Mission
To advocate on behalf of the Somali Bantu and other similarly disadvantaged refugees for access to professional and educational resources so that families can make a successful cultural, economic, and social transition to life in the United States, and, to provide services to assist families in becoming economically stable, civically engaged members of their new community in Tucson, Arizona.
About the Somali Bantu Association of Tucson, Arizona
We are a non-profit refugee mutual assistance association funded by the DHHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement, where refugees can feel at home with native languages, child-friendly meeting space, traditional learning styles, and culturally-appropriate assistance in achieving financial and social self-sufficiency. We were founded in 2004 as a refugee mutual assistance association. Our organization serves all refugees, prioritizing pre-literate, low income refugees for services.
What is a Mutual Assistance Association (MAA)?
MAAs are grassroots, community-based organizations managed primarily by and for members of particular resettled refugee groups. As an ethnic community-based organization, each MAA governing board must be composed of a majority (at least 51%) who are current or former refugees.
MAAs are based on the principle of mutual aid: refugees helping refugees. Those who were resettled earlier and who have become more established in the mainstream community assist recently arrived refugees to acculturate and start new lives in the U.S. These organizations provide a broad range of services which facilitate the social adjustment and cultural transition of refugees.
Meeting the Need
The purpose of an MAA is to promote successful refugee resettlement by addressing the social service needs of refugees. MAAs serve refugees beyond initial resettlement, aiding in long-term acculturation and cultural bridging through programs including ESL (English as a Second Language), afterschool programs, tutoring, conflict resolution, citizenship preparation, and household livelihood strategy planning. Organizations like SBATA serve all members of the ethnic community, regardless of which organization resettled them, in addition to any disadvantaged refugees.
Services delivered in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner are often most effective in transitioning refugees to self-sufficiency; therefore, federal, state and county governments often contract with MAAs and refer refugee clients to services provided by these organizations.
Community Building
MAAs contribute to the building of stronger, more diverse communities. They frequently fill gaps in existing community services by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services. They advocate for the needs of refugees and immigrants and foster an awareness of the presence and contributions of newcomers in the community at large. In addition, MAAs provide refugees and immigrants with citizenship services and educate them about their civic responsibilities. They encourage refugees and immigrants to become active, involved members of their communities.
Source cited: California Department of Social Services (CDSS)
Why Tucson?
Did you know that Tucson is currently home to at least 11,500 refugees representing 50 countries and speaking 45 languages?
Tucson is designated as a ‘Preferred Community’ for refugee resettlement by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) among communities in 35 states nationwide that provide the best opportunities for integration.
‘Preferred Communities’ are localities where refugees have excellent opportunities to achieve early employment and sustained economic independence without having to utilize public assistance. Such localities also have low welfare utilization by refugees.
