Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. was first established in 2007 with the express goal of facilitating the resettlement and integration of the refugee and immigrants communities in Chittenden County Vermont. Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. provides educational, cultural, and life-skill training programs in an effort to promote self-sufficiency within and among the individuals and families comprising all refugees, immigrants, and low-income families and individuals in need of service. Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. 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.
The creation of Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. represents this community’s first opportunity for self-advocacy. As such Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc., its programs, goals and mission are a direct result of community input and leadership. With the express goal of empowering and supporting each community member to achieve economic and social independence and self-sufficiency, Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. is focused on equal access to and opportunity for advancement and personal achievement. Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. is committed to breaking down the barriers created by race, class, cultural background, religion, and sex. In addition, Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. is focused on addressing and helping the Somali Bantu refugee community overcome the patterns associated with a mindset of generational subjugation.