Impact of DreamxAmerica's 0% Interest loans
The impact of DreamxAmerica’s 0% interest loans on Mainers.
Our Business hub helps connect local businesses with DreamxAmerica’s loans to foster economic growth in our immigrant communities and state as a whole.
“My name is Muhammad Humza and I was born in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. Growing up as a Muslim Pakistani-American in Maine, the least racially diverse state in the U.S., was a very unique experience. I moved to rural Maine from a city of 6 million people in Pakistan. The new place I came to call home couldn't be more different from the old; climate, people, culture, social interactions, and almost everything else about life was different between the two homes. Growing up and traveling between Pakistan and the U.S., learning the cultures and seeing them from two unique perspectives, helped me appreciate the two cultures and understand myself in different ways.
However, this was a precarious situation as well, because being between two different cultures also meant never being fully a part of something. It meant social alienation regardless of where I was. In Pakistan, I was an American and in America, I was a Pakistani. With the kindness of others and a charming smile, I’ve learned to be home in both environments." - Muhammed “Humza,” Founder & CEO, Inclusion Maine
“My name is Adil and I am from Iraq Iceland because of the Civil War being fought within my country. I used to work as a barber in Iraq, but when I came to the US in 2013 as a refugee, I had to start from the beginning- taking English classes, getting a high school diploma, and becoming a US citizen in 2018. I had more than 10 years of barbering experience in Iraq but none of my credentials from Iraq counted towards working as a barber in America. So I had to get the train from the beginning despite my great amount of existing experience. I went to Aveda Institute in Augusta Maine to get certified as a barber, and then I went to the state board to get licensed officially. Now, I am licensed barber – it is my dream to make my business successful and provide a service especially for the rabbit people in my community, and to make a living and income to provide for and contribute to my large family (I have four boys).” - Adil, Founder, 4Men Barbershop
"My name is Sholeh. I was born in Iran and came to the United States as a refugee in 2005. I came here along with six sisters and brothers, my husband, and my two sons. We have all worked hard here to create a better life. Personally, I like to cook, sew, garden, paint, and more – a little of almost everything. I especially like working with children, which is how my business came about. Today, I live with my family in Maine, where I have been running a home childcare center for the last several years." - Sholeh, Co-Founder & CEO, Happy Garden Family Childcare
"I am originally from Sari, Iran. I left Iran in 2007 because I am a Baha’i – a highly persecuted religious minority in Iran. For Baha’is in Iran, we are not allowed to pursue higher education and many times businesses owned by Baha’is are shut down by the government. So I left for Turkey where I waited for 2 years before I came to the United States. When I arrived in 2009, I had a 10-year plan: get married, start a family, and start a business. I married my wife Kelly in 2016 and we welcomed our daughter Luna in 2018. In August of 2019, I started my business! Part of my next 10-year plan includes expanding my business, Scratch Master Mobile. I continued working while starting my business and dove full-time in my business as of August 2020. Now I am looking forward to building my business even further!" - Navid, Founder & CEO, Scratch Master Mobile
"My name is Arash. I am originally from Iran and came to the U.S in 1999 as a refugee. I grew up in a small town in Iran, which was surrounded by beautiful mountains. I used to love climbing the mountains and having races down them with my friends and then drinking cold freshwater from the spring running at the bottom of the mountain. When I was 19, I had to leave everything behind, including my family, and seek shelter in another country as a refugee. With extreme difficulties, walking through the nights, crossing mountains and rivers, and facing many dangers, I managed to make it to Turkey and register as a refugee with a United Nations branch in Turkey. After spending one year there, the United Nations helped me to resettle in Maine. I am a friendly and outgoing person who enjoys meeting new people every day and loves helping them in different ways. This is my true passion" - Arash, Founder & CEO, Maine Motor Sales
