When Forai founder Jen Owens and her husband moved back to St. Louis after living in Russia for five years, she wanted to find a meaningful way to get involved with the community. “My antenna was always up, looking for the next thing to do,” says Owens.
She jumped at the opportunity to host two newly arrived refugee families. The second family she hosted was made up of a single mom and her two school aged children. This family had lived in a refugee camp for 17 years and didn’t speak any English.
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“I couldn’t quit thinking about this woman. What if that was me?” says Owens. “What would it have been like in Russia if I couldn’t speak and had to go get a job to provide for my family?”
Owens began brainstorming ways in which she could help this family and other families in similar situations. “What came to my mind was working with our hands. That’s something that bridges the language barrier and the awkwardness of trying to relate to someone from another culture.”
Owens had the idea to create an organization that would allow women to make money by creating jewelry, home textiles, and clothing in the comfort of their own homes. She turned to her church community to identify people with business experience and those who have worked with the refugee community. “No matter how great I think the idea is, [if] the people that we’re trying to help don’t think it’s a good idea, then it’s useless,” says Owens.
The response was so positive that they kicked off Forai with a monthly gathering where women came together, made items, and started trying to sell them. “We’re targeting women who have barriers to employment—the primary one being that they’re needed at home to take care of family needs. We’re offering them opportunities to be in a relationship, to generate income, and to learn new skills,” she says.
Since that first meeting in October of 2009, the organization has grown and acquired their own working space for monthly meetings. The space allows them to work next to an area where their kids can play. “We wanted to make sure that child care was never a barrier so we have a place for children to play.”
Owens co-teaches the sewing group with Ning Lun, a refugee who escaped Burma when she was 17-years-old. Lun traveled to Malaysia where she found work at a Chinese restaurant. “I can’t believe that she wasn’t trafficked. She was 17 years, traveling by boat and bus,” says Owens.
Lun met her husband, also from Burma, in Malaysia. When she arrived in St. Louis with her husband and child, she did not speak any English. “It’s been amazing to watch her family tackle issues,” says Owens. “They’ve been able to move from a one-bedroom apartment to owning their own home. They’ve become citizens. She drives a car.”
Lun has also become one of Forai’s best seamstresses. “Hopefully, in the fall when her child goes to school, she will be able to teach a basic sewing class.”
In similar fashion, Luzmila Buechler, an immigrant from Colombia, has led a class on jewelry design. “We would love to see refugee and immigrant women moving into all these different positions. We don’t function like a traditional business because we’re not looking for someone who already has the skills; we want to train the women and get them to that place.”
“That’s one of our core values—we all need each other. It’s a mutual exchange,” says Owens. “We’re all benefiting from each other.”
Forai products can be found at the Strange Folk Festival, the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market on select dates, local retailers, and online. And they are also always looking for new volunteers.
