Who We Are & What We Do
US Together is on a mission to help refugees escaping war, violence, and tyranny find safe haven in the state of Ohio. We have been welcoming refugee families for
10 years.
We have observed that it is especially difficult for refugees to integrate into the American financial system.Traumatized by loss of their money, property and livelihoods taken away by corrupted governments and financiers, refugees have hard time restoring
trust into official financial establishments in the US. This is why we see firsthand how too often they participate in unsafe check-cashing services and become victims of financial fraud. Even more frequently, conflicts arise in refugee families because of
financial disagreements.
UST came up with a unique education program that not only helps refugees learn basics of financial literacy, but also implement these concepts in real life, and build family communication skills around money. We teach how to write checks, open bank accounts,
work on family budgets, save for future expenditures and agree to disagree. The program has been an overwhelming success, and, recognizing our achievements, the United Way of Central Ohio has funded our Refugee Financial Literacy project.
How Does the Program Work
The UST financial literacy program includes classes, hands-on experiences, and mentorship from volunteers and our staff. We want to add more individual mentoring and consultations, and to send our trained staff to the homes of refugees to help them manage
family finances. This way we will be able to see the needs of each family and come up with solutions for each unique situation. The core information will be continued delivered through a series of 8- to 12-hour classes based on financial literacy level of
refugee participants. Mentoring and individual consultations will be provided throughout and after the class to ensure that refugees are able to implement the lessons in real life. We will take it one step further to involve “field trips” that are relevant
to financial literacy - to banks, grocery stores, pharmacies and so much more. We have partnered with US Bank and will be expanding such partnerships with other financial institutions to give expert advice to our teachers and students.
Our program has three distinct levels: 1) financial basics; 2) financial literacy for working refugees and immigrants; and 3) investments & purchases. All programs include a survey to indicate how students view money and spending as well as a highly detailed
budget list that student can fill out on each level. We approach financial literacy in a unique way that is culturally- and linguistically-appropriate for the needs of the students we serve.
“We’re excited to work with refugees and help guide them as they adjust to their new lives. For many, the transition to America is a difficult one and the road is filled with challenges along the way. We’re able to ease this
process by offering support, experience, assistance, and knowledge.”
-Tatyana Mindlina, UST President
"We know how it feels—when you have no idea how to use an ATM, write a check, or shop at a store, because we were refugees, too. We care for refugees and respect them because they are not just people who need help. They are survivors.
Every day we see amazing stories of courage, survival, and success."
-Nadia Kasvin, UST Director
What Your Gift Can Bring to Refugees
Your gift will help increase our financial literacy enrollment by 75% and train 7 mentors to work with refugee families. You can see below what each amount can provide for our financial literacy students:
|
Your gift |
Usage |
|
$50 |
Supplies for one student; one hour of classroom instruction for an entire class. |
|
$100 |
Five hours of classroom interpretation. |
|
$1,000 |
UST staff member to mentor two refugee families for real-life implementation of curriculum concepts taught. |
|
$2,500 |
One full year of hands-on education and mentoring for two refugee families. |
How We Would Spend $24,000
|
Amount |
Usage |
|
$6,000 |
Hire one additional financial literacy teacher to lead classes for 5 hours each week. |
|
$7,000 |
Use qualified interpreters and translators for 150 hours of interpretation and translate up to 50 pages of materials a year. US Together will use interpreters from its own interpretation services, which includes over 200 interpreters speaking 80 languages. |
|
$600 |
Travel to class sites and apartment complexes, where refugees live, for mentoring home visits and and support. |
|
$6,400 |
Hire an outcome evaluation specialist to analyze the overall results of the program. |
|
$4,000 |
Development of learning materials in Arabic, Nepali, Somali, Swahili, and one additional language depending on enrollment. |
Your support will help refugees and immigrants become financially literate and move toward successful economic integration. It will be matched 100% by United Way of Central Ohio.
Please feel free to stop by our website where you can find additional information and contact
information to speak with our staff: www.ustogether.us
Check us out on social media: https://www.facebook.com/USTogetherIncColumbus
