The Somali Bantu Community Association of Vermont, Inc. (SBCAVT) was first established in 2007 with the express goal of facilitating the resettlement and integration of the Somali Bantu refugee community of Vermont, those placed in Chittenden County as a part of a resettlement program initiated in the United States in 1999.  The Association provides educational, cultural, and life-skill training programs in an effort to promote self-sufficiency within and among the individuals and families comprising not only the Somali Bantu community, but all refugees, immigrants, and low-income families and individuals in need of service.  The Association has focused on education as a means of “bridging the gap” for refugees and as such provides a full range of workshops and classes to meet their needs.