Who We Serve

Refugees

Not only do refugees face danger from war or conflicts in their home country, they also face a multitude of challenges in their pursuit of a better life in a new environment. Language, racial, and cultural barriers make succeeding academically and professionally more difficult; and due to the difficulty in obtaining well-paying jobs, they are often barred from secure housing, which exacerbates all other problems they face. Fear of deportation often leaves them unable to access the services they need to address these problems. 

According to the Migration Policy Institute, the five principal source countries for refugees in 2000 were Afghanistan, Burundi, Iraq, Sudan, and Bosnia & Herzegovina; while the five major destination countries were Pakistan, Iran, Germany, Tanzania, and the United States. Additionally, given the war in Ukraine, there will now be many Ukrainian refugees that need assistance. Therefore, to effectively support refugees, Global Impact Initiative is building its global and domestic network to support more individuals displaced by wars and conflicts and help them integrate into their new lives. Currently, the vast majority of refugees we are working with are from Afghanistan, with few from Iran, Iraq, and Bosnia. We have begun our work with Ukrainians, both in Poland and the United States, and are expecting more families from Ukraine to arrive in the U.S. soon.

People of Color

According to the Racial Wealth Divide report by Inequality.org, in 2016, the median wealth held by a Black family — just over $3,500 — is just 2% of the median wealth held by a white family at nearly $147,000. Most recently, racial inequality has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrated by Black and Indigenous people having significantly higher mortality rates compared to other races. Additionally, according to a research conducted by PEW Research Center, half or more respondents expressed that being poor, Muslim, Black, or Hispanic “puts people at a disadvantage in [the American] society.” This disconnect is prevalent throughout various areas in society, including real estate, where “Black homes are undervalued by $48,000 on average.”

Without a doubt, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color face disadvantages in succeeding in our society. Global Impact Initiative is addressing this need by providing additional educational and training opportunities to those most in need.

Women

While the increased presence of women in the workplace and higher education institutions may diminish the perception of gender inequality, gender income gaps persist. In the United States, women represent 63% of workers earning a minimum wage and only 5% of CEOs at Fortune 500 firms. Women also have significantly higher poverty rates than men, especially women of color. 

With significant gender income gaps and poverty gaps, the United States is just 15th in the world for gender equality according to the Human Development Report’s Gender Inequality Index.

Gender inequality is a serious problem across the world. According to UNICEF, worldwide, “nearly 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor in education or training — compared to 1 in 10 boys.” In addition, “some 1 in 20 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 — around 13 million — have experienced forced sex.” 

Global Impact Initiative recognizes the challenges women and girls face and aims to empower them and contribute to the overall fight to achieve gender equality.

Rural and Underserved Communities

On top of the many problems our education system faces today, rural and underserved schools face additional unique challenges. Recruiting and retaining effective teachers in rural areas, for example, is difficult due to the long commute for teachers who remain living in the city or, if moving to the rural area, the geographic isolation that may present limited housing and job options for teachers’ spouses. In addition, rural schools often suffer from limited resources, resulting in a higher likelihood for rural residents to have lower educational attainment. 

Global Impact Initiative aims to fill this gap and help these communities through programs such as mentorship, which reduces educational inequity; teacher training, which provides exceptional hard and soft skills to teachers in rural areas and underserved schools around the world; and professional development programs, which are delivered directly to students in the school system to allow them to graduate feeling more confident in their capabilities of securing employment.