We recently connected with Aislu Kurbanbayeva and have shared our conversation below.

Aislu, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

The idea of the project I AM HUMAN was born when I first time came to the US in 2014. But in 2020 when Covid-19 pandemic started I was pregnant, unemployed, living in a small studio apartment with my friend I wanted to make a change.

I shared the idea with my roommate Nadia and we started working on it. There were many difficulties because we did not know anything about business in the USA. Being an immigrant in the process of obtaining status and a single mother working in physically demanding jobs made me very exhausted. However, I received so much support from people who did not even know me and whom I had never met that I even more wanted to create a project where people like me who are socially vulnerable (legal migrants without a work permit, single parents, people with no work experience, homeless, and etc.) could find support, education, earning opportunities and work experience. Nadia took over the entire creative part of our project and became our creative director. I as a founder of the business have to take all the paperwork and financial issues.

Almost two years passed from the first launching of the project. We started as an apparel brand. We even developed a capsule collection and made samples. However, financially it was too hard for us and we put it on pause. In a few months, we totally changed our ways and started to work on the I AM HUMAN Home Essentials line.

We are currently producing candles and kitchen ware. I went very deeply into the study of human chakras and my experience and knowledge now help me set the right intentions for stuff we are making. There is still a lot of work ahead and a lot to learn. However, we are very positive. Starting small, we have very big goals.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am originally from Kazakhstan. I am an immigrant and I am not ashamed of it. I worked really hard to become a part of American sociality. I am who I am. I created the idea of the I AM HUMAN project because of my hard experience. Main purpose is not selling the candles, it is to make foundering and create opportunities for people who went through the same situations as me. We are working on a program which will provide education and work opportunities for vulnerable social groups. Our goal is to open a workshop where we will be able to teach people who are willing to learn production. In the near future we are planning to open preschool and make a program which will fit for single parents and parents with special needs kids. As a single mom I faced a big challenge: how to provide to my son everything he needs and be a full-time employee at the same time. Nadia is a licensed teacher and Children pastor with special needs kids experience. And as we are both immigrants, we both know that it is a big challenge how it is hard to do everything from the first step by ourselves. Also, I want to mention that we are a faith-based company. We believe in God and no matter what our religion, skin color, education we are all human made for a big purpose.

How’d you meet your business partner?

With Nadia we have a really incredible karma story. First time we met online. At that time, I lived in China and Nadia lived in South Korea. I wanted to learn Korean and Nadia became my Korean language teacher. Later on, I went to Korea for a vacation where we met in person. In half a year I came to the USA and invited her to visit me. She started to study in the USA and we were roommates for two years. As I mentioned before we started by sharing a small garage room without laundry, kitchen and even AC. Then I moved to Los Angeles because there was a work opportunity for me and we got separated for a half year. When I got pregnant and had no place to stay, she invited me to live with her. It was a small studio apartment but we were happy because it was our place not related to others. She took care of me because my pregnancy was in the risk category. And later on, she became a God’s mother of my son and took care of him as her own. I shared with her the idea of the I AM HUMAN project when I was 9 month pregnant and she was the one who liked the idea and she encouraged me to start to work on it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It took me 7 years to get my official status in the USA and to handle my life as it is right now. I was deceived by a person I trusted and ended up pregnant, alone without work, money and place to stay. All my pregnancy I had to work in a small store on the street. I had only one close friend who invited me to live together when I was eight months pregnant. We went from sleeping on the floor in one room to a small business partners. Pandemic heated us very hard. We had to survive only on food donation and social government support. We did not give up. My son is happy and healthy and we have our small business on which we keep working on. That’s why we believe that people can make a change. Our program can make a change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.iamthehuman.com/
• Instagram: @ami_thehuman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069655966231

Image Credits
I AM HUMAN