Empowered to Lead: Meet Enver Latifzade, LGBTQ+ Refugee and Community Leader

Thursday June 27, 2024

Written by Shevani Khatri, U.S. Program Associate   Enver Latifzade, a key volunteer and leader for the community-based nonprofit RUSA LGBTQ+ (RUSA), came to New York City in 2014 from Uzbekistan seeking asylum as a result of increased homophobia in his home country. …

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Amplifying Voices, Empowering Communities: Journey of Reframing South Vancouver

Tuesday June 18, 2024

Written by: Ani Gurtsishvili, Canada Program Associate South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH) is a community-based organization offering programs and services in the South Vancouver catchment. Despite its rich cultural tapestry, South Vancouver has historically lacked equitable resource allocation and representation. With more than …

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WES Announces New Investment in 8B Education Investments

Monday June 10, 2024

World Education Services (WES) today announced an investment in 8B Education Investments, a social fintech company specializing in supporting African students to attend global universities. 8B facilitates fair student loan financing and support services.    WES’ catalytic investment will help 8B unlock additional student loan capital …

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Equity in Action: Reflecting on Our 2023 U.S. Grantee Partner Retreat

Thursday May 2, 2024

Written by Lei Ma, U.S. Senior Program Associate  Since the WES Mariam Assefa Fund launched in 2019 with a mission to catalyze economic and social inclusion for immigrants and refugees, we knew that our work needed to adopt an intersectional lens, as people’s …

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How the Ellis Island Initiative Is Changing the Narrative to Welcome Immigrants in New York State

Monday April 22, 2024

The United States has seen a significant uptick in the number of individuals seeking asylum within its borders, with over 150,000 arriving in New York City alone just in the past year and a half. With nearly half a million job openings throughout …

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The Who, What, and Why of Investing in Newcomers

Wednesday March 27, 2024

By Matthias Pries, Impact Investing Manager  Migration is the loom that weaves the rich tapestry that is Canadian society. Walk down the main street of any Canadian city and you can see, smell, and hear it. Working at World Education Services (WES) has …

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How Human-Centred Design Can Create More Inclusive Tech Workplaces for Newcomers

Tuesday March 12, 2024

Guest Blog by Lila Berryman, senior innovation specialist, Venture 2 Impact, and Nouhaila Chelkhaoui, founder and CEO, Scale Without Borders At Venture 2 Impact, with support from the WES Mariam Assefa Fund, we set out to develop a project that would support Canadian …

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Fund Launches Initiative to Elevate Migrant Leadership and Build Inclusive Futures

Tuesday January 23, 2024

New funding opportunity seeks to support organizations elevating the voices and influence of immigrants and refugees in United States communities The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced a new grantmaking initiative. Elevating Migrant Leadership: Building Inclusive Futures will support U.S. …

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Reflecting on 2023 and What We’re Looking Forward to in 2024

Tuesday January 16, 2024

Our partners, the many organizations led by immigrants, refugees, and community members with lived experience, never fail to inspire us at the WES Mariam Assefa Fund as we work at the nexus of so much energy and dedication to building inclusive communities and …

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Creating a Philanthropic Legacy: WES Fund Ambassadors Unveil Program’s Latest Donations

Thursday December 21, 2023

Since 2020, the Fund Ambassadors Program has played a pivotal role in educating WES staff about philanthropy while supporting mission-aligned immigrant and refugee grassroots organizations in the United States and Canada. As we celebrate the program’s fourth year, the Ambassadors are proud to …

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Thank you for your interest in the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. We’ll share updates on the Fund’s efforts, what we’re learning, and opportunities through our email list.