CONNECT
·
2022 Grants Challenge

The Unheard

The program will assist African immigrants coming in the United States and who are detained at the border. They are asylum seekers, running away for the violence their are facing in their countries, due to the fact that they change religion, or they are part of the LGBTQIA+ Community. Both of the situation are death sentences for them. Our role is to provide them attorneys housing and make sure that they get the asylum request filed at court. We welcome then in our houses too. We offer the shelters, food, job and mental health support.

Donate

What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?

Immigrant and Refugee Support

In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?

Central LA

East LA

San Gabriel Valley

San Fernando Valley

South LA

West LA

South Bay

County of Los Angeles

City of Los Angeles

In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?

As an immigrant I have been in the same situation thntn the immigrant we serve. I am an African immigrant who came to the United States 17 years ago. I was lucky enough to understand English as my native language is French and Wolof from West Africa. The immigrant that we have at the border don't speak English or Spanish.. and by knowing the language in California including spanish, I face so much difficulty to integrate in this country that the immigrants were at the border who don't speak English or Spanish are isolated and are Tell Harris breakdown having mental health breakdown that they don't know how to communicate with people in the detention Center, where's the don't speak any of the language understood by other African immigrants. That's the reason why we stand and we decide to assist them with all the documentation and paperwork they need to go through the process of seeking Asylum. That's the reason why we are requesting the grant to make sure that there will be served.

Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.

As for the part 6 I've already connected the immigrants and Asylum seekers to attorneys who are helping them inside the detention center. As a translator for organization like #Health4All, #Food4aall, and the department of health in Los Angeles, I was able to help at least 10 different immigrants being released from the detention center. I could also place them in different houses where they were welcome by different families. We could also provide the mental health support, food security, education, and and roll them in program where they can have access to free connectivity and phones that they could then connect with their family that support them or those who are here in our communities who can help them . The most difficult part was to help them going to school what they could do and we connect them also with resources from the community and resources also with the state where they are living that for those who already went through the judges, they could have the asylum a form and they could also get Asylum that is how we could allow them and assist them in finding jobs that match their skills.

Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.

Immigrant from West Africa are very fast integrate in communities that in fact the integrate so much that we don't see them that or we know that one of the five black people is an immigrant. That's why we want to make sure that we can help them integrating in the communities that while they're in their hard work and they pay their taxes. They are also helping others make sure that they can integrate in the communities and they work whatever we want them to be that they are very mellow and they speak different languages as soon as they start learning. With them in California we I'm sure we can count on them to support all the communities and make sure that their children I definitely rising in this country that they are good workers and the study hard and they are all ready to get involve in all great activities in the county of Los Angeles. In fact, they already have one event named the Jolof festival, named from the Jolof region in Senegal, West Africa.

What evidence do you have that this project, program, or initiative is or will be successful, and how will you define and measure success?

I am defining a Missouri success by the fact that we have over hundred of immigrants from West Africa already in the county of Los Angeles that they own real estate, housing, businesses and they are also working with the SBA, to implement their businesses. The second generation of immigrant that we have are going to school and driving graduating with honor roll and definitely doing great in like a judge attorneys business owners leaders and in sports that we have a lot of athletes that are coming from those immigrant who came at the border as Asylum seekers.

Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?

Direct Impact: 300

Indirect Impact: 1,000