A Place of Belonging for Ethiopian Elders

If you've met Yemi, you know she's all about community. Yemi Kibret is the Program and Advocacy Director for CEOC (Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee). She started "Ethiopian Hour" in early 2024 to build community and connection to resources for older adults who immigrated to Cambridge from Ethiopia. Yemi is an immigrant from Ethiopia herself. She came to the U.S. as a teenager. Her lived expertise and deep ties to her community in Cambridge were the catalyst for this group.

The group first met in the community room of Fresh Pond Apartments in North Cambridge. The first meetings focused on hearing from the seniors about their needs. They shared hopes for the Ethiopian Elder Group and topics they wanted to explore. Each meeting prioritized building social connections to combat isolation and foster social support.

The group has grown to over 30 elders who come from all parts of the city. The North Cambridge Senior Center has been a wonderful and flexible host. Participants are learning about and trying other services and programming offered there. An early request from group participants was to learn and practice more English. Yemi reached out to the Community Learning Center (CLC) and the Council on Aging. They were both excited to support this request. That September 2024, the CLC started a 1-hour English class at the North Cambridge Senior Center funded by the Council on Aging. Participants coming from distant neighborhoods also requested transportation support. The Council on Aging helped with van pickups at several senior housing developments.

This group builds community, skills and independence for our Ethiopian elders in Cambridge. Here are some recent topics and programming from the group:

• Updates and information on immigration trends and supports
• Health and wellness
• Citizenship and civic participation
• Participatory budgeting and voting
• SNAP benefits
• Diet, nutrition, and food shopping
• Knitting and other textiles
• Cultural celebrations
• Ethiopian coffee ceremony

Yemi has also partnered with the Cambridge Public Health Dept., Cambridge Health Alliance, and the City's Language Access Manager. Together, they offered programming with live interpretation and translated materials. Activities include health fairs, a hypertension workshop, and a bilingual yoga class.

This super-collaboration of City departments and non-profits is super-successful. It centers a vision driven by community members. We are so grateful to Yemi's enthusiasm and leadership. We also thank staff from CEOC (Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee), Council on Aging, and Community Learning Center (CLC). These teams continue to support our Ethiopian community in Cambridge.

If you are interested in learning more, contact Yemi Kibret at [email protected] or (617) 868-2900 x304.