“We have become stronger because of the support of SVP. They are…doing the things we don’t have capacity for. It’s passionate people with great minds and the interest to see a better Connecticut.”

 – Dr. Anka Badurina, Executive Director of Building One Community

Building One Community (B1C), an immigrant support non-profit, and SVP have been partners for five years and counting. Executive Director Dr. Anka Badurina said that SVP’s ability to understand her organization has been a vital part of the relationship because the organization’s work supporting and empowering the immigrant community in Fairfield County is diverse and in-depth.

“What has been incredibly important is there is continuity, and the folks at SVP know what we do,” Badurina said. “And every time there is a need for something, we’ll assemble a team of SVPers…and we don’t have to retell the whole story about B1C because there is in-depth knowledge already,” she said.

Susan Adamsen (SVP Partner) presents Anka Badurina with recognition award for B1C’s outstanding work.

B1C’s work started in 2011 with supporting day workers, teaching English, and helping provide child care. Now the organization does everything from supporting immigrants in advocating for educational equity, helping them navigate healthcare, and bolstering their immigration legal proceedings.

B1C has supported over 15,000 people since 2011 and over 3,000 last year alone.

That support has been especially important as the immigrant population is growing in Connecticut. Fairfield County is second in the country for the number of people in removal proceedings. Over half the state’s immigrants, 61,000 people, live here in large part because of the need for work in house cleaning and landscaping, according to Badurina.

Thankfully, B1C continues to grow to meet this increasing need, and SVP Partners are grateful to be part of this process with them.