When families walked into the lobby of the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization (CAIRO) in St. Cloud and didn't see their country's flag, some asked whether the place was really for them. The lobby could not hold all 54 flags, so staff give the same answer every time: bring your flag, and they will make room.
"I ask them, do you know the African Union?" Abdi Ibrahim, CAIRO's director of programs, said on The Africa Desk Live on August 29. "Consider this as the African Union. You have ideas, opinions. You are very welcome."
CAIRO began in Portland, Oregon, in 2016, after professionals noticed that immigrant students were not doing as well as their peers and researched why by interviewing parents, educators, and students. It came to St. Cloud in 2019 because the local community asked for it.
The organization now runs programs in education, health equity, workforce development and housing, and logs around 400 client visits a month. Its housing program supported 144 families across central Minnesota last year, working with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid attorneys who can represent tenants at eviction hearings.
Ibrahim said trouble often starts well before a family reaches that door. St. Cloud has lost large production employers, and it can take six months for a laid-off worker to find a job that matches their skills. The rent does not wait.
CAIRO's SPACE program, for Schools, Parents and Communities Engaged, reached more than 120 students across every middle school and high school in the district, with one-on-one tutoring, mentoring, rides home, dinner and field trips that students earn by raising their grades.
Homes for families of nine
In 2023, CAIRO bought a former Wells Fargo building on 3.7 acres, and it holds a city permit for a mixed-use development with its own offices, retail and restaurant space, and family-sized housing.
The reason is specific. In a college town, Ibrahim explained, a four-bedroom unit is often about 1,300 square feet and built for students. The families CAIRO serves often have seven to 10 members, sometimes three generations under one roof. Construction has not yet started.
CAIRO marks its 10th year with the Rooted and Rising: Seeds of Synergy gala on Friday, October 9, at the Park Event Center in Waite Park.
The Africa Desk Live airs every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Central on Facebook, YouTube and X, and at moremediaempowerment.org/live.
