Nazira Niazi arrived in the United States in 2013 with her husband and two children as refugees, after being forced to leave Afghanistan.
Shortly after her arrival in Michigan, Niazi came to ACCESS seeking help with employment. As a woman entrepreneur in her native country, Niazi owned and operated a jewelry business with her family and wanted to continue the work that she loved in the United States.
Through ACCESS Growth Center’s micro-loan program, funded by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, she was connected with one-on-one business start-up technical assistance, financial management, credit-building education and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
“At ACCESS Growth Center we are elated and proud to see one of our entrepreneurs taking the next step in the great American tradition of immigrant entrepreneurship; what a difference six months can make!" said Hassan Bazzi, microenterprise loan program coordinator. "All of this is proof that the work we all do makes a huge difference on so many levels."
Niazi’s jewelry collection will be on display and available for purchase at Marlee's by Tapper’s at Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 24. Read more about Niazi's business.
