The Somali -
American united council of Arizona is the most hardworking
community based non profit organization in Phoenix aimed at
building a relationship between the Somali people and the
mainstream community. The community has helped and continues
to help both the youth and elderly. Created in 2006, the
organization specializes in helping new families adapt in a
way that they can integrate without losing their own
identity and culture. Somalis, especially new Somalis often
feel isolated and segregated from the rest of society.
Language barrier and cultural differences are just two of
the many reasons why this problem persists. SAUC provides
comprehensive education and the necessary tools needed in
order for immigrants to be a beneficial part of society.
One of the
main objectives is to cultivate understanding and
coexistence between the Somali community and the mainstream
general public. As mentioned, oftentimes, there are language
barriers that can make even the slightest interaction
difficult and uncomfortable. SAUC offers translation
services as well as other resources to help ease the
difficulties of learning and speaking a new language.
Dr. Mohamed
Ali Abukar is the founder and president of Somali-American
United Council. He is a family orientated man and still
manages to dedicate time his community. He holds a PhD in
public administration. Dr. Abukar is a Somali-American and
his life story makes him relatable to many immigrants. He
has shown a tremendous passion and leadership by offering
new Somalis a helping hand in starting their lives and
becoming successful in their new country. Another important
figure is Melody Harmon who uses her legal background to
offer help and support to the Somalis in the community.
This grassroots organization has proven to be very useful
and has achieved success because it specifically caters to
the needs of Somalis. There are many issues within the
community such as structural discrimination that the
organization works to eliminate. SAUC inspires youth into
leadership positions so they can eventually, lead their
communities to a brighter future. Equality is another aspect
that SAUC strives to accomplish. The fact that many
immigrants find it difficult to find jobs in order to
support their families, leads to many of them ending up on
government support. SAUC provides immigrants who are in this
predicament with appropriate job search skills and even go
as far as helping them find a placement. Without
organizations like SAUC, it would be hard for the immigrants
to express their concern in a public manner.
SAUC'S mission
is to improve the quality of life of the Somali community as
a whole whether they are Americans or immigrants. It is very
clear that this cannot be achieved without the help of the
outside community, which is why we stress and advocate for
diversity and intercultural dialogue. It is critical that
the outside community understands the issues so that they
can hopefully be a part of the solution. This helps
facilitate public awareness, which in turn brings more
solutions to help the crucial problems Somalis face in
society. Many events are held year round to gather the
Somali community. The latest event was held May 19th
by the Women’s Empowerment group who are part of the SAUC
and well known Somali superstars Sada Ali and Halima Sacdia
attended the event. The Somali-American United Council
should serve as an example to many organizations whose aim
is to empower their own community.