“My name is Deborah. I'm from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and I immigrated to the United States in September 2014. I am the holder of an Associate Degree in Liberal Studies/Science, and I'm currently completing my Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Southern Maine. I work as a Patient Service Representative at Martin's Point Health Care, and I'm also the founder and CEO of Angels of Love Event Design. I’m passionate about helping others; I've always been someone who has looked after others and who wants to help bring happiness to others’ lives. I'm also passionate about art, design, and decoration. I was always the one planning my friends’ and family members’ weddings, and all other types of events (e.g., birthdays, graduations, baby showers, formal dinner, corporate events) by providing ideas and creating unique styles for each one of them. I soon realized how much my work was bringing happiness and positively impacting people’s lives. After discovering my passion, I then determined the level of demand for my skills in my community." - Deborah, Founder & CEO, Angels of Love Event Design
"This passion for clothing came from my grandpa who was a tailor. He used to always have me by his side whenever he was working with fabrics. So, even without him teaching me the job, he deeply embedded within me a certain taste for clothing. That is when I started my designs for various clothing items like pants and shirts." - Marcel, Co-Founder & CEO, Matthew Marcel
"We provide low-bono-fee legal services and offer free consultations for cases we are unable to take. Since its beginning in 2019, Hagenimana Law has about 100 open cases, many of which are asylum cases. We have won asylum for many of our clients at a fraction of the costs that they would have had to pay to other law firms. We find a lot of joy and pride in being able to do this and offer this service to people who would not otherwise afford it." - Felix, Founder & Managing Partner, Hagenimana Law PLLC
“Maine, the African community was small – but it grew bigger in the following years. I believe that if you have a dream, you should keep working hard, and don’t only look at barriers; the opportunities are out there, too. My name is Thierry. I am the owner of Chez Bujabelle Bar & Restaurant. I am originally from Burundi in eastern Africa. Prior to coming to the United States, I lived in Netherlands for 5 years. I arrived in the United States in 2008 after winning a green card lottery. I have been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2015. When I arrived here in Portland, I saw the needs of the growing African community here in Portland to access the tastes and cuisines from back home. The community members with connections to Africa needed to find a place where they could eat authentic African food. This is how I came to the idea of opening an African bar and restaurant, and this dream became a reality in 2017.” - Thierry, Founder and Owner Bujabelle LLC
“My name is Pushpa. I was born in Pokhara, Nepal and I moved to the United States 11 years ago. I filed for political asylum in the United States and now am able to stay here. I moved to Portland, Maine five years ago, and since I moved here I have loved it. It is just like a home away from home for me. I have two business partners, Sachet and Dipesh, who also from Nepal. Beyond my restaurant, I also am a part-time student at Southern Maine Community College, where I am finishing my school. My advice to younger people is to follow your dreams; we always need some help from others, so get help if you need it.” - Pushpa “Sidd,” Hi Bombay
“My name is Fawaz. I was born in Iraq, where I owned a store in the small city of Nasereyah. After 2003, my wife and I began to feel unsafe, so we moved to Syria, Jordan, and then Turkey. We were lucky to have the opportunity to come to the United States in 2009 under refugee statuses. We settled in Maine and we're excited to live in a new, safe place. Even though everything was new to include the food and how to speak and drive, we were very happy to call this place home. My wife does not work as she is on disability but my brother and I were eager to get started. Based on my employment experience in Iraq, I sought jobs in a similar environment with my brother alongside. At first, we had a difficult time due to the language barrier. After moving around jobs, I eventually found steady employment as a cashier in an Arabic market also with my brother. As I worked in this line of work, I began to realize the demand for this industry and market and decided to open my own business in order to have a business for my middle eastern community and create jobs, but also to expand and cater to "Mainer's" the food and ingredients from that I grew up with.” - Fawaz, Founder and Owner, Makkah Market LLC
“My name is Batista. I am from South Sudan. I finished middle school in Africa and am working on completing my GED. This is complicated at the moment as I am a single father of two children -- two boys. From South Sudan, I went to Khartoum, and from there I went to Cairo in Egypt. The reason I left was because of the civil war in my country and I wished to find a better life for my family. From Egypt, I then came to Portland, Maine. Since the moment I came to the United States, I have been supporting my mother and trying to get her to make it over here. This is why I am working hard, trying to build a business of my own, building and creating a better life for my family. Back home, I was a mechanic but when I arrived in Maine I worked for Barber Food with the machine operator, and I also worked with Ready C Food as their maintenance supervisor for 7 years. I also worked with the Aucus as a machine operator for three years, and now I am currently working for HB Hood in shipping and receiving, and of course, supporting my business by working every morning.” - Batista, Founder, African Store
