{"id":8359,"date":"2026-03-12T09:20:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/?page_id=8359"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:59:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:59:30","slug":"breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1773217796013{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Raghad Alkurdi<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Raghad Alkurdi, a young woman from Souf Camp, has always been passionate about coffee and dreamed of becoming a barista. But societal expectations and cultural stereotypes made her ambition feel daunting. In her community, barista work was traditionally seen as a male role, and pursuing it as a woman required courage and determination.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through the Youth Entrepreneurial Pathways for Resilience program<\/strong>, supported by the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund<\/strong>, Raghad enrolled in the Hospitality Diploma, choosing the barista track. The program provided hands-on technical training, life skills workshops, and mentorship, equipping her with both practical expertise and the confidence to navigate a male-dominated field.<\/span><\/p>\n

Raghad recalls, \u201cI wanted to quit on the first day\u2014I felt out of place. But my trainer told me, \u2018Your presence here is changing the game.\u2019 Now, every cup I make is proof that women belong in this field too.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Her journey not only transformed her career prospects but also sparked broader conversations in her community about gender roles and opportunities for young women. Today, Raghad thrives as a professional barista, breaking barriers and inspiring others to pursue their passions, regardless of societal expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her story is a powerful reminder that with determination, mentorship, and targeted support\u2014made possible through the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund<\/strong>\u2014young women can challenge norms, pursue their dreams, and redefine what is possible.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”8368″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1773217796013{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Raghad Alkurdi Raghad Alkurdi, a young woman from Souf Camp, has always been passionate about coffee and dreamed of becoming a barista. But societal expectations and cultural stereotypes made her ambition feel daunting. In her community, barista work was traditionally seen as a male role, and pursuing it as a woman required courage and determination. Through the Youth Entrepreneurial Pathways for Resilience program, supported by the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund, Raghad enrolled in the Hospitality Diploma, choosing the barista track. The program provided hands-on technical training, life skills workshops, and mentorship, equipping her with both practical expertise and the confidence to navigate a male-dominated field. Raghad recalls, \u201cI wanted to quit on the first day\u2014I felt out of place. But my trainer told me, \u2018Your presence here is changing the game.\u2019 Now, every cup I make is proof that women belong in this field too.\u201d Her journey not only transformed her career prospects but also sparked broader conversations in her community about gender roles and opportunities for young women. Today, Raghad thrives as a professional barista, breaking barriers and inspiring others to pursue their passions, regardless of societal expectations. Her story is a powerful reminder that with determination, mentorship, and targeted support\u2014made possible through the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund\u2014young women can challenge norms, pursue their dreams, and redefine what is possible.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”8368″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":8368,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[216],"class_list":["post-8359","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vocational-education-stream","tag-anera"],"yoast_head":"\nBreaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey - Refugee Education Fund<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Breaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey - Refugee Education Fund\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1773217796013{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Raghad Alkurdi Raghad Alkurdi, a young woman from Souf Camp, has always been passionate about coffee and dreamed of becoming a barista. But societal expectations and cultural stereotypes made her ambition feel daunting. In her community, barista work was traditionally seen as a male role, and pursuing it as a woman required courage and determination. Through the Youth Entrepreneurial Pathways for Resilience program, supported by the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund, Raghad enrolled in the Hospitality Diploma, choosing the barista track. The program provided hands-on technical training, life skills workshops, and mentorship, equipping her with both practical expertise and the confidence to navigate a male-dominated field. Raghad recalls, \u201cI wanted to quit on the first day\u2014I felt out of place. But my trainer told me, \u2018Your presence here is changing the game.\u2019 Now, every cup I make is proof that women belong in this field too.\u201d Her journey not only transformed her career prospects but also sparked broader conversations in her community about gender roles and opportunities for young women. Today, Raghad thrives as a professional barista, breaking barriers and inspiring others to pursue their passions, regardless of societal expectations. Her story is a powerful reminder that with determination, mentorship, and targeted support\u2014made possible through the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund\u2014young women can challenge norms, pursue their dreams, and redefine what is possible.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”8368″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Refugee Education Fund\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T09:59:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Raghada-Al-Kurdi-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/\",\"name\":\"Breaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey - Refugee Education Fund\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Raghada-Al-Kurdi-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-12T05:20:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-12T09:59:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Raghada-Al-Kurdi-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Raghada-Al-Kurdi-1.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Breaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Refugee Education Fund\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Breaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey - Refugee Education Fund","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/breaking-the-stigma-one-cup-at-a-time-raghads-journey\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Breaking the Stigma, One Cup at a Time: Raghad\u2019s Journey - Refugee Education Fund","og_description":"[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1773217796013{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Raghad Alkurdi Raghad Alkurdi, a young woman from Souf Camp, has always been passionate about coffee and dreamed of becoming a barista. 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