Refugee Artisan Initiative
Refugee Artisan Initiative partners with refugee and immigrant women to build skills, launch small businesses, and craft sustainable products that empower communities and protect our planet.
Hayden came to RAI through her desire to be active in the Lake City community while she was still a member of the tenured English faculty at Edmonds College. She has since retired, but retains the deep commitment to education, mentorship and diversity initiatives that inspired that career. Her current work is in property management, which allows her to work from her laptop—often from Kenya, where she has spent the last 20 years as the International Program Director for Cura Orphanage.
April is a month of blossoming flowers, warmer weather, and the transition from the long days of winter. Spring is a time for new beginnings, personal reflection, setting intentions, and entering a new chapter.
This RAI team member, who wished to remain anonymous, immigrated to the US from Vietnam and used her sewing skills to become a RAI artisan. She later became the office bookkeeper as she had a previous working experience in Vietnam in that role. Now, she feels like she’s in her dream job at RAI.