“My name is Ismael, and I have been in Maine for the past seven years. I am originally from Iraq, and I have four children. Back in Iraq, I worked in a furniture store, where I sold goods to American armed forces personnel. Working with the U.S. Army helped me understand that America could be a better place to raise my children. Since I wanted to create a stable and healthy life for my family, this spurred my decision to move to America. I decided to open my own business realizing that it could provide a community gathering place, and special goods, which are unavailable in other stores. I find that it is always good for us to connect with people. When my family and I first came here, there were no Arab markets for people in Augusta, Maine. This meant that people from my community and background had to drive several hours away to Portland to find culturally appropriate foods. By opening up Alnaeem Market, I was able to ensure that our community didn’t have to travel far to get the foods they want and need. My first job here was at my grocery store, where I hope to continue to ensure that my family has a safe and stable life. This job also allows me to stay connected to the community that I grew up with, passing on the traditions and goods of Iraq and other places to people in Maine. Finally, my business also allows me to educate Americans about Iraqi culture and foods. The store is located in a place that is quite homogenous, so my customers recognize this absence of diversity and see my store as a hub for our community and place to learn more about Iraq.” - Ismael, Founder, Alnaeem Market
“My name is Gatien. I have been in the United States for more than 5 years now, and I used to be a social worker in my country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When I came here, I couldn't speak any English, but through hard work, I learned the language. I was not able to continue doing social work, so I began doing entry-level jobs to support myself. After a few years, I began working for the City of Portland as a Shelter Attendant. A couple of years later, I began working as a housekeeper at Maine Medical Center, and I am currently working at Preble Street, a non-profit organization that helps Portland's population experiencing homelessness.” - Gatien, Founder, Rejoice Cleaning Services LLC
“My name is Adrian, I am from Bolivia and I moved to the United States 6 year ago under the fiancee visa. Back in my home country of Bolivia, I had a career as an Industrial Engineer, but I decided to follow my passion when I moved to the United States. So, I started learning about the food business. After working in different restaurants around Portland, Maine – my new home – I started the Empanada Club. Moving to the USA has been the most challenging experience but I believe anything is possible with passion and hard work.” - Adrian, Founder, Empanada Club
“My name is Ayesha and I was born in the vibrant city of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. In the summer of 1996, I got married and came to the United States. We moved to the beautiful city of Portland, Maine, which became our home where I raised our two children. I came to the United States not knowing any English, so I enrolled in Portland Adult Education where I took language and accounting classes. It was there that I learned to express myself, received my GED, and gained the skills and confidence to pursue a career in the banking industry for more than 15 years. Previously, I had worked at Walmart and helped my husband with cleaning offices for his cleaning company while raising my children. It was the positive feedback from my time helping at my husband’s cleaning company doing management and human resources work, and my many customer service and achievement awards as a banker, that gave me the encouragement that I could one day establish my own business.” - Ayesha, Founder, Maine Transportation Services
“I am Therese. I was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I moved to the United States about 5 years ago, back in 2016. I am now settled in the city of Portland, Maine, where I have been talking to the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcoming Center about my cleaning services business. I love going to church and talking with my daughter and son. I am passionate about learning new things, and nothing can stop my dream. My advice in life is to always chase your dream, even if you failed once in your life.” - Therese, Founder, Kapinga LLC
“I moved to Portland, Maine 12 years ago from Rwanda. I have a bachelor's management from the university of Rwanda and a Master's degree in Mediation and conflict resolution from the Abilene Christian University in Texas. For the last 10 years I worked as a case worker with Preble Street, an nonprofit organization that helps homeless individual with their many challenges, find decent housing, jobs, etc.. I also served my community as vice president for 4 years and president for 2 years. I am married and have 2 daughters 13 & 11.” - Antoine, Co-Founder, 207 Holdings LLC