Nana Ouro-Agoro created AKWAABA QC after over ten years working in the nonprofit sector. She says language is the biggest barrier for immigrants and refugees.
"I see the need of the community," she said. "You see that some of them are educated, but the language barrier prevents them to access the resources, and also there is fear of unknown. So there are so many things that are blocking them to really, fully integrate into the Quad City community."
The Moline-based organization uses "community navigators" from different parts of the world to break that barrier.
"Some people are unable to reach the Congolese community, unless you are from Congo, they won't really listen to you," she said. "Even in Africa, still we have so many barriers because of culture, ethnicities, and all this stuff."
"That's where the idea came to me to have these community navigators, who are volunteers, but very passionate to help the community."
So far, it has ten community navigators. They meet weekly to talk about the needs of their respective communities.
Recently, AKWAABA QC held a "Know Your Rights" workshop, where local police talked about how to interact with law enforcement. Another workshop focused on the importance of renters insurance.
