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Like many people who move to the United States, African immigrants often experience a culture shock and are hesitant to seek help settling into their new lives. That's where Marie-Rose Sirikari and the African Women Council Inc. step in.

Sirikari founded the nonprofit in 2002 with her two grown daughters after a trip to her home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hard hit by years of civil war. Upon returning, she turned her sights to those in need of assistance in her new home.

The council aims to help African immigrants find jobs, learn life and civics skills and connect with social services. Women face unique challenges, Sirikari said. Many believe they should defer to their husbands and are reluctant to tell others about abuse or don't understand their rights, she said.

"They do not know if they can participate in the community. They don't know if they belong," said Sirikari, 53, of Germantown, a former adult educator and Pan-African Christian Women Assembly delegate who spoke only French when she came to the United States with her family as a refugee 20 years ago. "We need to work together like Americans, hand in hand with the government, so we can participate in the community because it's our country too," she said. "…We find a lack of information has made them scared and isolate themselves."

In 2006, about 38,000 county residents, 4 percent of the county's population and 14 percent of its immigrant population, were born in Africa, according to the county's Web site. Many have advanced degrees and held prominent positions in their former countries but have trouble finding suitable employment due to cultural and language differences, according to Mumin Barre, co-chairman of the county's African Affairs Advisory Group.

"We come from a culture where you don't go to the government for help, you run away from the government," Barre said. "It is a challenge because the culture we come from is different. You go to your community for help. It's a different mindset and it needs a bit of adjustment."

The nonprofit is small and boasts a few dedicated volunteers, including a project manager and an accountant.

"We are going slowly, but we're catching up," said Sirikari, who works as a driver for seniors and the disabled. "What we're missing is funding — we're using our own pocket money."

The African Women Council has conducted workshops on everything from nutrition to intra-family violence and advocates for the African community through its collaborations with the County Executive's Office of Community Partnerships. The group wants to expand its outreach to women and children in Africa and has met with representatives from Equateur, a province in Congo, about the possibility of designating a sister city there.

"They need someone they can open up to," Barre said. "You need someone like Marie-Rose who knows the culture and knows the language, understands the issues."

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For more information on the African Women Council, visit www.africanwomen-usa.org.