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CWS Microenterprise Program Connects Immigrants to Business Opportunities
Asylee Manuel Jimenez turned his dream of owning a restaurant into a reality with counseling and a loan from the CWS Microenterprise Program.
Photo: Graziella Siciliano/CWS
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When Colombian asylee Manuel Jimenez learned that the Church World Service/Microenterprise Program was giving business loans to immigrants, he knew that his opportunity had arrived to start his dream of having his own restaurant. The Program provides financing to eligible, newly arrived refugees and asylees from any country in the world, and Cuban/Haitian parolees in Miami Dade County, who normally would not be able to secure business loans from banks or other lending institutions.
"When you first arrive in the United States you will do any job just to make ends meet. The Microenterprise Program helped me establish something that will allow me to use my education and my skills and also make a decent living," says Jimenez, owner of Khalo Latin Grill. "With the loan and counseling I received from the program, I was able to turn my idea into a real business."
In less than a year the revolving loan fund has already provided sixteen low interest micro loans, ranging from $500 to $10,000. Most banks or lending institutions will not approve loans to new immigrants because they lack personal assets or a credit history in the United States. The Microenterprise Program fills a void in the community by providing financing, as well as group training and one-on-one counseling: all at no charge to its clients. Clients go through rigorous screening and training prior to receiving loans.
 Dish from Khalo Latin Grill. Photo: Teresa Rio/CWS |
"The business specialists at the Microenterprise Program are always available to answer my questions or to help me if I am having difficulty," says Odilon Celestin, a Haitian parolee and owner of C&M Sweet Bakery. "Starting a business is a risky venture, but I feel like I have a whole team on my side, supporting me and my business. It’s very reassuring."
Working exclusively within Miami Dade County, the program serves as a bridge between recently arrived immigrants who lack the knowledge and familiarity with the American business environment, and information and opportunities for their enterprises.
"For people who are new to this country, starting a business can seem impossibly complicated. We are here to let refugees know that owning their own enterprise is well within their reach, and show them how to get there," explains Teresa Rio, Microenterprise Program Supervisor.
Since the program started it has helped nearly 600 clients in the Miami area. The program hopes to continue its success by serving clients both current and new.
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