About Us

 

Welcome to Roza Promotions, Inc. - African immigrant and refugee services.

For more then 25 years, Roza has been committed to improving the lives of African especially Liberian) youths through sports. We have been successful in providing recreational, cultural and educational support to/for the West African community on Staten Island, New York. We have directly as well as indirectly impacted the lives of more then 10,000 people we served.

Roza supported and continue to support the Africans population with immigration issues (referring people to free or affordable layers, holding workshops), job readiness program, sports & recreation and adult literacy. We are heavily involved in community organizing and advocacy.

We encourage you to join our effort by generously donating your time, resources / funds to Roza. WE ARE AFRICANS ADVOCATING AND PROVIDING FOR AFRICANS

The program serves the Liberian and Sierra Leonean refugee communities of Staten Island, predominately in Stapleton and Clifton. Approximately 70 children participate in the educational programs and over 135 boys and 60 girls participate in the sports and recreation programs.

Roza Promotions, Inc. vigorously advocates for and provides culturally appropriate counseling, education, and information to African immigrants and refugees. The program largely serves Liberians, as well as Sierra Leoneans, Ghanaians, and Guineans. The program focuses on disadvantaged children of African descent living primarily in Staten Island, as well as other parts of New York City.

In the early to mid 1990s, large numbers of West African refugees were resettled in Staten Island. Many of the new arrivals lacked previous formal education and, according to the schools, approximately 85% of the refugee children in the area were functioning below their grade level, leading to academic frustration and a risk of youth problem behaviors. Building on an NYU Trauma Center study, a community needs assessment, and the observations of Mr. Rufus Arkoi, a Liberian community leader in Staten Island and future director of Roza Promotions, Inc., Mr. Arkoi developed after-school programs for refugee children and youth on Staten Island. The goals were to keep the youth off the streets, teach them good citizenship, and to help them succeed academically and socially. Mr. Arkoi modeled this program on a successful youth soccer program he developed in Liberia in 1981. Again using his soccer skills, he created Roza Promotions, Inc. and helped the refugee community in Staten Island. Roza, an African word meaning "survivor" (as well as an acronym for Mr. Arkoi’s own name), accurately describes the program’s aim of serving child and youth survivors of war.