SEWA-AIFW originated from a desire to meet the unrecognized and unmet needs of the Asian-Indian community in Minnesota. SEWA means, “to serve” in Hindi, and was created to serve and promote ‘Total Family Wellness’ for Asian-Indians in Minnesota.

SEWA began as a small group of volunteers and since its creation in 2004 has become registered as an official Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation, established a Board of Trustees, gained a dedicated and growing group of culturally trained volunteers and has established programs designed to meet the needs of the Asian-Indian community in Minnesota.

SEWA-AIFW is continuously involved in research, trainings and collaborations with other organizations to improve its programs and better serve the Asian-Indian community.

The Asian and Pacific Islander (API) population is the fastest growing group in Minnesota, increasing from 20,000 in 2000 to 30,000 in 2005.

As Asian-Indian families began settling in the U.S. and Minnesota, an abundance of cultural centers, and professional, ethnic, and caste specific groups have formed within Asian-Indian communities.

Despite the formation of these groups, little attention has been paid to Asian-Indian families and communities in need of social services. The Asian-Indian population in the U.S. is often viewed as the “model minority” and therefore remains overlooked and invisible in research and services. Asian-Indians immigrating to the U.S. often face serious problems and have a plethora of unmet needs due to a lack of knowledge about their cultural and ethnic background and needs.

Among the issues Asian-Indians face are language barriers, a lack of easily accessible resources, and feelings of being marginalized, sometimes even within their own communities.

Women who are married when they immigrate often experience feelings of isolation and a lack of much needed support.

Asian-Indians also face pressures to maintain cultural traditions while also assimilating to American culture, spousal abuse, divorce, depression, and multigenerational tensions.

Asian-Indian seniors make up the poorest of the API population in Minnesota, and also have serious unmet needs in relation to health, transportation and housing.

The Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans report that the Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander population in Minnesota is now at 210,000 according to the 2006 Population Estimates from the Census Bureau. It grew 25% since Census 2000. 85% of the community is concentrated within the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan area. This number remains the same.

The data was presented to the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans at their regularly scheduled board meeting by Dennis Johnson, Regional Director, Census Bureau.

Asian and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Population Data

For more information about the Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander population in Minnesota visit www.capm.state.mn.us