CRIS 30th Anniversary Story | Najuwa

Najuwa moved to Columbus from her home country of South Africa in 1997 to be an au pair for a family here. Her host family enrolled her in classes at Columbus State, where she met the man who would become her boyfriend—and later, her husband. But after the host family went through a divorce and could no longer pay for her schooling, Najuwa had to find her own way.

Young and in love, Najuwa and her boyfriend got married and learned they were expecting a baby in 2000. But just five days after their daughter was born, tragedy struck: the baby passed away during open-heart surgery.

This loss proved to be a major turning point in the young couple’s relationship. Her husband’s grief turned to anger, and he became violent. Not long after the funeral, his anger escalated into physical abuse. One day, he threw her belongings onto the lawn and kicked her out of their home. Alone in the U.S., with no family and few connections, she found temporary support from another family she had worked for part-time.

In the weeks that followed, Najuwa’s husband tore up many of her important documents and family photos, threatened to call immigration to have her deported, and even contacted the post office to disrupt her mail service. She lived in fear, constantly wondering whether she would lose her legal status because of this abusive situation.

She began searching for an attorney who could help. She called one immigration lawyer after another, but most charged high fees just to review her case—far beyond what she could afford. Eventually, someone referred her to CRIS. Through her persistence, she connected with Angie, shared her story, and heard the words she desperately needed: “Yes, we can help you.”

It wasn’t easy. “It took a lot of hard work and a lot of documents to collect everything we needed,” Najuwa recalls. Angie stood by her side through it all—even traveling to Cleveland with her for an interview related to her case.

Just as Najuwa was beginning to build an independent life, her husband pleaded with her to come home and give him another chance. He claimed to have changed. He treated her kindly, like when they first met. They went to church together, and life briefly felt good again. They soon found out they were expecting another child—this time, a son.

But shortly after their son was born, the abuse returned, worse than before. Fearing for her safety, she ran away and got her own apartment.

Their volatile relationship finally came to a head in divorce court. Her husband argued she was in the country illegally and demanded full custody of their son—and her deportation. But in that courtroom, Najuwa presented the green card Angie had helped her obtain, much to her husband’s shock and anger.

She was granted shared custody of her son but without child support. Determined to build a better life, Najuwa earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in early childhood education. She worked for a local Head Start program for 19 years and now teaches third grade at a local charter school. In addition, she works part-time caring for adults with special needs and as a patient safety attendant at a local hospital. She dreams of pursuing a PhD in early childhood education in the future.

“Angie really saved my life,” Najuwa says. “Every time I had something going on, she was there for me. If it wasn’t for Angie, I don’t know where I’d be.”