Geoffrey Soyiantet’s Vintendo4Africa a beacon of hope
The novel coronavirus has made life more difficult – and sometimes unbearable.
For immigrants and refugees, here and nationally, those difficulties
have been magnified exponentially. There are roughly 47 million immigrants and about 11 million undocumented individuals living in the U.S. Fear of immigration enforcement,
especially among the undocumented, precludes many from accessing basic resources like education, economic growth, food, and healthcare assistance.
School closures and distance learning have put immigrant children at a disadvantage, not just because many have no computers or access to the Internet in home. Many of their parents are essential workers who cannot – or are afraid to – take off from work.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Geoffrey Soyiantet had his hands full attending to the needs of immigrants and refugees living in North St. Louis County. In 2010,
Soyiantet, 46, founded Vintendo4Africa, a nonprofit that provides programs and
resources for African immigrants. The agency offers a wide range of services which include education assistance, health resources, financial literacy, career development, home buying and rental assistance, classes on obtaining U.S citizenship, green cards, voter registration and more.
The program practices “ubuntu,” which Soyiantet explained is part of the Zulu phrase “I
am because you are,” meaning that a person is a person through other people.
It was a valuable lesson Soyiantet, a native of Nairagie Ngare, Kenya, learned when he
came to America in 2004. Soyiantet was a lucky selection in the American Diversity Visa lottery. The program awards 50,000 green cards from an applicant pool of
23 million annually. Because he knew someone here from Kenya, Soyiantet chose to
make St. Louis his home.
Arriving here with $50 dollars in his pocket, Soyiantet struggled to find a place to live and a job. Even though he held a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kenyatta University, it held no sway with the places he applied for work in St. Louis. He took jobs in restaurants and hotels as a dishwasher and housekeeper.
“A lot of immigrants with great potential go unrecognized, so they struggle to get a good
job. Most of the employers feel that if you have an accent, you’re not sophisticated.”
Soyiantet said he worked at least two jobs until he got his master’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University. He also earned an associate degree in
billing and coding which helped him land a job with SSM healthcare. He eventually became an environment quality commissioner for the city of
Florissant. Throughout his journey, Soyiantet said he shared information with other immigrants:
“When I was working, I was pulling all the information together. Whatever I found what was working for me, I would share it with other people.”
Soon he became the go-to-guy for immigrant information. So many people were contacting him seeking his advice that he explored the idea of starting an organization.
“Vintendo’ is a Swahili word for ‘Action,’” Soyiantet said.
“A lot of people were saying we need an organization that addresses the needs of African immigrants, but they were just talking about it, no action was taken. So, I wanted to start something that was about action not just talk.”
There are other local immigrant and refugee resource organizations such as the
International Institute and Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates (MIRA) but Soyiantet
said most are in the city and were not close to the growing African immigrant and
refugee populations in areas such as Hazelwood, Ferguson and Florissant.
“To benefit the community, you have to go where they are. I wanted to bring something that is within the community,” he said.
As with other minority groups, COVID-19 dramatically highlighted disparities within marginalized communities. But with the communities Vintendo serves, disparities were exaggerated because of cultural and language barriers and the real fear of seeking help that might jeopardize people’s immigration status.
The increased fear from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had many immigrants literally afraid to leave their homes.
“As you know, during the previous administration, there was a lot of animosity toward immigrants. So, you feel like you’re about to share information that may hurt you or a family member,” Soyiantet explained. “People didn’t want to do anything that meant giving out personal information. That’s why so many chose to stay home rather than go to the hospital unless it was an emergency.”
Like Soyiantet when he came to this country, many immigrants are low wage “essential workers,” employed at grocery stores, factories or in the hospitality, food, agriculture or leisure industries. Soyiantet challenges the stereotype of Immigrants who come to this country looking for hand-outs:
“Most in the African community would rather work two or three jobs and make their own money than apply for food stamps or government aid,” he said.
This work ethic, Soyiantet added, had a negative effect during the pandemic.
“Most, even when they’re sick, went to work. Which meant they were exposing the virus to the people they interacted with.”
Some of the heartbreaking stories Soyiantet shared included a store worker, who by the time he tested positive, had already exposed his entire family to the virus.
Another tragic incident involved a 45-year-old father and his 17-year-old son who both died from COVID-19. Those were just two of many that have brought grief, frustration and stress to his “community” and his organization that is trying to help.
Still, serves a valuable role for immigrants and the undocumented. They have workshops for new immigrants and refugees settling in St Louis, programs for school-age children to help them adapt to virtual learning, mentorship programs for kids and adults and resources for potential African business-owners.
It is all about providing resources that help foreigners navigate unfamiliar, sometimes uncomfortable terrain, Soyiantet said. It is about “giving back,” “paying it forward” and people helping people be people, he said, adding:
“It’s all about ubuntu.”
Sylvester Brown Jr. is The St. Louis American’s inaugural Deaconess Fellow.
For more information visit: https://vitendo4africa.org/
