Who We Are
Higher Ground International is a forward thinking and culturally grounded Inter-generational social impact NGO dedicated to restoring dignity, empowering lives, and keeping peace. We provide meaningful opportunities for immigration advocacy, literacy, workforce inclusion and access to healthcare and community integration for African immigrants, refugees and marginalized communities in Rhode Island. This includes creating provisions to improve the lives of people living in the rural villages of Liberia, West Africa. And, along the way, we provide so much love, a welcoming place; creating an environment of trust where everybody is somebody.
What We Do
Higher Ground International works to restore dignity, empower lives, and keep peace. The organization’s twofold mission is to improve the lives of people living in the rural villages of West Africa, while providing meaningful opportunities for workforce and community development to the West African community living in Providence, RI, where the organization was founded. It provides basic supports and economic and educational opportunities to these communities, with an emphasis on empowering women, youth, and young adults as agents of change and self-determination.
HGI's Rukiya Center in Providence, Rhode Island
Located on the South side of Providence, Rhode Island, HGI's vibrant and welcoming RUKIYA CENTER provides members of the West African Immigrants and Refugees community with elder services (Sweetie Care, African Elders Enrichment Program), Soft skills pre-employment and workforce development, literacy classes for women, basic computer and design classes, therapeutic arts, cultural enrichment, advocacy, case management, immigration & citizenship classes and other wraparound services for youth and families. HGI’s for-profit arm, Broken Pieces International, engages adults, at-risk youth and other under-served populations in the design and manufacture of clothing and accessories that reflect the character and community of both HGI and the West African diaspora. This provides them with vital job training and economic opportunities, and the revenue generated supports HGI’s work in Liberia. This innovative model fosters important connections to the culture and history of the mother country for Liberians living abroad, and reinforces HGI’s mission to uplift communities through empowerment and self-sustainability.
Our Projects and Programs in West Africa
In rural Arthington, Liberia and the ten surrounding villages in the region, HGI works on bringing basic needs infrastructure like clean running water and community bathrooms to rural villages; cultivating land for agriculture as a means of both workforce development and economic opportunity; offering literacy literacy and entrepreneurship training for women and youth; and building community as a means to repair the social fabric torn apart by years of civil war.Details
| (401) 895-7761 | |
| ashley.hgi@outlook.com | |
| Ashley Wray | |
| Case manager | |
| http://www.highergroundintl.org/ |
