A diverse group of adults and a young person sharing a supportive community conversation

A place to be heard. A way forward.

When life changes, no one should have to find the way forward alone.

The heart of Arise Above

Every story deserves room to breathe.

Arise Above Foundation creates supportive spaces where immigrants, parents, young people, and families can be heard, understood, and connected to what they need to move forward.

Our work brings together peer support, mental health education, community navigation, and practical guidance—always beginning with the person’s story.

Listen before we lead
Honor the whole person
Strengthen human connection
Move forward with dignity

A difficult chapter may change the road. It does not erase the person walking it.

Our programs

Three different experiences. One promise to listen without judgment.

Each program responds to a particular moment in life. Together, they express the wider purpose of Arise Above Foundation.

A central initiative · Internationally educated immigrants

Education Still Counts

An Arise Above Foundation initiative supporting internationally educated immigrants as they navigate professional systems, explore meaningful pathways, and build upon the knowledge and experience they already carry.

Discover the support

We listen to each person’s professional story, help organize credential and licensing questions, identify reliable sources, and connect people with profession-informed volunteers or community resources when available. The work is about recognition, dignity, and belonging—not recruitment.

Learn more about Education Still Counts

Parents living with separation and grief

Still a Parent Circle

A compassionate peer-support group for parents experiencing grief, shame, uncertainty, or identity loss after a child has been removed from their care.

Discover the circle

A respectful place to be heard, learn healthier ways of carrying grief, reconnect with self, and find hope without judgment. The circle does not provide legal advice.

Learn more about Still a Parent Circle

High school students

Strong Minds,
Safe Conversations

Age-appropriate mental health education helping students understand emotions, stress, relationships, resilience, and when to seek support.

Discover the learning

Practical conversations about emotional awareness, coping, healthy relationships, asking for help, supporting a friend, and knowing that struggling does not make someone weak.

Learn more about Strong Minds, Safe Conversations

Explore all programs · Seek support · Refer someone

Rosina Teye Amfo-Adu, founder of Arise Above Foundation

A message from our founder

Why Arise Above exists

I founded Arise Above Foundation because I believe people should not have to face life’s most difficult transitions alone.

My own journey taught me what it feels like to enter a new community carrying education, experience, hope, and a desire to contribute—while still struggling to understand unfamiliar systems.

Through years of community work in health education, peer support, care coordination, educational support, and community navigation, I met many people whose circumstances were different but whose needs were deeply connected: they wanted to be heard without judgment, treated with dignity, and supported as they found their way forward.

It may be an internationally educated immigrant trying to rebuild a professional life. It may be a parent carrying the grief of being separated from a child. It may be a young person struggling to understand their emotions, relationships, and place in the world. Their stories are different, but each person deserves a safe place to be heard, learn, reconnect with their strengths, and discover that hope is still possible.

That is why Arise Above Foundation exists.

Our programs may respond to different needs, but they are held together by one commitment: to listen before we lead, honor the whole person, strengthen human connection, and help people move forward with dignity.

We do not define people by what they have lost, the barriers they face, or the chapter they are living through. We walk beside them as they recognize the strength, knowledge, and possibility they still carry.

Rosina Teye Amfo-Adu
Founder, Arise Above Foundation

Our vision

People are more than the chapter they are living through.

We envision communities where people are not defined by what happened to them, where they came from, or what systems have failed to recognize—but are supported to heal, belong, and move forward with dignity.

The work that brought us here

This vision grew from years of listening in the community.

Before these three programs took shape, Arise Above was already walking beside immigrant and underserved communities in practical, deeply human ways.

Community Health & Education

Sharing health information in ways that were understandable, culturally responsive, and connected to everyday life.

Peer Support & Recovery

Creating connection for people navigating mental health challenges, recovery, isolation, and community reintegration.

Mentorship & Educational Support

Helping people understand unfamiliar systems, recognize their strengths, and take their next step with greater confidence.

Care Coordination & Community Navigation

Connecting people with housing, employment, case-management, refugee, and other community resources when support felt difficult to find.

This work included Community Connect, Free Through Recovery, public-health education, immigrant peer support, case management, and refugee resource navigation.

Those experiences taught us something lasting: information alone is rarely enough. People move forward when support is trustworthy, culturally responsive, practical, and rooted in relationship.

People already have a voice. We listen—and help create spaces where that voice can be heard.

Walk with us

There are many ways to become part of this story.

Whether you need support or want to help someone else move forward, choose the path that best describes why you are here.

When you need a place to begin

Seek Support

Life can change in ways we never expected. You may be trying to rebuild your professional life, carry the grief of separation from your child, or find guidance for a young person who is struggling.

You do not have to understand everything before reaching out. Tell us what you are facing, and we will listen, help you explore the appropriate Arise Above program, or connect you with another community resource when possible.

Request Support

Are you a professional or community partner? Refer someone

Offer your time and strengths

Volunteer

Meaningful support often begins with one person choosing to walk alongside another.

Arise Above Foundation welcomes compassionate volunteers who can share their time, professional knowledge, lived experience, or practical skills. Opportunities may include mentoring, community outreach, program support, event assistance, education, and administrative help.

You do not need to have all the answers. You need a willingness to listen, respect people’s dignity, and serve without judgment.

Become a Volunteer

Build something meaningful together

Partner With Us

No single organization can meet every community need alone.

We welcome partnerships with schools, employers, professional associations, community organizations, faith communities, public agencies, and other groups that believe people deserve meaningful opportunities to rebuild their lives.

Together, we can create educational programs, professional pathways, community conversations, and practical support that respond to real experiences.

Start a Partnership Conversation

Help the work continue

Support the Foundation

Your support helps Arise Above Foundation create spaces where people can be heard, learn, reconnect with their strengths, and find a way forward.

Financial contributions, sponsorships, professional expertise, meeting spaces, supplies, transportation assistance, technology, and other resources can help strengthen our programs and expand their reach across North Dakota.

Every contribution—large or small—helps us remind someone that they do not have to walk alone.

Support Our Work

There is room in this story for you

Walk alongside a community that is learning, healing, and rebuilding.

Reach out if you are seeking support, interested in volunteering, representing a school or community organization, or considering funding our work.

Start a Conversation