Many of the families refused to work for minimum wage and decided to stay on welfare, he said. Other obstacles, like language and cultural barriers, often make companies reluctant to take the risk of hiring refugees when those obstacles are coupled with many refugees' lack of education, Assefa said. The project has managed to get 150 families off public assistance since it began in 1986. Community attitudes can also impede progressive projects designed to improve that community's way of life, said KaYing Yang, executive director of the Women's Association of Hmong and Lao. Yang described the paradox many young, female community leaders face.
Traditional leaders are elders and male.
When a woman attempts to take control and make a difference, it becomes very controversial in the community, Yang said. However, the women's association will ultimately benefit the Southeast Asian community, she said. The association has started a new project to revive the traditional art of sewing and embroidery. The project has already received a booth at a gift fair in New York that attracts more than 50,000 art buyers a year, Yang said. Another Southeast Asian woman, Somly Sitthisay, is working with the Wilder Foundation, the St. Paul Foundation and the Metro State University on a project called the Southeast Asian Leadership Program, which she hopes will cultivate leaders within the Asian community.