My name is Nimo Abdi
"I am a resilient queen. I shine with loveliness and have a great positive attitude even when things are challenging! That is resiliency."
How long have you been living in this area? Please share with us about your journey coming here.
I grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya. I came to The United States in 2004. I lived in Kent, Washington for 10 years, I moved to Wisconsin in 2014 and now I came back to Washington in 2020. Overall, I've been here in America for about 16 years. When I came here, I did not know how to speak English and the culture was very different. I had to adapt to everything even though things were challenging. I did not give up because I was passionate about the culture, the environment, the language and etc.
We are doing a feature series about resilient women. What type of challenges in your life contributed to you becoming a resilient woman?
I survived being in a refugee camp. I came to America not knowing the language. I worked so hard to graduate from high school that led me to achieved my diploma. I got married really young and God blessed me with two kids while determined to finished college. I thank God for everything because nothing stopped me from accomplishing my goal and I finally got my Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education.
What do you love most about Mother Africa? What motivates you to be a part of Mother Africa events and activities?
The main thing I love about Mother Africa is because they are strong and caring women who work hard to empower other women within their community. Mother Africa provides resources to refugee and immigrant women to help them achieve their goals. Because of that I am motivated to help the community. I enjoy the training Mother Africa provides because I learned a lot from it than it encourages me to teach others.
Since 2013 I have been a Community Leader with my community, doing projects like Women's Groups with Mother Africa. Then in January 2020, I got hired as the full-time Program Coordinator for Mother Africa's new Safer Healthy Homes Program. I support a team of Health Promoters to go out into their communities and provide information and resources on safe home measures like air quality, mold prevention and safe home cleaning products. A lot of this information is very new to our communities so I believe this program is very important to keep the families and children safe and healthy.
How are you staying resilient during this time of COVID19?
I believe by not giving up and having hope and also staying connected with my community. I’m working from home to ensure everyone stays safe during this pandemic. I strive to keep each and every family safe and inform everyone the importance of staying home.
What is your hope for the future of Mother Africa, yourself, and your fellow resilient women?
My hope for myself is to keep striving, to assist the community, and to never give up.
For my fellow resilient women, I hope you don’t to give up on dreams and to always help the community in anyway possible.
And for Mother Africa, I hope they extend service to other counties within Washington. And I hope they continue to do good work and to serve the community even more. I thank Mother Africa for helping and empowering other women. Thank you.
Interview conducted by Mother Africa staff member Fardosa Abdirahman