Salt Lake American

We have been providing our language interpretation and guidance service to refugees 24-7 since 2006. Each year we help approximately 150 refugees performing over 600 assignments. Our English language and acculturation training began in 2015. We conduct 2 semester each calendar year each semester lasting four months with 15 students in each class. One third or 5 students graduate every year with one third 5 students requiring semester's training and one third 5 students need two additional semester's training to graduate. We also conduct a free family-oriented multi-ethnic performing arts festival to provide visibility to our organization and to promote inclusion of diversity and goodwill among all residents of Salt Lake County.
We work with Utah Dept of Health and Human Services Office of Health Equity in the COVID detection, cure, and prevention program.
We participate in the Salt Lake County program to foster Somali Community-base small businesses.

We annually accomplishing our goal of helping extremely poor refugees who do not know English survive since 2006 by providing them free language interpreters and guides through the system 24-7 through grants from Eccles Foundation, Salt Lake County Mayor's Office Contribution, and a grant from the LDS Church and now also from Utah Department of Health Disparities Office related to COVID-19. Our social workers are bilingual speaking both English and the language of the refugee client and are acculturated to the American way of life to be able to help refugees accomplish vital tasks in their daily lives. Our social workers are paid a modest fixed amount for performing their assignments 24-7.

Our Survival English and Acculturation class is a custom-designed for refugees by a professional linguist who has experience in English as a Second Language training who has worked with refugees over the last ten years. The class focuses on specific real-world contextual scenarios in different significant aspects of American life. Once trained the refugee is well equipped to be successful in conducting transactions relating to these vital scenarios. This training is designed for our refugee clients to become self-reliant and independent of our language assistance and guidance through the system to make room for new refugee arrivals and students in our program. The curriculum continues to undergo improvement through student feedback.

Our success since 2006 and unblemished experience backed up by impeccable references including Salt Lake County Mayor and tribute to our work by our major grant maker Eccles Foundation demonstrates that we are not only able to continue to conduct our programs but also able to improve them. These program show significant measurable results and improvement in the quality of life for the refugees. This program alleviates the burden on government social service programs and enables the refugees to stand on their own two feet and become a contributing member of our society. We have demonstrated the not only the social service skills to successfully conducting our programs but also effective project and financial management including project reporting on them. Our organization and its mission is truly altruistic as all staff contributed their labor while make a living elsewhere.

We have accomplished a successful twelve year record of our language interpretation and translation and guidance through the system program available 24-7 free to refugees financed by a variety of grant makers from 2006 through 2018. With a budget of $18,000 we serve 160 clients performing about 600 assignments annually. We have provided status and project reporting to grant makers including government entities and have successfully been audited by them as needed. We are the recipient of a letter of recognition/recommendation from the current and previous Salt Lake County Mayors. Our grant makers have also complimented us on our work.