News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Wednesday December 17th 2025
Somali Women”'s Health Support Group CHAT
“If you educate a woman, you educate the nation.” – African Proverb
The original plan for the Somali Women”'s Health Support Group CHAT was to promote communication, understanding, and support among women of the Somali community who have children in the judicial system by creating spaces and systems for them to talk, connect and assist each other. The aim was to provide women room to express themselves and to explore ways in which the cultural systems of discipline could be used to avoid the intervention of the US judicial system. The hope was this effort would help to maintain the balance and harmony of the community.
However, after forming the group and receiving special training on how to interface with the prison system, it was discovered by the women that they would not be able to visit the prisons wearing their hijabs or head scarves for the sake of their own safety. By this time though, bonds had formed between the women and they had shared other ways they could increase the health knowledge.
Guri Nabad (Peace House) CHAT: Somali American Community
Our Guri Nabad (meaning: Peace House) CHAT, part of the Somali American Community nonprofit organization, is comprised of community leaders and individuals whose families are impacted by incidences of childhood asthma. We address the causes of these chronic conditions and offer tools to assist our families in coping with and managing these conditions. Part of our effort helps to identify community resources that can help our families successfully address issues surrounding asthma in our Somali community.
Many parents are ashamed, afraid or unwilling to address the issues surrounding their children”'s health conditions. This is especially true for parents with asthmatic children who fear that their children will be unable to participate in healthy physical activities. With language and cultural barriers that many people feel they have, they are less aware or less effective in reaching out to available resources and are sometimes afraid to ask for help. With our CHAT Team, we create a venue in which people can come together, speak about their health issues and together seek the resources most appropriate for addressing our children”'s asthma. Through our mosques, media, and personal word-of-mouth, we reach out to other families with similar conditions and situations.
To date, we have conducted asthma management trainings and assisted 17 children and their families.… Read the rest “Guri Nabad (Peace House) CHAT: Somali American Community”
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June/July 2012 Spirit of Phillips
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