Election Day has come and gone, and America has voted for a presidential administration that is most assuredly anti-immigrant and anti-refugee; despite the data to the contrary, it does not recognize the value that comes when we welcome immigrants and refugees into our communities.

Promised roundups of the foreign-born people who are allegedly here illegally will likely also catch American citizens and others who are here legally. If history is any judge, the number of refugees welcomed to America will dwindle to a trickle.

It is not hyperbole to say stormy seas are ahead for the International Institute of Buffalo and organizations like ours. Tough decisions will have to be made during the next four years.

Still, I am thankful that, while there are rocks and unfriendly tides ahead, we have a great team to navigate us through the maelstrom.

There are plenty of foreign-born people living here now and in the refugee resettlement pipeline who will need our help even after Inauguration Day.

While much of our income is federal grant money based on resettling refugees, we are lucky that much of it is not, so that gives us more protection against the next administration’s whims.

The word is out on how welcoming our community can be. Buffalo is becoming home to secondary migrants, people who come here after being resettled in states that are less friendly to immigrants and refugees. We will be here to help them get work and connect with local businesses eager to hire them.   

Our Interpreting & Translation team will continue its fantastic work bridging the language gap in over 100 languages, helping businesses, governments, schools, and other organizations effectively and efficiently communicate with their customers, associates, students, and other stakeholders.

We will expand our legal department to help foreign-born people who seek work authorizations or asylum and help them with the paperwork necessary for citizenship.

So, too, we will increase our cultural and educational offerings to celebrate the diversity of all the people who call our region “home.”  

For over 100 years, the International Institute of Buffalo has been making Western New York a better place for immigrants and refugees regardless of who sits in the White House, and that will not change.

So, while I am thankful, I know that sailing will be much more difficult without your help. Join us in the challenging days ahead. Your time, treasure, and talent will help us on our journey. Together, we will successfully chart a course over the next four years and for whatever follows.

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 

Executive Director

Our New American Intergration team is resettling an unprecedented number of refugees in the next few weeks. We expect 70 people (including 42 children) before Christmas, so we can use your help!

While we have housing in place, we need help furnishing and stocking our clients’ new homes. Let us know if you want to donate furniture. If you want to donate bed linens, towels, dishes, or other household goods, our new clients can use those things, too!

If you, your business, church, or other organization want to adopt a family and help furnish and stock their first American home, contact us at donations@iibuff.org or visit our website for more information.  

Winter weather is in the forecast. While those born here are a hearty bunch, others might not be aware of what is needed to make it through a Buffalo winter. 

For this reason, we ask our community to donate gently used winter coats, hats, and gloves every year.

You may not need them, but our clients do! Many of them come from places where winters are much milder. We have some essential winter weather preparation info that we’ve translated into 13 different languages. Share it with anyone who could use it! We must help our newest neighbors stay warm and safe this winter. 

Thanks to everyone who supported us for our Refugees of Comedy event. Thom Tran, Jose Barrientos, and Jose Sarduy delivered the laughs during an evening punctuated by music provided by Naryan Padmanabha and delicious international food! Click here to get a glimpse!

How would you like to be the first person to give a refugee kid their first toy in America? You can buy a stuffed plush buffalo, and it will welcome them when they arrive in their new home. You can even get one for yourself if you want! Click here for more information.

For the third year in a row, IIB joined with Parkside Lutheran Church in Buffalo to give newly arrived refugee families from Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela a taste of their first Thanksgiving meal. Click here to learn more about this wonderful and heartwarming evening of food and fellowship!

Every month we celebrate the amazing people who go out of their way to help us achieve our mission. We appreciate them all! Click here to see those we are honoring this month.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burma, Burundi, Canada, China, Congo, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Russia, Somalia, South Korea, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Yemen were the countries represented of the 50 New Americans who took their oaths of citizenship at the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services naturalization ceremony recently in Buffalo. We were honored to bear witness to a significant occasion!

Employment Services

In Job Club, we teach our clients how to work effectively in the American workplace. Topics include resume building, interview skills, job search strategies, and workers’ rights. Additionally, we provide classes on financial literacy, including help opening bank accounts, library use, and basic health and wellness. We’ve also partnered with the Department of Motor Vehicles to deploy a mobile unit to provide services for our clients.

Recently, 43 people whose native languages include Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Spanish, and Swahili graduated. A new Job Club class is underway, with participants speaking Burmese, Karen, Rohingya, Spanish, and Swahili. The class will graduate on December 12.

Get more information on how our Employment Services team helps build the local economy and trains people to be exceptional employees.

International Exchanges and Education

This month, we partnered with Rochester Global Connections to host six visitors from Japan, each representing a U.S.-Japan sister city relationship. Their topic was "Building Capacity for Subnational Diplomacy through Sister Cities," and they met with experts in Rochester and Buffalo to examine the themes of:

They also visited Amish country and were welcomed into local homes for dinner hospitality.

Our Education team convened New Americans for six Refugee Health sessions for Buffalo Public School's Adult Learning Center. These hands-on sessions were led by Dr. Cheryl Lucas, assistant director of the occupational therapy program at UB, and her students. They covered topics including nutrition, women's health, tobacco use, mental health, exercise, and screenings.

Remember, Model UN 2025 will be on Tuesday, March 18! Please contact communications@iibuff.org if your students want to participate in this lively and life-changing competition.

Learn more about how our International Exchanges & Education team contributes to greater knowledge and understanding in our community.

Interpreting & Translation

At the end of our fiscal year at the end of October, the Interpreting & Translation department fielded over 32,000 requests for foreign language interpretation and 1,333 individual translation projects.

Did you know that many people will translate old family documents as gifts for the holiday season? Please email translation@iibuff.org to request translation services. The Translation team completed 127 individual projects, helping local municipalities provide language access to the immigrant and refugee families they serve.

Last month, the Interpreting team received 1,877 requests to provide interpreting services in 49 languages. To request interpreting services, please email interpretation@iibuff.org.

Most of these services are provided in Buffalo’s top ten languages for the area’s richly diverse schools, government agencies, tourist attractions, and local employers throughout WNY. Individual projects included personal, medical, or legal appointments, informational documents, and birth/marriage certificates.

We are always looking for qualified local interpreters in Karen, Karenni, Kurdish (all dialects), and Ukrainian. Click to apply.

For a comprehensive overview of the Interpreting & Translation department’s work, click here!

Come Work with Us!

We are always looking for people who want to help New Americans become part of our community, take a look at our careers page.