Maria fled violence in Central America with her two small children and came to the US seeking safety. Soon after she arrived, an acquaintance in Maryland offered her a place to live and help finding a job. But once here, Maria and her daughters were locked in a room, and she was only allowed to leave to work. Her traffickers forced her to use fake identity documents and hand over all the money she earned. They threatened to deport her and hurt her family back home if she tried to escape.  Maria and her daughters eventually escaped, and a few weeks later, she showed up at AWE asking for help. We quickly enrolled her and began providing wraparound support for the family. Maria is now working with a lawyer to apply for a T Visa—a form of immigration relief available to trafficking survivors who cooperate with law enforcement to investigate and prosecute their traffickers. Maria is one of thousands of immigrant adults and children who are trafficked in the US each year. Without permanent immigration status and often unfamiliar with the language, culture, and laws of their new country, immigrants are especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

AWE welcomes dozens of asylum seekers and trafficking survivors through our doors each week. Clients attend classes, share meals, meet with their case manager, and fill bags with groceries, diapers, and clothing to take home. Many clients also access mental health services, including individual counseling, group therapy, and other therapeutic activities like acupuncture, gardening, and yoga. Our clients arrive in Maryland after protracted periods of trauma. Many fled war, persecution, forced displacement, and human rights violations. They often experience additional violence on their journey to the US. In 2020, Doctors Without Borders reported that 48% of forced migrants experienced sexual violence on their way to the US and nearly a third were kidnapped at some point during their journey. But once in Maryland, clients face many barriers to healing. Accessing interpretation for therapy can be challenging, and many providers don’t have experience working with forced migrants. Meanwhile, most clients are ineligible for Medicaid and without work authorization they can’t afford private care. But without treatment and support, trauma can have long term consequences and symptoms can get worse. PTSD and depression can make it difficult to focus on finding housing, securing employment, and navigating the immigration process. Meeting the mental health needs of our clients is a critical component of our work. We recognize that healing looks different for different people, so we provide many different types of support. We also work to remove the many barriers our clients face to receiving the support they need. Individual therapy is a big part of what we do. In 2013 we began partnering with the Intercultural Counseling Connection (the Connection). The Connection, which is collocated with AWE, is a referral network of pro bono mental health professionals that connects our clients to individual counseling. In 2022, we started partnering with HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative (HEAL) to provide individual therapy to our minor clients onsite. We also partner with a private, Spanish speaking therapist who provides therapy to youth trafficking survivors. In 2024, 48 clients have accessed individual therapy through our partnerships. Many clients also participate in group therapy. The Connection leads biweekly group therapy sessions for adults and HEAL leads biweekly group therapy for Spanish-speaking youth. Groups provide safe and inclusive spaces where clients can address concerns and develop interpersonal connections with each other. Meals are provided before all sessions and clients leave with groceries, diapers, and toiletries. So far in 2024, 79 clients have attended group therapy at AWE, including 45 minors and young adults. Many clients also access alternative forms of therapy. AWE offers bodywork activities like acupuncture, massage therapy, and yoga, to help clients release stored tension, reconnect with their bodies, and process emotions that may be difficult to access through verbal therapy. Community gardening, nature retreats, and music and dance therapy can help clients decompress and connect with each other. More than 70 clients have participated in alternative therapy in 2024. We make sure that clients can access all these services. We provide bus passes for clients attending daytime group activities and ride shares for evening events. We prioritize working with therapists and group facilitators who share the cultures and languages of our clients, and we always provide interpretation when needed. We do all of this because we believe our services are most impactful when they’re holistic and client centered. Offering different types of mental health services and making sure they’re accessible, ensures our clients have the resources and support to rebuild their lives with safety, trust, and empowerment.

