HOUSTON — Moving to the U.S. as a refugee or immigrant is daunting, especially when it comes to finding a job.
However, the nonprofit organization Plant It Forward has been working to provide opportunities to these communities since 2011.
Rachel Lockhart Folkerts, the farm program director, says the program was started by sibling entrepreneurs -- Pat and Teresa O’Donnell – who worked with Catholic charities involved in the refugee resettlement process.
"The nonprofit provides training and technical support," Folkerts said. "It’s everything from market access and land access, as well as helping farmers get start-up capital and resources -- so they can farm and feed our communities."
Constant Ngouala is a Plant It Forward success story. He came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1999 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ngouala said the nonprofit offered everything from English classes to business management. Years later, he now leases land from the organization and sells his crops at local farmers markets. It not only gives him financial independence but allows him to grow and sell crops native to his homeland, like cassava and roselle, a type of hibiscus.
"I like my kids to know our food," Ngouala said.
Folkerts said the program helps people find a new career and essentially, a new identity: participants are referred to as New American Famers.
"That comes from feedback from the farmers, especially those who have been in this country for 10 years or more – they don’t need to be constantly identified as a refugee," he said.
Plant It Forward operates four farms in the Houston area. This year, the organization started a yearlong apprenticeship program, including paid hands-on learning opportunities. If you’d like to learn more, click here.