Zerqa Abid is a business owner, a mother, a Muslim, and a Pakistani immigrant living in Columbus, Ohio. But she dropped all of her obligations when she became aware of increasing violence, drug use, and human trafficking happening in the city's Hilltop neighborhood, particularly in an area called the Wedgewood Village Apartments. Many of the residents there are Somali immigrants and refugees, and most are members of a specific ethnic minority that is marginalized. So Abid formed the nonprofit My Project USA to help curb the crime and violence affecting this community, but first she had to overcome language barriers, cultural differences and trust issues.

Zerqa Abid, president and founder of My Project USA



Zerqa Abid, founder of My Project USA, says she hopes to replicate the Hilltop
model of intervention in other cities around the country.
(Courtesy of My Project USA | YouTube capture)


Abid says children in the Wedgewood Village Apartments complex, many of whom are Somali immigrants and refugees, can now play outside in Columbus' Hilltop neighborhood.
(Photo courtesy of My Project USA | Twitter)