The gloom of failing to trace one’s roots is unimaginable. Like many people around the world, African-American Jai Essence encountered this grief and not knowing her own heritage compelled her to start a Rwanda-based organisation that connects people to a new society.

Coming to Rwanda in 2020, she says, was a life-changing decision, especially because she had travelled to work. She, however, saw more opportunities than just the job. The people, places, and way of life captivated her, and she chose to stay, making Rwanda home.

She says the flexible structures that Rwanda has put in place, for example with immigration and visa, gives many people the opportunity to move from other countries and settle here. 

Looking at Essence, you can’t tell her origin exactly, a thing that makes her emotional. "There is a very distinctive history of Black people in America and it is rooted in slavery. If you ask about my DNA, that many people do all the time, I don’t know. When you look at what happened on the continent, my DNA is mixed up with many countries and that literally means that my blood, my DNA is a survival one. My ancestors did whatever they needed to do to survive and because of that, my blood is in so many different countries,” she says.

Essence with her mother in Kigali.  

Essence says that with her genetic material, only 64 per cent is African, and there is a bit of Scottish, Dutch and Irish.

While in Rwanda, she did some research and felt that there was a need to form an organisation that would help black people from all over the world who are clueless about their heritage. For her, meeting people that welcome and love you is enough to be family.

She believes that you can be cousins, not necessarily by blood, but by connection, thus naming her organisation, "My Cousin Connection”.

Essence notes that many black expatriates are moving to Rwanda and it is her goal to provide them with the necessary support to feel comfortable in the country.

Her company writes articles with detailed information about Rwanda; opening bank accounts, mobile money, means of transport, food, where to shop or various other needs and answers to the frequently asked questions associated with moving to Rwanda.  That way, she is certain that people get up-to-date information and details to help them plan when travelling to Rwanda.

The expat with some of her branded t-shirts. Photos/Courtesy

"We help with house-hunting, the process of car buying or renting, gym and fitness facilities and so forth. For those who live in Rwanda, we provide detailed resources to help improve day to day life and get you facts about the services in Rwanda and public holidays.

"I love what I do because it is a breath of fresh air for people. We have events where we are able to meet each other and ask questions and learn different things and pass on different tools. I have seen fully grown, strong black men and women cry because they finally found a place that welcomed them,” she says. 

To be a member of the organisation, she says, there is a minimum subscription of $5, (approximately Rwf 5,000) a month in order to get access to the website that has all the information and details.  She says, once you have access to the website, there are over 60 articles that give you all the necessary details.

For her, home is a place of solitude, peace, love, comfort, hope, promise, and it’s the place many black people have been looking for, thus offering an opportunity to teach them about Rwanda and the initiative to make it home.

According to her, the goal of her organisation is to continue supporting people and giving them a sense of family and purpose.

Essence is looking forward to working with the government. She has learnt a lot about the 2050 challenge and the mission statement and thinks she and her team are very much aligned with it, and would love to continue connecting people through that promise.

"For instance, if there is supposed to be a population growth from 1.8 million to 3.5 million; how do we become part of that, how do we ensure that, how can we help build middle income housing, how do we get investors into the right places, how can we turn around and build these conversations?”, she says. 

She has no doubt that ‘My Cousin Connection’ will eventually be part of big conversations as it looks to provide happiness every day, not just for its members but for everybody.

She says that with black Americans trying to come in and settle, she tries her best to make sure she holds conversations to know that they feel welcome, and that Rwanda grows from that.

She plans to hold discussions with people about agriculture, and construct a system where Rwanda builds a sustainable food supply chain to take care of its own people.

One of the challenges she encounters is being a new company. She had to redefine the company a number of times, and is still in the process of knowing what people need.

She initiated a programme dubbed "My Cousin Care Support” that caters to the needs of expats. This programme is designed to ensure the well-being of those who live abroad.

Essence explains that her company has grown since its launch in July this year. About two weeks back, she launched a programme called "Retire in Rwanda” which focuses on the senior looking to retire, and the programme has so far gained attention.

Among other services she provides is tour guidance; it can be for people looking to come to Rwanda for a few days—she takes them through the validities and the many beautiful places to visit, to experience nightlife, hotels and restaurants and an understanding of what life will be like if they move to Rwanda. 

If you are looking to move to Rwanda, ‘The Cousin Connection’ website is the first place you can go to get up-to-date information and details to help your research and planning.