The Role of Ethnic Communities and Faith-Based Organizations in Providing Care to African Migrant Women

• In Event: Student Forum Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 6: Migration and Belonging

Abstract

Some of the challenges that individuals face when they move across borders include loss of identity and social support. Ethnic communities serve as spaces for social integration, care, and cultural identity. While African immigrants and ethnic minorities face challenges, African migrant women face unique challenges of being a woman, and their experiences are often buried under the broader racial categories as African Americans in the migration, gender, care, and health data. The United States has a growing African migrant population. Recent estimates show that over 2.5 million African-born migrants reside in the United States. African migrant women contribute to this growing population. The heightened immigration enforcement towards immigrant communities in the United States makes this study relevant, as immigrants rely more heavily on immigrant community organizations, faith institutions, and social networks for forms of care and support. This study looks at how faith-based organizations provide care and support for African migrant mothers in the United States and explores how this care and support influences migrants' sense of belonging, integration experiences, and access to resources. The study adopts Intersectionality and social capital frameworks to analyze how faith-based organizations shape the experiences of African immigrant women in the United States. Results from the study indicate that faith-based institutions serve as sites for care by providing spiritual care and maternal support, childcare support, influencing members' maternal health journey, from prenatal care to motherhood support, and also educational, financial, and social resources that enhanced adaptation and agency and they serve as sites for social integration community and provides a sense of belonging for African migrant women.

Author

• Anastasia Ngozi Iwuagwu, University of South Florida