As Ohio welcomes refugees, a nonprofit gives them a boost

By AJA HANNAH and LEE CHILCOTE of The Land for The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The Land for The Chronicle of Philanthropy

CLEVELAND (AP) — Hakizimana Muvunye, a refugee from Congo who lives in Cleveland, is a man doing his best. He’s the owner of Asante Landscaping but has only five clients so he also drives for Uber. Muvunye came to Cleveland in February 2016 from Uganda after fleeing armed conflict and insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Now he’s striving to build his business. He’s counting on US Together, a nonprofit that provides services to refugees and immigrants, and especially its Microenterprise Development program to help him achieve this goal.  The program, which helps eligible refugees and immigrants develop, finance, and expand small businesses, was vital to starting Asante Landscaping.