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Community-Based Organizations Supporting
Refugees in Alameda County
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We live in a special place, here in the Bay Area. Specifically, Alameda County. Here’s a little bit about why it’s special and how we can all be part of this historical and pace-setting environment.
Alameda County is amazingly diverse:
Alameda County is one of the most diverse counties in the United States
With a population of approximately 1.6 million residents, around 440,000 are older adults over the age of 60. The racial and ethnic composition of Alameda County’s older adults is increasingly diverse. Currently, 41% are White, 33% are Asian, 13% are Hispanic, 10% are Black, 1% are Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and less than 1% are American Indian and Alaska Native. Demographic and other information about Alameda County’s older adults may be found in Resources for Policy & Planning.
Alameda County is like the rest of the world, rapidly aging:
By 2030, 1 in 5 Californians will be 65 or older, and by 2040, about 600,000 Alameda County residents will be 60 and over.
Alameda County joined the Global Network of Age Friendly Communities on June 4, 2019. In response to the rapid increase in the population of older adults worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 launched its Global Network for Age Friendly Cities and Communities. WHO defines age-friendly as follows:
“An age-friendly world enables people of all ages to actively participate in community activities and treats everyone with respect, regardless of their age. It is a place that makes it easy for older people to stay connected to people that are important to them. And it helps people stay healthy and active even at the oldest ages and provides appropriate support to those who can no longer look after themselves.”
As part of this county-wide focus of time, money, and energy, our little agency, DayBreak Adult Care, has made a significant contribution to this effort.
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The Meaddi Club
When it started: 2017
Originally Published in the Oakland Post
July 12, 2018
By Lisa LaMagna
East African Elders Create Community Health Program
Claudia Landau, PhD, MD, Cheif of Geriatrics and Palliative Care at Alameda Health System (AHS)-Highland Hospital and Ogbai Hagos, medical translator with AHS Interpreter Services helped start this program for Eritrean and Ethiopian immigrants.
In June 2017, the Meaddi Club was born out of sheer will and zero budget. It was co-founded by Hagos, Hailemichael, and Merhawit Woldu. The club gives Ethiopian and Ertitrean seniors a way to support each other and socialize. "Meaddi" is a Tigrignan word for a meal where elders share wisdom and the younger generations share events.
“When you miss your country, it is so important to duplicate what we used to do in Eritrea and Ethiopia,” says Philipos Hailemichael, a Meaddi Club co-founder. “At the end of the day, we are telling them, ‘Your culture matters. You matter.’ ”
“It is very comforting for my mother and the other Meaddi Club members to participate in some of our holidays and festivals,” he added.
Each meeting begins with a traditional coffee ceremony with ambasha bread and with exercise. A conversation about health, social issues, or nutrition follows. A health professional from Highland Hospital checks vital signs and answers questions.
Semret Ghebremichael, 77, participates regularly at the Meaddi Club.
“The club is good. We meet the senior Eritrean people living here. We exchange ideas,” said Ghebremichael. “We (the seniors) organized the one-year anniversary event. We had our traditional food—injera (a sourdough-risen flatbread) and vegetables.”
The Meaddi Club is an all-volunteer effort. The Eritrean and Ethiopian leadership works with DayBreak Adult Care Centers staff to create each meeting.
Through the Meaddi Club, elders have built a community, look after each other, and improve their health. There are no age limits to creativity and caring. Partnerships between organizations like Highland Hospital, the City of Oakland, and DayBreak can create solutions for underserved communities and bring joy to people’s lives.
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Meaddi Today
Selam Haile — Sent to DayBreak 2/6/26
“My name is Selam Haile, I work alongside Mr. Ogbai supporting our community in the Bay Area."
Community Health and Wellness (CHW) is a small community-based organization that supports East African immigrants, refugees, and asylees (asylum seekers) in the Bay Area. Our mission is to support and guide immigrants, Asylees, and refugees as they resettle in the Bay Area: by providing culturally appropriate and relevant wellness and preventative educational services to families and seniors. Our vision is to provide services grounded in three sectors: wellness, basic needs, and education advocacy and leadership. CHW designed four programs to realize the organization's mission: Meaddi Senior Support Group, Food Pantry, Community Events, and Case Management.
