We are excited to announce a joint project between Afrikana and the Refugee Translation Project that will provide paid, on-the-job interpreter training to multilingual asylum seekers from the African continent. The project aims to empower asylum seekers by providing them with employment opportunities as stipend-based  interpreters while simultaneously providing niche language support to asylum seekers in need of services. We aim to pilot this program as soon as possible, as the need is urgent.

The Problem:

New African asylum seekers in New York City face many unique challenges and obstacles, two of which are lack of employment opportunities and lack of access to social services due to language barriers. They constitute a new group of asylum seekers to New York, and there is not enough service organizations capable of assisting them. They therefore end up being excluded from resources meant to help new immigrants. The huge influx of asylum seekers from Senegal, Mauritania, Sudan, Guinea, the Congo and  other African countries are escaping slavery, religious persecution, and war. They are in need of health, legal, and other services. Many  speak languages or dialects of languages that are not recognized by the city’s existing language policy. Afrikana, an organization that has become a vital lifeline for new African migrants navigating the complex processes of immigration, resource access, and housing, are in desperate need of interpretation services for the 300 clients they serve daily! Although currently, there exists the AfriLingual coop supported by MOIA, this service is not enough to interpret on behalf of over 40,000 new African asylum seekers. 

Our Solution:

This program addresses both of these problems by training and paying multilingual asylum seekers to be interpreters in order to help other asylum seekers access social services. Displaced people with niche language acquisition and lived experience are uniquely qualified for this work, yet they often lack access to professional pathways to develop their careers, either as interpreters or in related fields. This program provides workforce development for immigrant social services, professional interpretation training, employment experience in the United States, work references, letters of recommendation, and capacity building to help multilingual asylum seekers build their careers while receiving income. The work is flexible and scalable, allowing participants to gain experience and earn income while they build their careers, attend school, or open businesses. This is critical as African asylum seekers have difficulties participating in workforce development programs as they are not offered in the languages in most demand from the community. 

The program enables participants to provide interpretation to help other asylum seekers to navigate the system in languages not covered by New York’s existing language access policy, such as Wolof and Pulaar. The participants will help asylum seekers fill out I-589 asylum application form, and apply for housing, SNAP food benefits, health insurance, and work authorization.

Background:

Afrikana stands as a beacon of hope and support for new arrivals to NYC seeking refuge and a chance at a new life. Founded in response to the increasing influx of asylum seekers at Port Authority, the organization operates out of two adjacent storefronts in Harlem, serving as a much-needed advocate and resource for all migrants, including newcomers from the continent of Africa, addressing language barriers, disparities in shelter placements, and limited free immigration legal services.

The Refugee Translation Project is a non-profit dedicated to helping refugees transition to a life of safety and security by providing free translation services to people seeking asylum and other immigration relief, increasing access to vital resources, and offering training and employment opportunities to asylum seekers.