Two decades of walking families through the first door.
The Immigrant Development Center is a deliberately small, deliberately local nonprofit in Fargo–Moorhead — built on the belief that newcomers deserve the chance to build something of their own.
Founded by someone who knew what it felt like to start over.
IDC was started in 2003 by Fowzia Adde, a Somali immigrant who arrived in Fargo with nothing but the conviction that newcomers deserved more than survival — they deserved the chance to build something of their own. Twenty years later, that conviction has become an organization serving hundreds of families a year.
We're deliberately small, deliberately local, and deliberately hands-on. Every family we work with is met where they are — in their language, on their timeline, with dignity.
“The first door is the hardest. Our job is to walk with people through it — and to make sure the next one is easier.”
— Fowzia Adde, Founder & Executive DirectorSmall numbers, enormous change.
Since 2003, every program we run has grown from the same starting point: one family, met where they are. Here's the cumulative shape of that work.
Data through June 30, 2026
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