We are committed to breaking barriers, together.
We provide culturally specific services, delivered by a staff that reflects the community it serves by drawing upon their own linguistic, familial, social capital, and lived experience. Our services reflect the values, beliefs, practices, and worldviews of the African immigrants/refugees. We are intentional in our representation of cultural perspectives that inform our programs and that represents the lived experience of families and most CAIRO staff. We continue to work on our mission through co-creating, enhancing, and delivering community-centered programs and services that inform institutions and empower families for our children and youths’ success.
Our Mission & Vision.
What makes us different?
CAIRO has earned its reputation as a trusted and recognized champion of the African refugee and immigrant community and its most vulnerable members by providing the necessary support for stronger families and responsive communities. Through a dedicated and culturally competent team, a wide variety of programs, and a commitment to enhancing the lives of the children, youth and families we serve, CAIRO is a force for social change.
Our Mission
It is the mission of the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization (CAIRO) to advocate for and act to increase equity and social justice through programs, services, community organizing and collaborative leadership that create equitable opportunities for African refugees and immigrant children, youth and families to thrive.
We seek to carry out this mission by utilizing the following design and approach in our work in Central Minnesota:
CAIRO’s expertise lies in our ability to provide services that empower clients to positively transform their lives, which is cultivated by our work with at-risk children, youth and families. We use a two‐generation approach to guide all our services. The two-gen approach encourages our programs staff to serve children, youths and their near-adults together, to harness the family’s full potential and to put the entire family on a path to success. The resiliency of the children and families we serve continues to impress and encourage us.
Our Vision
We envision a more just and equitable society in which children, youth, and families live in sustained, supportive communities, which reinforce the cultural wealth and lived experience of the family.
The vision will be realized through these guiding principles and values:
