Fatima-Iram is an immigrant from Pakistan who grew up in the Midwest and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2018. Her immigrant experience has shaped her life and drives her work. Reminded every day of the love, sacrifices and hard work of her own family to thrive in the U.S. financially, Fatima-Iram understands how integral support and services are to the livelihood of people and families. She has worked in nonprofits for over a decade and is honored to connect with people and organization to ensure funds backing the essential work of RAI.
Can you tell us more about your role as Grants and Development Manager?
Well, grants can be both a blessing and a curse. We appreciate and rely on public and private funding so much, but it’s always an ongoing process and you’re continually chasing the next grant or funding opportunity. It’s a lot of juggling deliverables, timelines, reports, and making sure that we stay on track and take advantage of all the funding opportunities that are available to us so that local refugee and immigrant women can be empowered.
As a child of immigrants, can you talk about how important community is for families who are trying to get started in a new place?
Support from relatives and the immigrant community were incredibly important to my family. Both my parents came from large families, so in some ways it was lonely for them to be on their own in a new country. But they got a lot of help from the immigrant community –finding job opportunities, attending ESL classes, becoming naturalized as a citizen before their kids went to college so the kids could access federal student loans, learning to drive—in so many important areas. A neighbor down the street with a grandchild who was in the same elementary class, offered to carpool us kids and take turns with my parents (who had four children). This gave my parents some relief and time back. If my community did not help my parents and I, I would have had to walk long distances to school every day, I could not have had access to student loans to go to college, been able to learn to drive, or be connected to important resources growing up. Some of those people helping us became like family.
Growing up, technology was not as ubiquitous nor as accessible as it is now. So, access to resources, connections to family and friends all looked very different. It was more segmented, more isolated, and more expensive in some ways. Without the community, my family would have lived in perpetual fear of the unfamiliar, outside world due to language, cultural, and structural barriers. Our communities were our connection to accessing what the world had to offer at that time and place.
What excites you most about the new Maker Space + Cultural Center?
The new space is going to be great for the RAI team, the larger refugee and immigrant community, and the public. The office space is not going to have holes under my desk where I could look into the basement, we will finally have AC and decent heating system, and the production area is going to be much safer and more versatile. Personally, I’m especially excited about the bathroom wash basins to make Wudu and a new private area to pray! There will be opportunities for artisan led workshops, community events, and making connections that will make RAI a valuable community hub. All of which will make it easier for the public to understand and engage with our mission and the local refugee and immigrant women we serve. During my time with RAI, I’ve not seen the cultural center be functional for anything other than storage, sewing and some programs. I’m super excited for this new space to host refugee and immigrant centered exhibits, galleries, a retail section and artisan led workshops There’s so much to look forward to!
What are your hopes for the future of RAI?
When I started working at RAI, the team was relatively small. It’s rewarding to see the organization growing and changing to better serve immigrant and refugee women. Our new space is going to be amazing and allow us to be a true community gathering place with more programming, classes and impact.
Throughout my entire near 15-year career working in nonprofits and alongside marginalized communities, few organizations have moved me the way RAI has. Their approach is marked by a rare combination of intentionality, deep care, courage, and thoughtfulness that I have not encountered elsewhere. What strikes me most is that this culture of care is woven and stitched into every aspect of how they operate and show up for people. I am especially eager to see how that commitment continues to shape and expand the economic empowerment, cultural preservation and sustainably driven opportunities.
