Hema Acharya, her husband and two children live in Tucker. They also live with her mother in law and father in law. They are originally from Bhutan and have been in the United States for ten years. Hema was resettled by a different resettlement organization but came to New AP through our Parents as Teachers program.
Soon after arriving in the US, Hema found out she was pregnant with her first child. She immediately felt overwhelmed and nervous. She knew she needed to get a job to pay rent and other bills, but she was also concerned about having a healthy pregnancy. She didn’t know how to find a doctor or anything about the US Healthcare system. After her daughter was born, she felt very unsure how to parent in her new community and didn’t have much support, since her family was so new to Georgia. One of her new friends soon told her about the Parents as Teachers program at New AP and she was connected with Parent Educator Hira Chhetri. Hema says about Hira: “When I remember my past and becoming a parent, I think of Hira. She taught me about car seats, safety, how to find diapers. She helped me enroll in WIC and other programs to help me.”
Hema stayed in the Parents as Teachers program for several years while her daughter was a toddler. Her son is a toddler now, but the program helped Hema so much with her first child that she feels confident in her parenting now, and practices the PAT activities with her son on her own. Hema has the skills now and when she thinks about her past, she is so grateful that the PAT program and Hira were there to help her succeed as a new mom.
Hema hopes that her children are able to learn technology, go to college and have success in the United States. She hopes she can be their supporter and friend in every stage of their lives and help them along the way.
When asked what else she would like to share about the PAT program and her experience as a parent in the United States, Hema says: “New American Pathways helped me very much and made it easier for me. I am very thankful. I feel confident now in sharing what I have learned and often tell new moms in my community about the PAT program. I hope in the future every first time mom can get in this program, because it will change their life.”
We love being part of Hema’s story of motherhood and are so proud of all she has accomplished. We look forward to seeing how her children grow and succeed with their mom’s support!