Born in Khartoum, Sudan, Abazar came to the United States to finish high school. After spending some time here, he realized that there were many more business opportunities here than his home country of Sudan. Abazar decided to stay, work hard, and learn as much as he could about business in America. As a Dominos Pizza driver, he was a hard worker and soon became the assistant manager, then manager. He also worked as a taxi driver. These experiences helped him learn the skills he needed to start and run his own business successfully.

While talking to a friend in California about business, Abazar learned about non-emergency medical transportation, which seemed a perfect fit for his driving experience, customer service, and business management skills. He started his first transportation business, Trans Care in 2004 and is now continuing to expand his venture throughout the Puget Sound region. Trans Care’s expansion was limited, however, because he couldn’t take out loans from conventional banks. Abazar is a Muslim and it is stated in the Qur’an (the holy book of Islam) that he may not pay or earn interest (Riba), so he desired an alternative to interest based loans.

Recently, Abazar needed start up funding for employee salaries at his new Tukwila based medical transportation, Blue Express. When he heard about Jump$tart’s Riba free loans from a friend, he decided to take out the first loan of his life. This loan has allowed Abazar to broaden a business that provides transportation to the doctors, grocery stores, parks, airports, and other appointments for elderly or disabled citizens of Tukwila.

Several hundred people gathered at the offices of Seattle public television station KCTS on June 28th to view arts, crafts and performances created by Seattle-area refugees. “Refugee Artvocacy” as the event is called, was a collaboration among the Jump$tart Fund Microenterprise Program, The IRC, and KCTS.  Eighteen refugee artists and craftspeople from thirteen different countries participated. There were also performances by Cambodian and Meskhetian Turk dance groups and an Iranian virtuoso on the tar, a stringed lute-like instrument. Distinguished artist and IRC-resettled Iraqi refugee Sabah al-Dhaher was the keynote speaker. The Jump$tart and The IRC raised $3,000 at the event!
 
This would not have been possible without our wonderful team of ARTvocacy volunteers! IRC and Jump$tart truly appreciate all of the time and effort these wonderful volunteers put in during the past few months in order to make this event happen. Over 50 volunteers did things like: interview artists and write biographies; photograph artists; transport art; put up fliers all around the city, from North Seattle to Tukwila; call businesses for donations, pick up food donations; figure out where to put the art and how to display it; pick up donated wine in Eastern Washington; conduct outreach to artists; write country reports; set up the day before and the day of the event; work during the event stage managing, bartending, djing, watching the elevator, putting art on the walls, manning the IRC booth and craft tables, greeting guests at the door, cooking food in the kitchen and keeping food tables replenished, assisting the artists and much much more! We could not have done it without you and we appreciate your help so much! Special thanks to Brendan Lattin, our volunteer curator, Keri Cavanaugh, art display director, Dao Huynh, volunteer manager, Rory Flynn volunteer DJ, Becca Baldwin, volunteer stage manager, Maddy Porter, graphic designer, and Erica Nelson, volunteer bartender, and Lindsey White.
 
If you are interested in helping with this event next year, we would love to have your help! Please contact The Jump$tart Fund if you would like to be involved.

Kooki Davis’ home radiates African charm.  Brightly colored home-sewn dolls stand in the corners of the living room, and mud cloth of earth hues hangs in scraps and strips from the walls of her sewing room.  Her energy is boundless. 
 
Born in Trinidad, Kooki moved to Tukwila with her husband Gilbert two years ago from the Bay Area in California.  When she arrived in the area she knew that she needed to find a way to make money.  While in California she had designed and fabricated exquisite fabric dolls, but there wasn’t a market for them in Seattle.  So, she applied her sewing skills and her eye for color to make “wearable art.”
 
Kooki gathers scraps of materials and fabrics of every color and texture to use in the creation process.  Her husband Gilbert has many friends from Africa that supply her studio with African textiles.  Their favorite African textiles are mudclothes—the fabric from which the business gets’ its name.     
 
Mudcloth is an African fabric made by an elaborate process in which the artist weaves raw cotton, and then dyes it over a period of months with natural dyes made of leaves, bark and mud.  The designs are painted on with sticks, and the process is repeated many times.  Kooki uses this fabric in the tunics and jackets that she sews, and to cover walking sticks that she sells to dramatic African storytellers. 
 
Jump$tart gave Kooki a loan to pay for an industrial-strength sewing machine that she could use for heavier fabrics.  So far the machine has paid off, allowing Kooki to experiment with textiles she’s never used before.  Look for Kooki’s new line of wonderful “wearable art” at local arts festivals this summer!   
 