It was a busy summer for our youth program Steps to Success! Between June and August, we held biweekly group therapy sessions led by the HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative and we arranged field trips to the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Maryland Museum of History and Culture. We also took clients sailing with Pride of Baltimore and held a nature retreat at Bliss Meadows Farm. Thirty-six teenagers and young adults participated in summer activities. We also continued to develop our Youth Advisory Board. We created the Youth Advisory Board in 2024 to help guide our youth program and make sure it aligns with the needs and interests of our clients. Four trafficking survivor youth agreed to join the board, and we held the first board meeting in April. Over the next few months, board members established the purpose, rules and responsibilities of the board and began to identify ways to improve and expand Steps to Success. They also expressed interest in giving back to the community. After some brainstorming, they pitched the idea of creating a mural in Baltimore which they hope will reflect the presence and experiences of Latino youth in the city. The board will start working with a local community arts program this fall to design and create the mural. Youth Advisory Board members are also encouraged to develop professional development goals for themselves. Recently, when the board members asked for education around personal finances, AWE identified a financial coach to provide one-on-one support and help them develop personal budgets and learn about credit. Board members have also sought out opportunities to share their stories and experiences with the public. One board member participated in a mini documentary about her journey to the US. Another board member was interviewed for an article by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center Magazine. In May, a board member named Anthony participated on a panel at the Baltimore Immigration Summit with AWE and HEAL. Anthony spoke about Steps to Success and how the program is a safe place for him to process the trauma he’s experienced. He could not imagine his life without the program, he told the panel attendees. When Anthony joined Steps to Success in 2023, he was skeptical about some parts of the program, especially the biweekly group therapy sessions. Now, however, Anthony attends almost every Steps to Success event, sits on the Youth Advisory Board, and provides guidance and support to newer program participants. He has quickly become a leader in the program and within the wider, Baltimore Spanish-speaking immigrant community. Steps to Success has grown rapidly since its creation in 2023. Fifty-nine immigrant, Spanish-speaking youth are currently enrolled in the program, including 37 trafficking survivors. The program has organized over 50 activities in 2024 alone. The Youth Advisory Board is a critical part of the program’s success. Board members, who commit to a year of board service, take their responsibility very seriously. We originally planned for the board to meet bimonthly, but members quickly asked to meet every month instead. Members never miss a meeting, and everyone arrives with thoughts on how the program can improve. Outside of meetings, board members interact over an AWE-monitored WhatsApp chat – sharing resources and ideas with each other. The success of the Youth Advisory Board highlights the importance of safe, inclusive spaces where immigrant youth can share their experiences and expertise, develop new skills, and engage as equal partners in the creation and implementation of services. It also speaks to the talent and creativity of the board members, and their dedication to creating a stronger, supportive, and more welcoming city.

Dear friends, Displaced by violence and hardship, an unprecedented number of people are forced to leave their homes each day and seek protection in the United States. Asylee Women Enterprise (AWE) is committed to serving forced migrants, offering them essential support and advocating for their rights and dignity. This three-year strategic action plan (2024-2027) outlines our roadmap for navigating the complexities of forced migration and amplifying the voices of those we serve. It reflects our understanding of the obstacles forced migrants face, their endurance and strength, and our shared hope for a better future. Over the next three years, we aim not only to continue providing essential services to forced migrants, but also to enhance our capacity, expand our reach, and advocate for changes that protect the rights and dignity of those we serve. As we begin this three-year journey, we hope you will partner with us, give your voice to our cause, and support our efforts to create a more compassionate and welcoming world where everyone can live in safety and with dignity. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can welcome Maryland's newest neighbors home.

It was a busy year! In 2023, AWE welcomed asylum seekers and foreign-born trafficking survivors from 40 different countries through our doors. Read about our work with asylum seekers and foreign-born trafficking survivors in our 2023 Annual Report.

