Alice Ntsame, left, helps a customer June 26 in her store, Syon Shop and Services, on Lisbon Street in Lewiston. The customer came to find ingredients for a large meal she was making with vegetables, meat and fish. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The beautiful and vast rural landscapes of Maine are what compelled many of us to call this place home. But if you can’t drive or don’t have a car, it’s incredibly difficult to access work, education and essential services, especially in places where public transportation is limited. It’s a huge challenge for asylum seekers arriving in Maine.

Alice Ntsame stands June 26 at the counter in her store, Syon Shop and Services, on Lisbon Street in Lewiston. Ntsame speaks six languages, some “just a little bit” in order to help her international customers. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Think about it: Applying for asylum and a driver’s license can take several months. More than likely, they also can’t afford a car until they secure employment. That requires a work permit, which they can’t even apply for until 150 days after filing their asylum claim, then wait additional months for it to be approved.

It delays their self-sufficiency. If they can’t work and drive. They also can’t afford or access food — let alone other vital services.

There are two bills before Congress that would expedite the process of getting a work permit for new arrivals, including one from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree. This would make a huge difference in how quickly asylum seekers and other immigrants can become independent. In the meantime, I’m proud of my friend and New Mainer Alice Ntsame and the work she’s doing to address some of these issues.

After arriving in Lewiston in 2016 from her native Gabon and requesting political asylum, Alice and her family struggled with transportation, and thus acclimating. They took cabs when they could find one available and could afford to pay, but that was rare. Her nieces, who came with her, were able to take the bus to school. But Alice says she had to rely on neighbors with cars to drive her to and from the bakery where she worked. It was stressful trying to coordinate daily rides, and she worried about becoming a burden. Still, her community stepped up to support her when she needed them. She hasn’t forgotten their generosity.

A year ago, Alice opened Syon Shop and Services in Lewiston. She sells groceries and goods that cater to Maine’s sub-Saharan African population, things like cassava flour and smoked Mungusu/ndjombo fish and African leafy greens. The best part? She and her staff offer free delivery, making food more accessible to everyone. She says it’s her way of giving back to the community.

A simple grocery delivery might not sound like a big deal with services like Instacart and Doordash available. But what Alice is doing is so much more meaningful than that. The items she stocks aren’t readily available elsewhere in the state and can provide much-needed comfort to someone missing a traditional African meal or way of dressing. It also offers her customers a connection to the local community. They can gather in her shop and meet neighbors — both foreign- and Maine-born.

When I’m craving my favorite Congolese dishes, things like fufu (a starchy side dish) and ntaba (goat meat), it means everything to have a place to purchase culturally appropriate ingredients. Eating foods that remind us of home make my wife and I feel closer to the relatives we miss.

The delivery service started a few months after they opened, when Alice realized how many of her customers were traveling up to an hour from towns like Portland and Brunswick to shop at her Lewiston store. The heavy shopping bags were burdensome for her customers to walk home with or pack on public transportation. It meant they stopped in less frequently, or chose not to purchase items they truly needed.

She and her husband, whom she married last year, or one of their employees started offering to drive these customers home to make it easier for them to get everything they needed in one trip. “I received so much help when I came here,” she told me. “If I can give back to others, it makes me happy.”

Alice Ntsame organizes shelves June 26 in her store, Syon Shop and Services, on Lisbon Street in Lewiston. Ntsame carries a variety of products, both foreign and domestic, to serve her largely international customer base. She also offers delivery services for customers who do not drive. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

There’s no doubt the gift of autonomy that Alice offers these new arrivals will set them up for success. She herself is proof. Once she got that first job and, eventually, her own car, she was able to save up enough to purchase a home for herself and her nieces in 2020.

The oldest is heading to college in Bangor in the fall, and the other is doing equally well in her studies. Now, just a year into being a business owner, Alice and her husband are also looking to expand with a second store in Brunswick. She’s also putting the business administration degree she earned in Gabon to good use by going back to school to become a business coach and help other immigrants realize their dream of entrepreneurship.

I’m proud of the work Alice and our legislators are doing to make it easier for new arrivals to become self-sufficient more quickly. Of course, she’s also providing an incredible service and products for all Mainers to enjoy. I hope you’ll check out her shop, and say hello if you see me there.

Conversations with New Mainers is an occasional column focusing on challenges that new arrivals face in Maine. Héritier Nosso is a health promotion coordinator and community organizer in Lewiston.