Vermont Helps Refugees Integrate

When Jackie Abeneto arrivedin Vermont as a refugee from the war-torn Congo, she knew no English and hadbeen separated from her son. Over five years, she learned the language, went toschool to become a licensed nursing assistant, and with help from the RedCross, found her son in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Last year Abeneto, 47,opened her own business. She and her son now sell yam and plantain flour, mangonectar, dried fish, movies and vibrantly colored African dresses far from theCongo at their African market on North Street.

The Vermont Refugee MicroEnterprise program has assisted nearly 40 refugees from Africa, Vietnam andBosnia get their own businesses started in their new homeland of Vermont.Nearly 60 refugees have received business education, with 40 of them receivingspecial credit.

Jackie’s son, Eddi, 29, isone of them. He arrived in Vermont just two years ago. In that time he’s pickedup English, learned accounting from the refugee program, works full time atnight and attends Champlain College. He now does all the books for the shop.

The program “hashelped us how to open it, how to do everything, find the space,” saidJackie. “Find the loan,” Eddi added.

Vermont was one of ahandful of recipients of the three-year grant from the federal Office ofRefugee Resettlement, said Anne Peter, of the Micro Business DevelopmentProgram, which offered the services.

The program succeededbecause of a collaboration of agencies and providers that supplied bilingualcounselors, many of whom are refugees themselves, to help the refugees getstarted.

“That enabled thembasically to achieve success,” said Denise Lamoureux, state refugee coordinator.”By understanding where they came from and their culture they were able toprovide them with better understanding of how the business works in the UnitedStates.”

Among the successes to comeout of the program are a Congolese man who runs a taxi business in Burlington,a young Vietnamese women and her siblings who purchased a convenience store andgas station in Colchester and several Somali Bantu women who offer child carein their homes.

Anaverage of 250 refugees settle in Vermont each year, said Lamoureux. The latestinflux has been from Africa and the former Soviet Union, she said.
source: Associated Press, Feb. 4, 2006
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