Meaddi started in 2017 by Mr. Ogbai and Dr. Landau, who saw the gap in services for isolated seniors. Mr. Ogbai was able to start Meaddi with the support of Highland Hospital geriatric doctors, DayBreak supporting their teachers, and the City of Oakland. Daybreak supported us in advocating to use Downtown Oakland Senior Center as a primary location for our support group.
(Refugees and asylees are individuals fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. Refugees receive status while outside the U.S., whereas asylees apply while present at or within U.S. borders. Both are authorized to work immediately, may apply for permanent residence after one year, and can petition for family members.)
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Today, post-COVID, DayBreak sponsors weekly virtual exercise programs. And some 25 or more East African elders come to the Downtown Oakland Senior Center one day per week, looking forward to camaraderie, East African food, and participating in DayBreak’s virtual exercise program (“GET YOUR ZOOM ON”) on their big screen.
The exercise is led by a geriatric certified physical therapist, Susan Musicant (author of this article). Susan and other staff from DayBreak have worked with this program since it began in 2017. She often uses familiar and wonderful African music during the class.
“Now speaking as myself here, let me say I see the eager, energetic participation of the Meaddi folks watching a large screen at the senior center. And one to two times a year, I come to them live, and we exercise in person. They treat me to their wonderful East African food. We have hugs all around. We share gifts. And the women and I have joyful ululations together.”
Here’s a photo from our last live session:
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If you want to be a part of this, support with a donation or your participation, check out these links.
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A little more about Meaddi:
Also from Selam Haile, who works alongside Mr. Ogbai Hagos supporting Meaddi, our community in the Area…
The Meaddi Senior Wellness Peer Support Group focuses on both physical and emotional-mental health for seniors. DayBreak supported us in advocating to use Downtown Oakland Senior Center as a primary location for our support group. We have continued to utilize the location until this day. Our program “Meaddi” is an ongoing weekly peer support event that we have held every week for the last nine years. Meaddi provides a two-hour session for seniors with language barriers. This support group is tailored to support our seniors who are experiencing social isolation with holistic physical and social-emotional support. We also bring culturally responsive healthcare professionals from the community to discuss preventative health interventions.
Food Pantry
Through our partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, we provide culturally appropriate food to our families in the Bay Area. We have served over 400 families monthly since March 2020. We have also expanded to offering a food pantry at our weekly Meadi Senior support group sessions. Once we expand this program, we would like to provide more basic needs services such as case management, resettlement support for newcomers’ families, and immigration and citizenship filing support.
Community Events
We provide annual community events that are centered around our community needs. Our event is focused on health preventive and intervention measures while empowering our community. We collaborate with other CBOs with the same mission as our work in order to have maximum impact.
Case Management
We provide individual support for housing, social services, medical access, jobs, and immigration services. As an organization that serves immigrants and refugees, we recognize the need that comes with advocating in the public school system, first-generation challenges, and community-building events.
Challenges
Our organization continues to face tremendous challenges as all the work we do is solely based on in-kind donations and volunteers. We are hoping to get some funding and establish our own location and offer more robust service as well as hire people to do the work. We invite any opportunity to collaborate and support us to find funding to sustain this critical work. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ogbai Hagos or Selam Haile. Below is our contact info.
In community,
Ogbai Hagos: ohagos1@gmail.com
Cell: 510-925-7211
Selam Haile: y2hiyabey@gmail.com
Cell: 510-407-1501
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— Susan Musicant, DPT
Injury Prevention Specialist at DayBreak
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Upcoming Events & Workshops 📣 | |
Help Us Reach Our Goal! 💜
| | Your gift helps ensure seniors have the safety of a secure home and the support they need to age with dignity. Thank you for being part of our mission to provide stability, care, and peace of mind to those who need it most. | | |
If you know an elder in need of our care and coordination services, or a caregiver seeking support, please encourage them to reach out to us at:
510-834-8314
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