never lose who you are,” she says.
Drocella came to the U.S as a refugee from Rwanda, fleeing oppression and persecution. In Rwanda, she worked as a parliamentarian, a development consultant, and the Secretary of Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water, and Mines.
Overnight, she lost her home and the life she had spent nearly 40 years building. Leaving behind all that mattered to her most – her family, her country, her career – she found safety in Tennessee, but she felt full of pain, fear, and confusion.
“I was a former member of Parliament and an experienced professional, but here in America, my first job paid only $6.55 an hour and didn’t give me a chance to use my experience or passion,” Drocella says. “I knew I wanted to build a better life for myself and help others in that same situation. I started to ask myself, ‘What can I do to become my own rescue?’”
Drocella threw herself into the mission of building a better life for herself and the wider refugee community. Today, she continues to fulfill that mission as Executive Director of Bridge Refugee Services, a refugee resettlement agency she first encountered as a newly arrived refugee herself, and as a Fate to Faith Speaker and Income-Growth and Integration Coach who helps skilled women, refugees, and immigrants frustrated with low-paying jobs increase their incomes so they can comfortably live in any country in the world.
Despite her painful journey, Drocella is a woman who seeks to be a light upon the world – one who educates, empowers, and enlightens all she embarks on.
“It took me seven years to feel fully integrated,” Drocella says. “I have endured a lot of misconceptions – people thinking refugees are here to take resources, or judging us because of our accents or background. This is why we need to work to educate others and share our stories. We have the power to change, heal, and create allies. I don’t want other refugees and asylees to be delayed like me.”
Drocella wants to teach others the power they have within themselves and encourage them to never give up.
“I am sick and tired of not seeing our expertise from abroad valued. They say that if you want change, you have to be the change you want to see,” she says. “I am engaged now as a leader, and I want to show other refugees how they can use their expertise and emerge as the leaders and experts they were born to be.”
In her role as a speaker and coach, she encourages refugees to seek power in their stories and to use their experiences to achieve their dreams. As someone who understands firsthand the challenges refugees face, she feels she is uniquely positioned to make a difference in their lives.
“Our stories are our power, and when we speak up, results do show up,” she says.
Drocella encourages refugees to be proud of their heritage and embrace their stories. She also feels strongly about the power of networking and partnering with people who care about you and want to uplift you.
“We are better if we keep our values from our native countries and embrace the new values. This is how we become strong leaders and strong people,” she says. “Even if there are people who push us down, there are people who push us up!”
For Drocella, that sense of community is very important.
“I am incredibly thankful for the Refugee Congress, my new friends, and my coaches and mentors,” she says.
She encourages former refugees to also remember to take care of themselves.
“We have trauma and wounds. We have to heal. In order to help others, we need to heal ourselves,” she says. “Learn how to tell your story. Learn how to pivot and adapt to new situations. It helps to have a strong community who understand where we come from and provide resources. We are here to equip the next generation of leaders.”
Drocella wants former refugees and asylees to know that they can use the tools and expertise they already have and build on those to reach their dreams.
“The problem is not that you are starting at the bottom,” Drocella says. “The problem is if you stay at the bottom. Don’t sell yourself short!”
Refugee Congress is a nonpartisan advocacy organization built and led by former refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable migrants to promote the well-being, integration and dignity of all vulnerable migrants. With delegates across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we use our voices and experiences to inform and influence decision-makers on critical domestic and international issues that affect our communities.
MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 905-6238, media@refugeecongress.org
