Somali Bantu Refugee Community Development
The Somali Bantu Community Development project enables targeted Somali Bantu communities to self-mobilize for their improved integration into American society. The program assesses communities’ long-term integration needs; mobilizes these communities to solve the integration challenges they face; and utilizes social capital resources with other regional Somali Bantu communities and mainstream partners.
Somali Bantu refugees arrived in the United States between 2003 and 2006 after spending more than a decade in Kenyan refugee camps. Prior to the war in Somalia in the early 1990’s, the Somali Bantu people suffered discrimination and economic marginalization. Despite this, the Somali Bantu people were the agricultural heart of that country prior to the war.
Project Activities
- Assess and prioritize community integration needs
- Form strategic relationship with ‘mentor’ organization
- Collaborate with other mainstream institutions
- Develop, manage, and evaluate integration problem solving initiatives
- Self-mobilize on behalf of the community
- Form and leverage problem-solving relationships with other Somali Bantu communities across region
Upcoming Events
Regional workshop in August 2009
Program Period
October 2007 - September 2010
Program Manager
George J. Wright