It Runs in the Family: Refugee Mother and Daughters Discover Career and Purpose in Nursing

Hearing the pop of nearby gunshots was once a part of daily life for Nininahazwe and her daughters in their home country of Burundi. After escaping to Kenya, they spent ten long years in a refugee camp, waiting for a chance at a better life. It finally came in 2021 when Nininahazwe and two of her three children, Teta and Umyhoza, were admitted to the U.S. through the refugee program and resettled in Nashua, New Hampshire by the International Institute of New England.  

“It’s something like you never dreamt of,” Teta told a reporter when she first arrived, “it was way too high.” 

As they began to put down roots in New Hampshire, Teta and Umyhoza were eager to get to work, so they were thrilled to learn about a new opportunity available through IINE—a free job skills training program called LNA for Success, which prepares clients for the much-in-demand position of Licensed Nursing Assistant. 

“The LNA program provides a pathway into healthcare for English language learners who were either in healthcare in their home country and want to return to the field or who want to be in the healthcare field now that they’ve come to the U.S.,” explains IINE Education Manager Hannah Granock.  

“The program is designed to both help students find gainful employment in a meaningful and growing field and also to help ease the healthcare workforce shortage caused by New Hampshire’s aging workforce. We do this by providing English language classes tailored to their LNA training, partnering with Manchester Community College to provide hands-on training, and offering wrap-around support services, which helps to remove barriers to student participation.” 

Both sisters enrolled less than a month after their arrival and were exemplary students. 

“Being an LNA for me is not only a dream or passion, it is a commitment,” Teta wrote in an essay on why she was seeking a career in healthcare. “They say everyone has their life calling and I am sure this is mine. At a young age I used to see my grandma struggling to get to her feet when my parents were busy. The young me used to help her the little I could. I found joy in seeing a smile on her face after helping her. I made it my life commitment to continue pursuing a course that would help me see more of the same smiles.” 

In Umyhoza’s essay, she wrote of a desire to help the elderly and disabled, and of drawing on her memories of overcoming a bad burn she suffered as a child to empathize with her clients. “Sincerely speaking I can’t think of anything else more important than being an LNA. I really feel I will do it with all my heart. I would love to challenge myself by being and giving the best to the world.”

After completing the course, Teta and Umyhoza quickly passed their licensure exams. With the help of IINE’s Employment team, both secured entry-level healthcare jobs, and Teta enrolled in nursing school to further her career and pursue a role as a Licensed Practical Nurse. 

Nininahazwe was deeply inspired by her daughters’ drive and success. Even though she had less formal education, she decided to work her way up to entering the LNA program to follow in their footsteps. She enrolled in English and workforce preparation classes, studied chapters from the LNA textbook, and started a job as a home health aide. Meanwhile, Nininahazwe’s third daughter, Mushimiyamana, was admitted to the U.S. through the refugee program, and, with her own daughter in tow, joyously reunited with her family in New Hampshire. An IINE Career Navigator helped Mushimiyamana find childcare so that she and her mother could enroll in LNA together. 

“I want to be an LNA, because I like to help people!” Nininahazwe wrote in her application essay. She had dreamed of being a doctor as a child—a wish that grew each time she saw a family member fall sick and struggle to get the care they needed. By the time she would have been old enough to begin her studies, she had lost her whole family to the war and become a single parent. Still, her dream never died.   

“I was not able to become a doctor at that time,” she wrote. “Now [I’ve] got the chance. I’m planning to finish high school [and] go to college. I did not give up my dreams. I need proper training and experience to help others in the right way, because I feel happy helping another person who needs it.” 

In their LNA cohort, Nininahazwe and Mushimiyamana were known to help their fellow students with coursework. Both are now LNA for Success grads employed as Licensed Nursing Assistants in New Hampshire.  

“I think Nininahazwe and her daughters’ successes have shown what hope, hard work, dedication, and family can accomplish,” says Hannah. “They were forced to flee from their home in Burundi through no fault of their own, but they chose not to let that define them and to do their best to keep living. Now they’re in the U.S. having rebuilt their lives and working in a career path they love. Their family is a great example of how circumstances do not have to define you.” 

While it’s unique to have four women from two generations of one family enter the nursing field thanks to LNA For Success, Hannah says that much of this story is familiar. 

“I love working on this program because I’ve seen how it’s not only made a huge difference to our students, but it has opened up so many doors for their families as well! It helps them overcome barriers, from financial costs of training to navigating an admissions process, to transportation, and many of these students are mothers, so the program empowers not only the student but also their children. Having a stable job in a field where they have room to grow sets their kids up for a better life. The program also teaches our clients how to navigate the U.S. education system, which is so important as they are trying to help their own children.” 

With need in its healthcare field only growing, New Hampshire is lucky to have Nininahazwe and her driven and compassionate daughters building their careers there.

IINE is committed to improving the resettlement experience for refugee women and girls by removing barriers that impede their access to health education, safety, and employment. Learn more about this work and our WILLOW Fund.