African Immigrants and Refugees Transition Services

African Immigrants & Refugees Transition services (AIRTS) is a non-profit organization founded by and for immigrants and refugees from Africa living in Iowa. since 2016 we have been providing Immigrants and refugees the resources they need to successfully settle in their new home/community.

Our mission is to help African Immigrants and refugee families acquire skills they need to function effectively as workers, students, and community members. 

Our community often faces barriers in their everyday life, African Immigrants and Refugees Transition Services helps reduce or remove some of those barriers. The COVID 19 pandemic has exacerbated these barriers and increased stress for both our organization and the families we serve.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for refugees, particularly when it comes to virtual school for their kids. Some of the parents we serve have never been to school themselves, Many of them don’t speak English and may not even have an email address or feel comfortable using computers. Many of them also work in service jobs and aren’t able to work from home. Navigating online schooling is really difficult for our clients, so we’re spending a lot of time helping them get things set up and connecting them with resources at the schools.