WES Blog

In 2019, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund launched the Fund Ambassador program, which engages staff from across WES to develop skills in philanthropy and identify mission-aligned organizations to receive Fund donations. This month, we celebrate the accomplishments of the third cohort of Fund Ambassadors, made up of WES employees across multiple departments. The Fund Ambassadors […]

Many international students and scholars in the U.S. hope to find employment in the U.S. that will allow them to gain the skills needed to secure permanent work. For most graduates, the H-1B non-immigrant visa category is a natural progression after Optional Practical Training (OPT) or employment as a contractor. This is because many international […]

Born in Panama and educated in Brazil, Elisa Tristan-Cheever was the youngest graduate in her medical school class of 1989 and one of the first female hospital residents specializing in urology in Brazil. Over 11 years as a practicing surgeon in Brazil, she served patients in remote clinics and large hospitals. Fluent in three languages, […]

In late October, a diverse group of organizations working on behalf of internationally trained immigrants and refugees gathered in Washington, D.C. at the fifth annual Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) convening. The convening was attended by nearly 100 participants representing 33 out of 40 total SIIP communities—including SIIP alumni and members of the current 2022-2023 […]

Immigrants and refugees play a crucial role in the U.S. workforce, especially in growth industries including tech and healthcare, yet they continue to be overrepresented in low-wage occupations. With a desire to learn more about the efforts to address this gap by supporting more inclusive employer practices, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund launched an open […]

Today, the Fund for Workforce Equity, a new pooled investment fund led by Workforce Matters, announced 15 organizations that will each receive grants of up to $75,000 for initiatives that center the perspectives of workers and learners of color in designing or implementing workforce policies and programs. The grantees – workforce development organizations from across […]

Born and educated in Venezuela, Eduardo Verna Orenes always felt a calling to become a teacher. “I believe we can make a difference in this world via education,” he says. “With education we can promote future leaders that can generate sustainable solutions for today and tomorrow.” After earning a bachelor’s degree in education, Eduardo spent […]

This piece is co-authored by Smitha Das and Katheryn Witt and is the result of a partnership between the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and Common Future. In March 2022, Common Future launched the Action Lab: Participatory Investing, a partnership with the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. The Action Lab is a 12-month initiative in which funders are learning […]

[An earlier version of this blogpost was published on October 10, 2022.] When Lubab Al-Quarishi was forced to flee Baghdad with her family in 2014, she had been a practicing, licensed pathologist for 18 years in Iraq.  Since her resettlement in the United States, Lubab has worked in food service and as a pharmacy technician. […]

BOSTON (OCT. 3, 2022) – Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national non-profit driving transformation in the American workforce and education systems, today announced an ambitious two-year initiative for economic advancement for immigrants, refugees, and migrant workers in rural areas. The Rural Immigrant Success Exchange (RISE), a partnership with Ascendium and the World Education Services […]

Grecia Perez-Rodriguez understands firsthand the challenges faced by more than two million college-educated immigrants and refugees who are unemployed or underemployed in the United States, sixty percent of whom hold credentials earned in another country. Perez-Rodriguez’s law degree—earned at a top Mexican university—and experience practicing immigration law in Guadalajara were not recognized by occupational licensing […]

In 2021, the WES Mariam Assefa Fund team set out to specify how we center justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in our work. We asked ourselves what our priorities and philanthropic practices looked like, and the steps we could take to put equity at the forefront. As a funder focused on building more inclusive […]

Funding will enable public higher education systems across the nation to support their campuses in serving as communities of welcome for refugees in both urban and rural areas as U.S. ramps up refugee resettlement efforts Washington, D.C. – The National Association of System Heads’ (NASH) Refugee Resettlement Initiative (RRI) announced today a $230,000 grant from […]

The United States currently faces deepening labor shortages in critical sectors including health care and education. At the same time, internationally trained immigrants and refugees have education, credentials, and experience that could help meet immediate workforce needs and bolster the nation’s long-term economic vitality. An estimated two million college-educated immigrants and refugees are unemployed or […]

This blog piece was originally published by JFF (Jobs for the Future). At JFF’s 2022 Horizons summit, experts from across sectors offered insights on how to engage, support, and upskill an overlooked talent pool—and boost your company’s bottom line. With more open roles than jobseekers to fill them, employers in every sector are rethinking how […]

Originally published on the Future of Good website, this post was written by Neha Chollangi. The WES Mariam Assefa Fund is partnering with Future of Good on a series of digital stories to highlight the Fund’s first ever participatory grantmaking project. Developed in the Peel region of Ontario, the project is facilitated by the Tamarack […]

Efforts to create a vibrant, responsive Adult Basic Education (ABE) system can advance racial equity and economic mobility both inside and outside the classroom: Over the past two decades, 78 percent of adult education students self-identified as people of color, according to the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education. In 2019, 23 percent […]

Over the past several decades, staffing shortfalls have imposed dramatic negative effects on Maryland’s health care system, including increased hospital readmission and higher mortality rates among patients. But new legislation in Maryland may offer some hope. States Face Critical Health Care Shortages Statistics confirm Maryland’s current health care shortages: In 2020, the state had only […]

The WES Mariam Assefa Fund today announced US$1 million in grants to eight organizations in the United States and Canada working to shift employer practices and develop career pathways that support the economic mobility and success of immigrants and refugees. In the U.S., the Fund awarded grants to African Bridge Network, Center for Southeast Asians, […]

The Global Talent Leadership Network (GTLN) of WES Global Talent Bridge is teaming up with JVS Toronto to connect internationally trained immigrants and refugees with mentors who share the same occupation. In communities across the United States, the GTLN Group Mentoring Program will build on a proven model that leverages the networking power of immigrant- […]