News
2023
Press Releases & Announcements
06/21/2023
Check out the dresses for sewn by Afghan women in Culturingua's Sewing for Success program!
06/23/2023
Read about the Silk Road Cultural Corridor designation.
Celebrating National Arab American Heritage Month
04/11/2023
Read more about how three Arab-American-owned businesses in San Antonio benefited from being part of Culturingua and LISC’s Kiva Microloan Program, which focuses on expanding financial access to help underserved communities thrive.
Welcoming Interactive 2023 Summary
05/10/2023
Thank you to Welcoming America for an amazing 3 days at Welcoming Interactive 2023, where we joined over 600 leaders from across the globe to exchange practices and ideas for including immigrants and refugees in their communities.
Culturingua discussed cultural competence as a means with asset building. By the end of the session, participants were able to state the meanings of cultural competence and asset building, aspects of Islamic finance, and culturally sensitive financial techniques.
05/09/2023
Culturingua is proud to be recognized by H-E-B as part of their Be the Change initiative, which amplifies diverse voices by sharing their stories and highlighting their products and services. For Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month, H-E-B featured Culturingua among their community partners that provide support and resources to our Asian American communities.
Learn more at
Fellowship program applications now open!
05/08/2023
Are you an Arab American college student/recent graduate with an interest in nonprofit work? Culturingua would love to host you as a Fellow of the NNAAC's Transformative Leaders Fellowship Program! Fellows will be given opportunities to learn about all aspects of a non-profit organization, including administration, grant writing, fundraising, communications, community engagement, and service delivery, among other things.
APPLY NOW AT: bit.ly/NNAACFELLOWSHIP23 and select "TX: Culturingua" as your Host!
Questions about the position? Contact Nader Mehdawi at nader@culturingua.com.
Questions about the application? Contact Mariam Bazzi at mbazzi@accesscommunity.org.
Thank you Multicultural Refugee Coalition!
05/04/2023
Culturingua would like to thank the Multicultural Refugee Coalition and New Leaf Agriculture for meeting with us yesterday and showing us around New Leaf Farm!
We had a wonderful time touring the farmland and discussing how the program trains and employs refugees while providing the community with fresh produce. We learned valuable information on how to build sustainable programming. Thank you for the tour and the inspiration!
Join us at the King William Fair!
04/28/2023
Join us at the King William Fair this Saturday, April 29th!
Culturingua will be located at booth J212 in the World Market block on Johnson St, where dresses made from our Sewing for Success program will be available for purchase.
We hope to see you there!
Thank you San Antonio Junior Forum!
04/27/2023
Culturingua thanks the San Antonio Junior Forum for awarding this grant towards our Sewing for Success program, which will provide fabric to our students.
Announcing the 2023 Stevens Initiative Grantees
04/25/2023
Today, the Stevens Initiative announced Culturingua is one of 15 schools, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations to receive funding to run virtual exchange programs that connect young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Culturingua’s Alliance of Young World Actionists (AYWA) engages young American and Libyan leaders focused on local and global public health challenges and their causes. Click here to read our full press release.
Community of Welcome Event: Service Day
04/24/2023
Volunteers will gather together at Rudder Middle School from 9am-12pm on May 6th and clean up its community garden as part of our commitment to the community, the environment, and climate action.
We look forward to a day of service and community and hope you will take part in this annual day that does so much good across the nation.
Questions? Contact Essam Bouras at essam@culturingua.com.
Meet the 2023 Stevens Initiative Alumni Fellows
04/10/2023
Congratulations to Muhanad Belhasan and Xitlalih Torres for being selected as The Stevens Initiative 2023 Alumni Fellows! Both participated in Culturingua's Global Social Entrepreneurship Journey in 2021 where students are able to work together to create a social enterprise idea that addresses a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.
Impact Story: Global Social Entrepreneurship Journey
04/07/2023
We are honored to have our Global Social Entrepreneurship Journey program be featured in The Stevens Initiative's latest impact story.
Through Global Social Entrepreneurship Journey, students in Benghazi, Libya and San Antonio, Texas gained confidence and skills for their future careers while creating binational friendships and increasing their knowledge of other world languages. Throughout the seven-week program, students worked together to create a social enterprise idea that addresses a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.