Lina Pastars moved to Latvia from Ukraine when she was 18 years old.  She realized that she would have better job opportunities and freedom.  There Lina finished a two-year degree in accounting and banking.  She secured a job in the banking industry shortly after, and worked for two years in that profession.

Unfortunately, things in Latvia changed. The government changed its policies on foreign workers, and stopped issuing residential permits for professional workers.  Lina needed to find another job.  Her friends suggested that she pursue hairstyling.  She had often cut her friends hair to make some extra money, and enjoyed it.  She decided to enter the German-run Smile Beauty School.  Her vocation was confirmed. After finishing school she worked in a successful upscale salon for 5 years.
 
She moved to the United States five years ago to be near to her brother who had already been in America for 12 years.  He helped her translate hairstyling and beauty study guides from English to Russian so that she could pass her licensing exam, which she did with flying colors.  Since then she has worked in salons in Tacoma, downtown Seattle, and now Federal Way where she owns Riga Salon. 
 
The former owner of Riga convinced Lina to buy the business.  Lina explain, “she called me and gave me the phone number to the office.  She told me that Jump$tart could give me a loan.”  Her stream of clientele has been steady, and Lina is looking towards a bright future for her new business.  Although she has found that owning a salon can be more difficult than working at one, Lina is pleased with her choice.  “It is harder because there is more responsibility doing accounting and calling customers, but it is also exciting, because I have a higher income and I can do whatever I want to do.”

Lina’s salon is painted in subtle, shady greens, and live plants give the lounge a lively atmosphere.  In this way she mimics the salons of eastern Europe. “If you go to a good salon in Latvia, you know that you will be sure to get good service.  It will also be very beautiful inside.  I’m going to make that happen in this salon.”  The shiny wood floors and the soothing classical music videos produce the desired affect.  Riga Salon is beautiful.
 
Lina has advice for other immigrants who want to start small businesses.  “Don’t be scared!  Go for it!  Even if you don’t have experience, it’s going to come.  I was scared for a long time, but I did it.  My dreams came true!”

Petr, a Russian refugee, started his own cleaning business, PBP Cleaning in September 2004. In Russia, Petr worked at a print shop producing Christian books. His business offers high quality cleaning services to homes and businesses in Bellevue, Kirkland, Snohomish, and Seattle.

When Petr learned about the Jump$tart Fund from a friend at church, he applied for a loan. By December 2004, he had money in hand to purchase better quality cleaning equipment.

The income generated from owning his own business has allowed Petr, his wife, Valentina, and son, Oleg, to transition from welfare dependency to self-sufficiency.

In addition, Petr now provides assistance to others in his community who are trying to start their own businesses. He tells them about his experiences with the Jump$tart Fund. He’s confident that the program can help other refugees and asylees start or strengthen their businesses and in doing so, aid their communities.

Petr came to America in part to be in a country where there are less restrictions on businesses. The first time Petr met with Jump$tart Program Director Greg Hope, Petr kissed his business license, and described the mountains of paperwork that would have been necessary to get such a license in Moscow.

When Petr first arrived in the Seattle area, he did not speak any English. He enrolled in English classes at a community college and is now able to speak conversational English. He also speaks 4 other languages, including his native language, Romanian, from his birthplace, Moldavia.

The Bezman family has accomplished many goals in a short period of time, including starting and strengthening their cleaning business. JumpStart Fund is proud to be a part of their success.

To provide for his family, Slavik has held many different jobs. Five years ago, he became self-employed as an independent truck driver. Because his truck was an older model, the distances he could travel and weights he could carry were limited. This limited the income potential of his business.

To expand his existing business, Slavik needed a newer, more reliable truck to pursue more lucrative routes and long-haul opportunities. In April 2004, Slavik joined the Individual Development Account (IDA) Program, a matched savings program through the Refugee Resettlement Office, and also enrolled in the Jump$tart Fund Microenterprise Program. By August of that year, he had saved enough for a down payment on a new truck.
Working with a Jump$tart business development specialist, Slavik developed a business plan and prepared a loan application. He received a $10,000 loan from Jump$tart and is now the proud owner of a bright red 1999 Freightliner. He is on the road to providing a better income for his family.

“I always hire the safe guys,” he said. “Safe guys move slow but they do a quality job.” That is the sort of client that is of low business risk for a loan.

Victor has eight employees at his business Sound Building Systems, five of whom were hired afterVictor received his JumpStart Fund loan. They are all Ukrainian refugees like himself. Victor is an example of a client who is already contributing to the economic development of his community.