For over 100 years, we have been helping foreign-born people in many ways. We continue to do that work — with ten percent of Buffalo and 7 percent of Erie County being foreign-born, there is no lack of people to help.

We have been known in our most recent history for providing resettlement services primarily to refugees as they integrate into the community. Still, we have also always been a cultural and educational organization.

Our campus has always been a crossroads for cultural celebrations. Ethnic groups still come here for association meetings, traditional dances, and holidays not usually celebrated in America. People came to learn many different languages, even as many others came to learn English as a second language. For people born here, we also host events to celebrate cultures beyond our borders or to understand how events overseas impact us here at home. For decades, we have helped our region’s students experientially learn about foreign relations through our Model United Nations.

We also teach people about working and succeeding in America. So too, we help businesses, governments, and other organizations break down language barriers through our Interpreting & Translation team, helping them better understand how to serve foreign-born stakeholders.  

In the early days, it was the Polish, Italian, and German groups. In more recent times, it was groups including those from Myanmar (Burma), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Lebanon. In the future, it will be people from other countries.

It is easy to get swept up in the "outrage of the week" regarding the current administration's treatment of immigrants and refugees. Between its ignoring various courts' decisions, encouraging ICE roundups, and pushing for Afrikaner refugees' resettlement after dismantling the rest of the refugee resettlement apparatus — it's maddening.

Of course, you can and should contact your political representatives with your feelings about it. Even if you know they agree with you, it always helps to let them know. The quickest way to do that is to call them.

While all of that is going on, and it is excruciating for organizations such as ours, it will likely go on for the rest of President Trump's time in the White House. In the meantime, we will continue to advocate for the full restoration of the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and the restoration of our country's decades-long successful record of refugee resettlement.

However, we will also do the myriad other things that demand attention.

Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, 
Executive Director

If Bluesky is a platform you use for social media, the International Institute of Buffalo is there too! Follow us there!

We are collecting new or gently used strollers so our clients can enjoy Buffalo’s nice weather with their kids!

We are also looking for new or used electric fans to help cool them off when it gets too hot. 

If either of these items are collecting dust in your home or you want to donate a new one, let us know!

This month, 33 volunteers and interns logged in 255 hours to help us. Some IIB volunteers eagerly rolled up their sleeves to join the staff in cleaning our office garden! By simply pulling weeds and re-mulching, these volunteers helped tidy up the space to match the beauty of our historic building. We are always looking for ways to make our campus more inviting to clients and visitors, and this fun activity went a long way in doing just that!

If you want to volunteer at IIB, just let us know.

Oftentimes the accomplishments of people in the minority are overlooked in favor of the those in the mainstream. That does not make their contributions to our country any less significant or exclude them from of the American tapestry.

Every month, we celebrate the people behind the scenes who the International Institute of Buffalo the wonderful organization that it is. Here it is, in case you missed it.

The Employment Team completed its April-May cycle of Job Club, our four-week job readiness class and introduction to the American workplace. Even though no new refugee arrival clients are coming directly to the agency, the Employment team is now open to walk-in clients and doing outreach in the community to help more immigrants and refugees succeed.

We also partnered with local community members, such as the Goodwill Goodskills Career Builder Program and the Adult Learning Center, to provide alternative resources for our job-seeking clients. We forged these connections, adding to our usual collaborations with the Department of Motor Vehicles, M&T Bank, the Department of Labor, and all the regular guest speakers at our job club.

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

In May, our department welcomed two groups of international visitors through the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). These visitors connected with many local resources to share best practices on the following topics:

Visitors from Saudi Arabia explored the topic of Social Entrepreneurship, meeting with the Good Neighbor Fund, UB's Emerging Entrepreneurs program, County Executive Poloncarz, and Stitch Buffalo. They also enjoyed a professional networking event at IIB and dinner hosting with local families.

Visitors from Israel examined Community-Based Crime Prevention, meeting with the Family Justice Center, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Community Crime Prevention Initiative, and Say Yes Buffalo. They also shared a volunteer activity with Friends of Night People and attended a Bisons' game!

Additionally, this month, we hosted a Health session for IIB's Job Club participants, focusing on an introduction to Counseling. These sessions provide resources to local refugee clients to help them navigate the American health system and promote everyday wellness.

We also attended the UB Jacobs School of Medicine's Community Health and Advocacy Conference to facilitate a group discussion on access to healthcare for refugees and immigrants in our community. 

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

Our invaluable services open doors of communication and understanding to limited English-speaking communities in WNY and beyond.

The Interpreting & Translation team recently received 1,436 requests to provide spoken interpretation and written translation services in the region. The most active language groups remain Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Dari, Pashto, Rohingya, Somali, Spanish, and Swahili. 

We continuously source talented, local, first-rate interpreters and translators. Are you multilingual and interested in joining our team? We are currently seeking linguists proficient in Pashto, Russian, Somali, Tamil, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Click to apply.

For more information on professional development for your multilingual staff or to become a contracted linguist with us, contact languagerecruitment@iibuff.org. 

Learn more about our Interpreting & Translation services.

So far this month we had 41 referrals and saw high numbers of REAL ID assistance requests, requests for Green Card applications, and Department of Social Services renewals. Additionally, our team helped a few secondary migrant families, who have relocated to NYS from elsewhere in the country get established in Buffalo. 

Click here to understand better how immigrants and refugees help our community.

Come Work with Us!

If you are interested, please take a look at our careers page.