Umoja ABQ
Empowering refugee women to build new beginnings
Did you know that nearly 60% of refugees who arrive in New Mexico are single mothers? Many were born and raised in refugee camps, are unable to read or write in their native languages, and have lived without hope or opportunity for the future.
I am Chantal Muhumure. Drawing on my own lived experience of overcoming these barriers, I founded Umoja ABQ to empower refugee women with the tools, resources, and education they need to develop new skills, achieve self-sufficiency, and successfully integrate into American society while preserving their cultural values.
In 2025, Umoja ABQ served more than 150 individuals through programs including Driving Manual classes, English literacy, financial literacy, women's health education, and more. Along the way, we've celebrated incredible milestones.
One participant, after earning her driver's license through our DRIVE program and building savings through our Financial Literacy program, was able to make the down payment on her first home through Habitat for Humanity.
Stories like hers are what Umoja ABQ is all about: providing refugee and immigrant women with the tools they need to build brighter futures. The communities we serve demonstrate extraordinary resilience every day, especially as families navigate food insecurity, uncertainty around changing immigration policies, and an increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric.
These challenges motivate us to continue growing and responding to emerging community needs. Our next steps include:
- Piloting a Computer Literacy program to help participants build digital skills and access new workforce opportunities.
- Expanding our Financial Literacy program to provide more advanced education and support for graduates of the introductory curriculum.
- Launching a Peer Maternal Health Navigator program to help refugee families overcome barriers to healthcare and improve maternal health outcomes.
We are deeply grateful to our community partners, supporters, and funders such as the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund at Santa Fe Community Foundation, whose investments make this work possible. Your support is helping refugee and immigrant women and families build stability, confidence, and opportunity, and create brighter futures for generations to come.
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The Santa Fe Community Foundation invited its nonprofit partners to submit stories related to our June topic of Equity & Belonging.
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