Areas of Service
Employment & Workforce Development
ESHARA supports New Americans in gaining the skills and confidence they need to earn a livable wage and access meaningful employment opportunities.
Our services include:
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Resume building
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Mock interviews
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Job search support
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Case management
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Job-related skills training
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English language classes
Learn more and explore available resources on our Employment Services page.
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Care Coordination for Essential Services
We support households in navigating everyday challenges by helping them:
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Apply for public benefits
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Find stable housing
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Address childcare needs
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Overcome transportation barriers
All of our Care Coordinators are New Americans themselves. This shared background allows them to offer peer-based support—bringing lived experience, cultural understanding, native language fluency, and a deep sense of community connection to the work.
Workforce Liaison
We partner with large employers to build strong, collaborative relationships and improve workplace practices.
Our goal is to help New Americans succeed and retain employment by proactively addressing challenges and creating supportive work environments.
Youth Empowerment Program
ESHARA's Youth Empowerment Program in Fargo-Moorhead and St. Paul helps young people find employment and develop the skills to become the next generation of community leaders. We offer youth-focused programming and afterschool services that support personal growth, leadership, and career readiness.
In 2022, ESHARA was awarded a Youthprise East African Youth Economic Development grant, in collaboration with local partners and schools. Through this program, 35 youth explored career paths and gained valuable skills to support their future success in both higher education and employment.
Health & Wellness
ESHARA partners with health providers to offer client referrals and promote culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health awareness in the community.
From 2022–2023, ESHARA collaborated with a public health agency to conduct one-on-one interviews with New American community members. These conversations offered valuable cultural and religious insights into how mental health is perceived and addressed within their communities.
Using what we learned, ESHARA developed Mental Health Trainings specifically for New Americans—aimed at reducing stigma and shifting the belief that seeking help is taboo.
We continue to serve as advocates and cultural bridges, helping build trust between community members and the health systems that serve them.
Cultural Heritage Preservation & Celebration
ESHARA organizes cultural celebrations and community gatherings that honor and uplift cross-cultural heritage through arts, traditions, food, and storytelling.
These events feature music, dance, and cultural education that reflect the richness of our communities.
We also support collaborative efforts—such as co-planning the annual Somali Cultural Festival in partnership with Hiddo Soor—to foster pride, connection, and intergenerational learning.
Legal Aid Kiosk
In partnership with Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, ESHARA offers a Legal Aid Kiosk at our Moorhead office—providing New Americans with a safe, culturally responsive space to access legal and workforce resources.
The kiosk allows community members to:
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Apply for legal aid
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Attend virtual court hearings
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Print legal documents
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Access job search tools
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Receive multilingual support from our Care Coordinators
Who We Are
The work of ESHARA is of, by, and for new Americans, refugees, and people of color.
Through our staff and partners, we emphasize strong, collaborative relationships built through outreach, culturally-focused community events, connecting with employers, and working across systems to build sustainable change.
We know the cultures, speak the languages, and have shared lived experience of fleeing our home countries to build a new home.
Learn more about ESHARA’s mission, vision, and the values that guide our work here.
Connection is our expertise
Are you struggling to connect with resources in the community?
ESHARA, or Ethnic Self-Help Alliance for Refugees Assistance, provides comprehensive advocacy and representation for new American immigrants, refugees, and people from diverse communities so they can get integrated into the community easily.
Collaboration is Our Nature
Through our partnership of community leaders, who serve as informal and formal representatives of their cultural or ethnic communities, clients and the community of new Americans have input into our services and practices. This collaborative approach is critical in ensuring we are accountable to our communities and are as effective as possible in our collaboration across all cultural groups who now call our community home.
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7 Years of Helping Others
Licensed & Skilled Team
Commitment to Excelence
Culturally & Linguistically Specific Services
Registered 501c3
Quality of Our Services
See What Our Clients Say About Us
“I approached ESHARA in search of employment, and the Care Coordinator there provided me with an assessment form to detail my needs and job preferences…The Care Coordinator assisted me in crafting my resume and explored various job roles with me, asking if I would be interested in cooking for the students, washing dishes, or serving food…With the Care Coordinator's help, I successfully applied for and secured a kitchen position...where I currently work…I am deeply grateful to the ESHARA team for their invaluable support and for making this possible for myself and family.”
- Community Member