Thank you for taking part in Earth Hour 2023!
03/27/2023
We'd like to thank everyone who came out on March 18th and joined our Community of Welcome program in commemoration of Earth Hour!
Together, we spent 60 minutes celebrating our planet by discussing how switching off non-essential lights impacts climate change and environmental sustainability.
Though Earth Hour is over, you can still learn how you can help our planet by visiting earthhour.org. It's never too late to take care of each other and the home we all share.
Kiva Loan Funded: Bara, Crepeccino
03/23/2023
Congratulations to Bara, owner of Crepeccino, for getting his Kiva loan fully funded!
Bara successfully received a loan of $11,000! You can still support him by visiting Crepeccino and getting a taste of an authentic MENA experience with waffles, crepes, coffee, and more!
If you are a small business or looking to start a business, we offer different loan programs and technical assistance to support you and your business.
03/22/2023
Culturingua is one of 10 newly selected members of the Rural Immigrant Success Exchange (RISE), an ambitious two-year initiative that will convene a cohort of organizations working across the country to break down barriers to education, training, and employment for immigrant and refugee workers residing in rural communities.
Mission Trail Rotary Grant
03/20/2023
We would like to thank Mission Trail Rotary for awarding Culturingua with a $1,500 grant! These grants are awarded yearly to nonprofits providing services to neighborhoods in the San Antonio area.
Grant funds will support our Sewing for Success program's low-income Afghan refugee women with sewing machines, fabric, and training to create dresses and potentially receive an industry-recognized credential along with English language skills.
Notley Changemaker: Nadia Mavrakis
03/16/2023
Congratulations to our Chief Executive Officer, Nadia Mavrakis, for being chosen as a 2023 Changemaker by Notley! She and Culturingua have been selected to receive support in three key areas: $10,000 in funding, strategic guidance and connections.
Notley Changemakers are executive directors/founders of nonprofits making outsized impact in their community. They are guided by Notley Catalysts–a bench of local like-minded founders, c-level executives, investors and philanthropists who help Notley select and support changemakers in their city.
Join the Biggest Hour for Earth
03/15/2023
Every year, communities around the globe count down together to celebrate Earth Hour and take one iconic action: switch off the lights. But it is so much more than that. It is a symbol of unity. It is a symbol of hope. It is a demonstration of the power of collective action for our future and the planet's.
Join us for our Earth Hour event this Saturday, March 18th from 8pm-9pm, at 3830 Parkdale Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229 to celebrate our commitment to the climate and our environment.
Visit earthhour.org for more information about Earth Hour 2023.
Kiva Loan Funded: Ricardo, Manos Magicas
03/13/2023
Congratulations to Ricardo, owner of Manos Magicas, for getting his Kiva loan fully funded!
Ricardo successfully received a loan of $6,000! You can still support him by visiting Manos Magicas in the Market Plaza Center in downtown San Antonio for authentic Mexican apparel.
If you are a small business or looking to start a business, we offer different loan programs and technical assistance to support you and your business.
Sewing for Success 2023 Sponsorship Opportunity
03/06/2023
Our students are in need of fabric and sewing supplies to prepare for our World Refugee Day fashion show this June, where they will showcase their work.
We are accepting monetary donations as well as rolls of cotton or knit fabric.
02/27/2023
In Culturingua's efforts to support the economic development of immigrants and refugees, we have launched a 0% interest crowdfunding loan program with Kiva!
Bara, owner of Crepeccino, has 15 days left to fundraise for a $11,000 loan. He is 6% funded. You can help his efforts with lending as little as $25.
02/24/2023
The Federal Office of Management and Budget is considering adding a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) category to government forms. Currently, MENA individuals are counted as "white" in federal data collection, but their daily experiences are distinct, disparate, and deserving of increased attention.
We urge you to submit a comment to ensure equitable access to accurate data, funding, health research, immigrant and language services, and civil rights protection.
Kiva Loan: Ricardo, Manos Magicas
02/24/2023
In Culturingua's efforts to support the economic development of immigrants and refugees, we have launched a 0% interest crowdfunding loan program with Kiva!
Ricardo, owner of Manos Magicas, has 9 days left to fundraise for a $6,000 loan. He is 13% funded. You can help his efforts with lending as little as $25.