Emma Yaaka

Emma Yaaka
Delegate for Illinois
Resettled Refugee from Uganda

Emma Yaaka is the Refugee Congress Delegate for Illinois. He is originally from Uganda and spent 3 years in Nairobi, Kenya, awaiting resettlement before coming to the U.S. in 2017. 

Emma has significant experience in the healthcare field. While in Kenya, he served as a community health navigator, medical interpreter, Paralegal Aide Human Rights Defender, Peer Educator of Infectious Diseases in the LGBTQIA+ community and focal point advocate for LGBTQIA+. In the U.S., he began working in environmental services at a hospital, but after just 6 months, he advanced to the role of a Pathology Lab Assistant. One year later, he accepted the position of Medical Case Manager/Preferred Community for Heartland Alliance human care services, where he thrives in his career today. 

Emma’s background in healthcare, combined with his personal experience as a refugee, inspires his commitment to advocating for equal medical services for refugees, asylees, and immigrants, regardless of culture, language, age, education, status, gender, or sexual orientation/identity. Using his expertise as a medical case manager, Emma speaks directly to health providers and helps refugees and immigrants navigate the healthcare system and insurance providers in the U.S. He also utilizes various media platforms in his health advocacy efforts, such as being the Director of WordOut, a YouTube Channel that provides basic education and resources to the refugee and immigrant community. Additionally, he has been engaged in community voluntary work that led to him becoming Co-Chair of World Refugee Day Chicago, an advisory board member of Refugee Action Network (RAN) and selected as Ugandan Chairperson Chicago.

In his free time, Emma enjoys talking to friends and family, listening to music, watching movies, writing and listening to stories, deep thinking, and of course, creating content for the WordOut YouTube channel.

“Refugee resettlement is very important. Without it, people’s lives – including my own – would be at high risk, and they would face death, brutality, torture, and loss of hope and a future. Refugee resettlement has given life back to millions of individuals around the world to rebuild, reconstruct, retain, regain, reunify, and restore hope, belief, success, and courage in their new countries of resettlement. It creates a space of safety, choice, decision, freedom, and peace to individuals and families who had to leave their original countries for safety reasons.”

Do you want to invite Emma to speak at an upcoming event?  Please fill out this contact form (reporters, please call 202-905-6238 for time-sensitive requests).