Do you remember when you learned about credit scores? What about interest rates or the difference between state and federal income taxes? Many of us reach adulthood with little to no financial education, and quite a few unanswered questions. While everyone’s financial goals look a little different, we all want to manage our money effectively, so we can be financially stable and self-sufficient. This is difficult for many English-speaking Americans, but what if you don’t speak English, or grew up in a different economic system, or have no idea how to count American money? Most of the asylum seekers and foreign-born trafficking survivors we serve come from countries with vastly different financial systems. Understanding and navigating the complex financial landscape in the US can be challenging, and clients often mention wanting more financial education. So last year, in response to client feedback, we decided to create a financial education program. We knew that most generic financial education curricula wouldn’t work for our clients, who usually don't have a stable income, a Social Security Number, or work authorization. But we weren’t sure how to design a program tailored to their circumstances and needs. After a lot of brainstorming, we decided to partner with the Johns Hopkins’ Source Service Scholars Program (SOURCE). SOURCE pairs Hopkins graduate students with community-based organizations like AWE to complete a yearlong project. We sent SOURCE a detailed description of the program we wanted to create: a research-backed financial education course for asylum seekers and foreign-born trafficking survivors that understood their unique financial needs and constraints. A few months later, SOURCE paired us with Shuait. Shuait Nair is a second-year medical student at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Prior to medical school, he studied international affairs at Georgetown University and he has a special interest in the intersections of forced migration and healthcare. When he saw AWE’s financial education project proposal, he was excited by the opportunity to work directly alongside asylum seekers and forced migrants to create a curriculum driven by their feedback and input. Shuait began working with AWE last fall, bringing an incredible enthusiasm and dedication to the project from the start. First, he hosted a focus group with clients to hear their questions and concerns about financial management in the US. Next, he spent a few months researching financial education best practices and adapting them to the needs our clients had identified. Then he designed a seven-part curriculum with lessons on key topics like budgeting, banks accounts, avoiding scams, and applying for an Individual Tax Identification Number (which is often used as an alternative to a Social Security Number for noncitizens). Finally, he recruited client volunteers to help lead classes and trained them in the curriculum. Shuait’s classes are led by the clients as much as the curriculum. He begins each class by asking clients to share their experiences managing their finances in their home countries, so that everyone can learn from each other. “The [curriculum] provides a nice framework, but ultimately, the lessons are driven by client questions,” Shuait says. “The conversations are very fluid and whenever somebody has an experience they'd like to share or an answer to a question, whether it be myself, the volunteers, or clients, we just chime in and share our two cents!” Providing financial education to asylum seekers and trafficking survivors is complicated by the enormous and ubiquitous uncertainty they face. Their immigration statuses vary, and it's difficult to find information about who has what rights and responsibilities at what point in their immigration process. The biggest challenge, according to Shuait, is the disparity between the general knowledge his curriculum teaches and the specifics of what each student needs at the moment. “What I have come to realize is that financial progress in the United States is a very stepwise process,” says Shuait. “You can't move on to the next step without having completed everything before that. For example, to receive a credit card and build credit, clients must have a bank account. To have a bank account, clients must have a social security number or an individual tax identification number [ITIN]. If clients do not yet have a social security number or an ITIN, they can file for an ITIN, but that process requires clients to have detailed identification forms, such as a passport. So, if a client does not have access to their passport, they can be stuck in a situation where making strides in financial progress is challenging.” Despite these complexities, client feedback about Shuait’s classes is overwhelmingly positive. Clients report that the classes help them make sense of the complicated financial systems in the US and provide them with valuable financial tools and resources as they begin to rebuild their lives in Maryland.

Nearly half of the clients AWE serves are foreign-born survivors of human trafficking. Immigrants are especially vulnerable to human trafficking, and every year the US government identifies thousands of foreign-born victims. AWE is the largest provider of services to foreign-born survivors in Maryland. Most of the survivors we serve are children and young adults who urgently need financial support and medical and mental healthcare. While trafficking survivors are generally eligible for public benefits like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), many survivors are unaware of their eligibility, or have difficulty accessing them due to bureaucratic obstacles and the complexities of their immigration status. Helping survivors navigate the systems is critical component of our work, but also very challenging. Clients enrolled in AWE’s trafficking program are eligible to receive public benefits using what is known as an Eligibility Letter issued by the Office of Trafficking in Persons (OTIP). The letter certifies that the client is a trafficking survivor and therefore eligible for services like case management and public benefits. However, to apply for benefits and access medical care, a survivor must also have a non-working Social Security Number (SSN). But to get the Social Security Number, they need to apply for and receive a formal letter from the Department of Social Services explaining why they need the number. They can then use the letter from DSS, along with their Eligibility Letter to apply for the Social Security Number at the Social Security Administration. While these steps may look straightforward on paper, the process can take a long time. Alma* is a minor trafficking survivor who lives with her younger sisters and her mom, Iris.* Alma urgently needed a Social Security Number so she could access public benefits and receive medical and mental health care. So, Alma’s mother and I (Alma’s caseworker) began the long and complicated application process. First, we gathered documents to submit to DSS so that they could write a letter that we could take to the Social Security Administration. To get the letter from DSS, we had to prove that Alma was eligible for a Social Security Number because she’s a trafficking survivor. However, most government agencies haven’t worked with foreign-born trafficking survivors, and they’ve never seen an Eligibility Letter. Without a lot of advocacy efforts on our part, DSS might reject the case and we’d have to start all over. Alma’s mother and I went to DSS in person to explain the uniqueness of the case. After a lot of back and forth, DSS provided the letter we needed, and we headed to the Social Security Administration. We’d already jumped through many hurdles, but we were prepared to advocate all over again. However, this time, the Social Security Officer took the letter, typed a few notes, and handed us a receipt. “Your card will arrive in two weeks,” she said. Alma’s Social Security Number application took less than 15 minutes. Iris and I were so surprised and started crying from excitement. We’d finally experienced a small win. Afterwards, Alma, Iris, and I celebrated over dinner. A week later, Iris texted to tell me that the Social Security card had arrived in the mail. With her Social Security number, Alma’s benefits application was approved. Additionally, she was enrolled in the Maryland Child Care Scholarship Program, which allows her to access before and after school programming. As small as the non-working Social Security Number may seem, it holds so much relief for survivors and families like Alma’s, and allows them to begin rebuilding their lives.