Refugees Drive to Succeed

June 15, 2006 -- Non-English speaking refugees will be more employable if they can drive themselves to and from work, leaders of the refugee community believe.

MAMI is piloting a driver’s education program to do just that, working with Oneida County, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Gigliotti’s Driving School and the refugee community (initially with Somali refugees).

The program is made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc.

Called “Refugees Drive to Succeed,” the program initially is serving Somali refugees, who come from a country where private individuals usually do not own or drive cars.

“This project meets an urgent community need,” notes MAMI Executive Director Cornelia Brown. “They want driver’s licenses in order to get jobs. To earn a license in this country, they must overcome more than a language gap. They must also overcome a cultural gap of regulations, technical know-how and skills.”

MAMI provides written translations of key DMV terminology, and helps facilitate throughout the whole process, from interpreting a class on the learner’s permit to escorting students to the road test.

The pilot project provides driver’s education for up to 30 refugees, she says, and includes a six-month tracking component to assess the success of refugees to get jobs and get off public assistance.

The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties has been an effective force for improving lives and inspiring philanthropy throughout the region since 1952. The Foundation fulfills its mission in five important ways: identifying and prioritizing community needs; building and preserving a pool of charitable capital; raising the capacity of nonprofit organizations to deliver services; promoting a sense of regionalism and shared responsibility for community improvement; and helping donors reach their philanthropic goals by connecting them with charitable needs and opportunities.