How “hometown associations” help immigrants support their communities in the US and back in their homelands

“Hometown associations” across the United States allow immigrants to find community and support others back home, writes Professor Susan Appe in The Conversation.

“Hometown associations, also known as migrant clubs, are nonprofits formed by immigrants who are originally from the same place in their country of origin. They serve as channels through which immigrants make charitable gifts that help people settle in their new country while also aiding communities back in their homelands. Many were created in the 1990s.

Mexican hometown associations are the most widely established.

But Turkish, Indian, Filipino, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Bolivian, Colombian and Dominican immigrants, among others, have created them too.”

KJ