Group of Somali Bantu community members and volunteers

Somali Bantu women's soccer team with coaches

Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc.

Vermont Refugees and Immigrants Services Inc. assists refugees, low-income, and religious minorities in establishing a home in Chittenden County Vermont by providing educational, cultural, and leadership development opportunities through community organization efforts to address systemic racism and to embrace diversity within the fabric of cultural institutions by promoting change, equity, and peace.

Who Are the Somali Bantu?

Group of Somali Bantu men and women on backyard deck

The Somali Bantu represent a traditionally subjugated and oppressed cultural group in Africa. They have been victims of persecution, prejudice, oppression, and violence. The Somali Bantu were barred from political participation and land ownership, were prevented from intermarrying, had limited access to formal education and were relegated to service and labor intensive positions regardless of their training. Due to this many Somali Bantu are illiterate and have very limited job skills.

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What SBCAVT Does

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.

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