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Brief History: The
Somali Community Association Of Ohio
SCAO - 2010
It was in
1991 when the central government of Somali collapsed. Civil war raged and
all focus of Somali’s citizens spiraled into a nightmare of loss – and
destruction. Separation of families, death and starvation became a common
subject. Statistics on the number of human loss ranged as high as one
million or more and remains on to rise each passing day. Many people left
behind their loved ones, aspiration and hopes and all their life savings
in order to flee the violence and hay-man in their homes and headed to
unknown destination of refugee camps and immigration.
The struggle
of survival began the moment they left home and refugees entered the
process of survival of the fittest.
Over the
last 13 years, Columbus, Ohio has been a popular destination for Somali
immigrants and refugees. It is estimated that between 40,000 to 45,000
Somalis now call Columbus home and more individuals are expected in the
future. Somalis and other refugees or immigrants who settle in Central
Ohio face many challenges in order to acquire the essentials such as
housing, jobs, education, healthcare, legal issues and more.
SCAO
Background and Organizational Focus
The Somali
Community Association of Ohio (SCAO) is 501 (c) (3) and was the first
organization organized in central Ohio to serve the Somali refugee
community. It has served more than 60,000 individuals in its tenure in
the areas of education, job training and placement, ESOL, family literacy,
after-school programs, interpretation services, legal assistance and
advocacy for the refugee community.
The local
SCAO center and immigrant community’s goals cover a broad spectrum of
enhancement. Their ultimate workforce-development goal is to strengthen
the self-sufficiency of the immigrant family by providing equal access to:
Even though there has been much progress made by the community members,
there are still huge needs. SCAO has been dealing with many issues
including the youth, housing, employment, and language barriers.
Since the economy has slowed down, the organization has been experiencing
a tremendous shortfall of the budget. As of today, the Somali Community
Association of Ohio has been straggling to retain its experienced
employees, whereas the needs of Somali immigrants had increased.
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