Austin nonprofit, Global Impact Initiative, hands out 60 computers to refugees, “they’re essential.
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Ramin Mohmand came to Austin from Afghanistan about six years ago. He said he is happy to finally be in Central Texas, but integrating into his new home has presented some challenges.
“It was difficult when you came [for the] Coming from a different country for the first time as a refugee,” Mohmand said. “You don’t have a banking history, you don’t have a work history, you don’t have a housing record. ”
“It’s hard to find housing, it’s hard to find a job on your own because you don’t know how the job application is going to work,” he said. “It’s very difficult.”
Global Impact Initiative, an Austin-based nonprofit founded in 2020, seeks to make it easier for refugees to adjust to life in the United States. On Friday, the initiative distributed 60 computers to refugees from countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine and Venezuela.
“[Computers] They are no longer a luxury; they are a necessity,” said Anjum Malik, executive director of the Global Impact Initiative. [English] – a whole host of reasons,” she said.
Malik said her organization relies on donations to help refugees, mostly from Afghanistan, integrate into life in Austin. Dell Technologies donated 60 of the computers that the nonprofit distributed Friday.
Malik reports that her organization was able to help more than 400 refugees find work in Austin last year. They currently serve nearly 250 families and continue to add each week.
“Every refugee you meet will tell you they couldn’t have done this without volunteers,” Malik said. “For a job like this, you need empathy. You need kindness. It’s the people who support refugees the most out of the kindness in their hearts.”
Mohmand said the Global Impact Initiative has been a big help in his integration into American life. He has a wife, three children under the age of 10 and aspirations to work in IT.
“Everyone acts with a purpose. In particular I call this life a life of opportunity,” he said. “So, let’s see what happens in the future.”
