CBC is highlighting stories of Black Canadian immigrants to share the joys and hurdles on their paths to Black excellence. From their first ways in Canada to the moments that formed their lives. These are their journeys below.
When Nigerian-born Akeem Adebisi moved to Winnipeg with his family in 2015, he observed the nearby racialized community was acquiring problems navigating the banking process and making finishes satisfy.
“You know, a large amount of persons are having difficulties in our group,” he claimed. “I signify, the Black local community below in Manitoba, carrying out a few work opportunities, performing four positions, you know, just to make finishes fulfill.”
Adebisi knew lots of people today who had been finding dollars through payday loans devoid of noticing how the process is effective.
“This is the problem that most folks face when they arrive to Canada … if the banking process is not assisting you.”
When Nigerian-born Akeem Adebisi recognized that racialized communities in Winnipeg had been having difficulties to navigate the banking program and make ends meet, he decided to develop an application to assist them preserve for their goals. 5:03
Adebisi, who arrives from a family members of business owners, determined to discover a option — all even though navigating his new telecommunications occupation, exactly where he explained he frequently encountered racism from clients.
In 2019, he produced AjoPro, an app that aids folks preserve for objectives. Individuals can contain anything from shelling out off pupil financial debt, to conserving up for a downpayment to buy a home.
AjoPro is billed as a “social funds” app that enables customers to borrow funds from their local community devoid of desire or credit history checks, and avoid highly-priced payday financial loans.
In accordance to AjoPro’s Application shop site, the thought is primarily based on a centuries aged self-funding program popularly regarded as a Rotating Financial savings and Credit rating Affiliation (ROSCA).
Adebisi says the application, which observed $2 million in transactions previous year, has had a good impact on the individuals who use it.
“If you seem at the reaction that individuals have been providing us on our Google, our Google Play or our Android Apple Retailer, you will see tremendous pleasure,” he claimed.
“It’s a experience that, you know, one can not definitely describe: the reality that you are generating people today joyful, you are transforming lives, you are generating people really feel like they belong.”
Getting Black in Canada: My Journey Below is a distinctive sequence wherever Black Canadian immigrants share the joys and hurdles on their paths to Black excellence. From their initial methods in Canada to the times that shaped their life.
