Refugees fleeing violent homelands are attracted to safety, stability, good schools, booming employment and affordable housing in greater Fargo, N.D. Foundation grants to Immigrant Development Center (IDC) and National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) are helping these new Americans hone small business skills. Their path to success may be a model for other communities looking to integrate newcomers into their workforce.
Traditionally of German and Scandinavian heritage, Fargo and nearby Moorhead, Minn., are now also refugee resettlement areas. People fleeing places like Eastern Europe, China, and Mexico are eager to start a new life and contribute to society. However, they often face challenges such as language and cultural barriers. The IDC is able to assist refugees and immigrants in their transition, offering help with training, securing financing and launching businesses. Since 2003, 500 Latinos, East Africans, Middle Easterns, and Canadians launched new companies in the Fargo area. Among them are Mohammed Osman, who started an international grocery store, and Hassan Hajipouri, who has his own travel agency.
Because it serves a large Latino population, IDC is able to tap into support from the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB). An organization with national reach, NALCAB bolsters nonprofit organizations, like the Immigrant Development Center, that are helping Latinos and other immigrants build assets and wealth.
“NALCAB is a mentor. They have strengthened our organization by showing us how to be a successful, sustainable organization,” said Fowzia Adde, executive director of the Immigrant Development Center, and herself a former refugee from Somalia. “NALCAB has also helped our nonprofit identify local and federal grant funding, particularly funding for rural areas where we work.”
Recently, NALCAB helped the Immigrant Development Center secure its own grant funding of $50,000 from Northwest Area Foundation. That grant will support development of IDC’s International Market Plaza, a new opportunity where fledgling businesses can sell their wares.
