After many years of civil war and crisis, widespread violence continues to take place forcing many Congolese to leave their homes. The BBC reported in December that in a new report, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said that an average of 5,500 people fled their homes every day in 2017.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo denies there is a humanitarian crisis occurring, despite millions being displaced and severely malnourished. They have also rejected the U.N.’s effort to aid and support. Refugees have fled to surrounding countries with Uganda hosting the largest proportion of Congolese refugees.
Canopy recently partnered with Amplio Recruiting, a company dedicated to helping refugees find gainful employment and solve the domestic labor shortage solution. As as result of this partnership we have hired six refugees this month, five of whom hail from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We’re happy to be contributing to a solution to this terrible problem” said Hunt Davis, CEO of Canopy Lawn Care. “This is a win-win, we are growing and need new members on our team, and there are a lot of people who have been displaced by this and other crises that need opportunities.”
In fiscal 2016 North Carolina was one of the ten states that resettled more than half of refugees arriving in the United States. A good proportion of those 3,342 individuals settled in the popular Triangle area. Many of these people have lived in refugee camps for 10 years or more, some having lived the majority of their lives in limbo, awaiting the chance to move to the United States.
Amplio realized they could be a major player in the refugee crisis and improving their standard of living, education, and employment options.
“We are thrilled to have a partner like Canopy lead the way employing refugees in the Triangle. The Canopy staff is forward-thinking and strategic in their approach to building a team, reducing inefficiencies, and increasing their productivity to create a sustainable and profitable business. Canopy represents the exact business partner we hope for - a company in need of dependable labor who treats their employees with respect, pays them well, and is interested in their long-term success.” Says Tucker Stevens, Managing Director of the Amplio’s Raleigh Durham location.
Raleigh is one of Amplio’s four locations, the others in Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston. Canopy is honored to play an important role in providing opportunities and solutions for the refugee workforce.
If you know someone who is a refugee in the Raleigh Durham area and needs assistance finding employment then please refer them to Amplio’s website for more information.
If you are interested in being part of a team that supports our local community and takes a fresh approach to the green industry, we’d love to hear from you here at Canopy!
