Mrs. Zainab Karie, owner of Hijaz Clothing and Merchandise, received her first loan from ADC in 2007 after starting her business in 1997. Before this, Mrs. Karie moved to Minnesota from Kenya with her six small children. She then went on to open her small business while raising her children as a single mother.
Happy Childcare Center opened its doors in 2018 with the vision to provide culturally competent daycare service for its diverse community. They saw a need in their own community and other immigrant and minority communities in the Twin Cities for flexible childcare that meets the working parent’s schedule. Happy Childcare Center works to accommodate the needs of the people in the community.
Hana Hassan’s passion for orthotics and prosthetics began during her pre-teen years in the Somali capital of Mogadishu after she witnessed a life-changing event in her family when a mortar attack hit her uncle's house and amputated him on the spot. This was a crucial event in ...
The motto for the National Industry Standards for Homeownership Education and Counseling (NISHEC) is, “Homeownership Done Right!” Therefore, it is no surprise that the African Development Center was recently recognized as an adopter of these standards.
Throughout all of the programs of the African Development Center, the importance of sound financial education is stressed for the ultimate success of Minnesota’s immigrant and refugee community. Moving to a new country is often filled with challenges, but few are as critical as learning how to navigate the financial system. ADC understands this need and offers culturally-competent workshops and counseling services to provide the necessary financial education to succeed.
Abdirisaq Ahmed has lived in St. Cloud, Minnesota for ten years. During this time he and his growing family have struggled to live comfortably in a number of apartments. Unfortunately, the dream of owning his own home never seemed a possibility given their situation.
ADC proudly announces the recipients of its 2016 Business Awards at a luncheon at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul. ADC is a leader in micro lending to entrepreneurs and growing small business. Our work in financial literacy, business development and homeownership counseling focuses on Minnesota’s African community. With the help of dedicated full time employees, consultants, Executive and Finance and Board of Directors, ADC provides services in 6 languages to communities throughout Minnesota.
Nothing can stop Kristy Wilson. When she got it into her mind to start her own hair salon, there was no doubt or hesitation. She was working as hair stylists at East 42nd Street Salon in Minneapolis, the only shop in town at the time which carried Deva Curl Products and specialized in working with curly hair. Kristy had a vision for a different business model. She wanted to be in a different location and to have her business be more a part of the community.
Dr. Mohamud Afgarshe, a well-known physician in the Twin Cities who specializes in Internal Medicine, came to ADC in 2010. He was ready to open up a community clinic that aimed to provide high quality and culturally-responsive urgent health care services to the Twin Cities’ growing African community.
In early 1996, Mr. Mohamud Ali came to the United States from Somalia, a young immigrant with many hopes and dreams of succeeding in this country through hard work and ambition. Mohamud has embraced the true entrepreneurial spirit of providing for his family and the community. His vision and excellent reputation has elevated him to a strong business standing within the immigrant community in the Twin Cities.
Sara Wordofa's vision--made reality with ADC's help in September 2008--was to bring authentic Ethiopian food and bakery products to the growing demand of Minneapolis but, as was soon found out, the demand for delicious home style meals spreads far beyond merely the local residents of the city. With a diverse menu of Ethiopian, Somali, Italian, and Middle Eastern cuisine at affordable prices, Katar River has seen tremendous growth in the past seven years. Known for mouth-watering recipes, customers routinely fill the seats of both the indoor and outdoor sections of the restaurant, as they enjoy all the tempting smells and lively music in the air.
With a level of tenacity and dedication to rival any Olympic sportsman, Stephen Menya turned his entrepreneurial dreams and passion for fitness into the very successful endeavor of running his own gym. Lion’s Gym is a full-featured exercise and training facility, with the personal touch that other large franchise gyms can’t touch. With personal training services tailored for each individual client, and pricing to stay affordable, Menya maintains a human element through everything that Lion’s Gym offers. It is no wonder that ...
In Somalia, Abdiqafar Adan had a good life. He studied law for a time. He owned a thriving wholesale business and gave private English lessons to university students. Then the country fell apart. In 1994, he sent his wife to America to escape the bloody chaos. Four years later, when hope of a return to normalcy had evaporated, he followed her to Minneapolis and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood that was, and remains, the nucleus of Minnesota’s Somali population.
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