Rasha Mekky, 55 years old, Kafala mom, wife, founder and executive director of Yalla Kafala NGO Egypt and USA, and founder and director of Little Pharaohs Daycare Center in San Francisco. 

Rasha earned a bachelor’s degree from Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management at Helwan University and a Child Development degree from City College of San Francisco. She first came to the USA in 1982-1983 when her mom had a scholarship there. She spent the eighth grade in Omaha, Nebraska. Then she returned in 1985-1986 as a high school exchange student at Mountain Brook High School. 

Finally, she moved to the USA after getting married in 1993 and started a new life there. It was a tough experience, especially with no support system or any Egyptians around to help in times of crisis, such as when she had to undergo complex surgeries on her own. However, she managed to create a network of friends with diverse backgrounds. Additionally, she found her passion in the USA, shifted her career, and started studying child development and working in childcare, which made it easier for her to think of San Francisco as her second home.

“One of the biggest differences between life in Egypt and in the US is that no one intrudes on your business or life. In America, people learn to give space to others and understand the real meaning of privacy. Of course, this is a good thing, but as I am getting older, I sometimes don’t see it as great as I once thought,” Rasha explains. “Another difference here is that there’s hardly any delivery option except for pizza. It’s fascinating how in Egypt, anything can be delivered. Additionally, socializing isn’t as common here because of the work schedule; weekends are mostly for resting and running errands.”

Rasha is keen on celebrating everything from Eids to national days since her first year in the USA. She also encourages her son to stay at home, even if it isn’t a weekend, to celebrate all Egyptian and Islamic events together. This helps them keep their home culture alive by cooking traditional food, participating in gatherings, and engaging with Egyptian and Middle Eastern events.

Rasha has one kid, an adopted son named Mostafa, who is 9.5 years old. However, she considers herself a mother to hundreds of children because she has raised many generations in her daycare. Her oldest child is now 30! Mostafa speaks Arabic very well and has an Arabic tutor once a week.

Her greatest challenge in raising Mostafa was dealing with bullying because he is an adopted child. However, she always talks to him about his backstory, encouraging him to be proud of his identity. He is a very sweet and kind child. Now, he is calling for a protest at his school with only one sign, asking his bullies to be kind. Another challenge for her was the popularity of football. She wanted to keep him away from such a violent and harmful sport. It was not an easy job, especially being surrounded by it everywhere, but she managed to do it, and now he is a soccer player. “I think another challenge is that we are alone. Many friends in Egypt think we live this luxurious lifestyle because we are in “America,” but in reality, we are constantly running around doing everything ourselves. We don’t have the luxury of making one call to get everything delivered like in Egypt. This makes it tough to fill all the shoes that a busy woman wants to fill, a good mother, wife, teacher, business owner and the executive director of a non-profit!”

To make Mostafa proud of his Egyptian heritage, they speak Arabic at home, always talk about Egyptian culture, listen to Egyptian songs, travel to Egypt at least twice a year, and have grown a loving community in Egypt that allows him to engage with kids his age. “And it has all paid off at the end; now he calls Egypt home,” Rasha says.

 Rasha believes it is very important to maintain the Egyptian identity/heritage for their [kids] well-being, not to lose their identity or lose sight of who they are and where they came from. “I encourage other families in my daycare to preserve their cultural heritage.”

In her free time, Rasha loves to listen to Egyptian music. “Seeing  the Egyptian flag, or hearing the Egyptian anthem, or listening to Egyptian music, especially “Helwa ya baladi” always makes me emotional and cry,” she says.

She cooks Egyptian food. Her signature dishes include Egyptian macaroni bechamel, fish and leg of lamb. She also introduces Egyptian cuisine in her daycare, where children often fall in love with dishes like okra, molokhia, and taro.  “They ask for it on their birthdays instead of treats or gifts,” Rasha says.  

When Rasha initiated Yalla Kafala in the USA and then in Egypt, it was a significant moment for her and her team, as it marked the realization of their dream to transform the quality care system in Egypt and bring them one step closer to their vision of building the best possible future for orphans and kafala families.

When asked if she faced any cultural or societal challenges as an Egyptian woman living in the USA, Rasha said, “To be honest, I have never encountered racism or discrimination, even after 9/11. I believe that if people know you are a good person who doesn’t interfere with anybody’s business, they will never discriminate against you. People always ask me where I came from and are interested in what I have to say about Egypt. It’s like being an ambassador for your country no matter where you go.”

Rasha is proud of her accomplishments and successes: adopting her son and bringing him to the USA, running two NGOs in Egypt and the USA, opening and directing Little Pharaohs daycare, and volunteering to help Egyptians who have just moved to the city, whenever she can.

Rasha encountered some stereotypes back  when she was in the eighth grade and high school, “My friends at school kept asking me stereotypical questions such as whether I had ever seen grass in my life, if we took camels to school, or if we lived in the pyramids. Additionally, many Americans tend to generalize and see people from North Africa and Middle Eastern countries as all being the same.”

Rasha believes it’s highly important for new immigrants to integrate into society, and they can accomplish that by “being yourself, not losing your identity, maintaining your culture, and respecting theirs.” She also advises Egyptian women who are considering moving to or are currently living in the USA to be themselves, embrace their identity and culture, and stay true to who they are.  

“I want to emphasize that these are my own personal experiences, and I cannot speak for everyone or generalize about others’ experiences,” Rasha concludes.