SEPO strives to provide resources for refugee, immigrant populations
Coming out of the pandemic, certain communities felt far more pain than others. In response, the city of Oshkosh released around five million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds for nonprofits dedicated to supporting those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. One of the organizations on the receiving end of these funds was SEPO (Sustainability, Education and Progress as One), who applied for funds to purchase a building in order to support Oshkosh’s BBAIR (Black, Brown, African, Immigrant, and Refugee) community as they recovered from the pandemic.
They applied for $350,000 to purchase a “SEPO Center” in order to house both new and old services. Though they prefer not to share the address at this time, Mandela Sadock, a volunteer at SEPO Center, assures that it is centrally located.
“There are lots of people around here, and it’s easy to drive to and walk to,” he said.
The idea of a center has been on SEPO’s goal list for a long time, though the organization had much more humble beginnings. Just like its co-founder Mashebe, or Mushe, Subulwa, SEPO originates in the western area of Zambia, Africa. The word sepo translates to “hope” in the area’s predominant language, Lozi. After moving to the United States, Subulwa found a concerning lack of support and community, according to SEPO’s official website.
“After making Oshkosh his home, Mashebe struggled with the mindset of many in the community that maintain a very closed worldview and understanding of Oshkosh’s place in the world,” the website states.
Sadock also found a lack of support after immigrating to the United States.
“When I came here, I didn’t have a job, I had to learn English, and when other people come here, they will have to do those things, too,” he said.
This, Sadock said, is where SEPO steps in, offering translation, housing assistance, and other services.
“I first found SEPO when there was a family of refugees losing a house,” he said. “Mushe had me talk to them, and we found a solution. It’s clearly important work.”
Since its founding, SEPO has been expanding its reach. However, Subulwa believes prioritizing expansion can lead to a lack of attention in other places.
“Many organizations have a strategic plan for the future, but that causes them to overlook immediate need,” he said.
The needs of the Oshkosh BBAIR community are not minor, though they are often underrepresented, according to school board member and immigration lawyer Molly Smiltneek.
“The refugee and immigrant population are often overlooked in our community,” she said.
Recently, SEPO has been working to counteract literacy inequities within Oshkosh students. Over the past year, a successful campaign was run, according to a report sent to parents.
“Even though the intention of the school district is positive and well-meaning, the educational outcomes are significantly worse for black/brown students in the school district, consistently every year,” it said. “Working toward educational equity means that we must pay extra attention to groups of students that have been most marginalized by the school to help shift these educational outcomes for the positive.”
Disproportionate literacy rates are just one of the many barriers that prevent immigrants from establishing roots here. Subulwa mentions the challenges involved in forging a new life.
“They have no access to the resources,” he said. “Even if they are supposedly available for them, it is very difficult for people to navigate these institutions.”
Subulwa hopes that the SEPO center can become the location people visit to help with this.
“This building is going to be a full house resource center, and when I say that, I mean a place where people can start from the beginning,” he said. “This is a place where you can come in and learn English, one-on-one, without rushing. Then they can apply for jobs, and then an apartment, and finally, a place where they can apply for immigration papers.”
Sadock envisions a place where people can plant roots and find a way to flourish within the community.
“My vision is a center where people can learn English, apply for jobs, read, and just be here,” he said. “These services are not just being offered to those without a traditional education. Many immigrants come here qualified in certain jobs, but unable to perform them because of the aforementioned barriers.”
Sadock understands the importance of fluency in English for immigrants looking to integrate into American communities.
“Some people who are highly educated in Africa but don’t speak English, like professors, engineers, and those who speak many languages, find that it doesn't matter when they come here,” he said. “They don’t know English.”
SEPO’s work not only offers benefits for those who receive support from the organization. It is also rewarding for voluntary participants, according to an anonymous volunteer, one of the group’s main translators.
“I come here to help people who don’t know English,” she said. “I can see my work helping people.”
Subulwa talks about his hopes to create a community area out of SEPO, fostering cultural diversity. This exchange of knowledge is fundamental to SEPO’s overall message, that across the world we are all interconnected.
“High school students should take this opportunity to come here,” he said. “They can teach English and if they do, they will learn from their experience. It’s not just one way.”
by Isaac Considine- Buelow
Published on February 24 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue V