Provincial grant to aid growth of small community agencies
OTTAWA — When Adam Doreh arrived in Canada in 1989, he was faced with the “long process” of distinguishing himself as a member of the Somaliland community — a distinct nation within Somalia that is not internationally recognized as a sovereign state.
The 65-year-old now acts as a leader at Ottawa Somaliland Community Service, managing projects to help new immigrants learn about their new home, keep youth from entering a life of crime, and support those who have ambitions to attend post-secondary institutions.
One of the greatest challenges for the donation- and volunteer-run organization has been to prevent seniors from isolation.
“It’s tragic to tell you,” Doreh said. “Seven of them died in isolation and we buried them. Some of them we learned after a week — people couldn’t stand the smell.”
Adam Doreh, a project manager for Ottawa Somaliland Community Service, said funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will help isolated seniors and marginalized youth. Photograph by: Chloé Fedio , Ottawa Citizen
The organization, which was established in 2007, will now get a boost from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The provincial agency announced a $122,000 grant over two years to help to strengthen and expand small community agencies in Ottawa. Other agencies pegged to receive funding include Canada Nepal Solidarity for Peace, Cooperation Integration Canada, La coopérative enseignants pas à pas, and the Shia Muslim community.The funding will be distributed by two more mature Ottawa agencies — the Social Planning Council and Jewish Family Services — that will also provide a mentorship role in managing volunteers, governing boards and answering other administrative questions.
MPP Bob Chiarelli made the announcement Tuesday morning at Jewish Family Services’ office on Carling Road.
“It’s about strengthening community organizations in the city,” he said. “They are part of the glue that keeps our communities together.”
Part of the funds will also help with the costs of a part-time co-ordinator, as well as “seed funding” for new programs to support single parents and at-risk youth, Chiarelli said.
Doreh is still waiting to hear the exact dollar figure but said some of the funds will be focused on children under 16 who might feel marginalized.
“Most of them are born here, but there’s an identity crisis,” Doreh said. “Are you a Canadian? Are you Somali? At home, their mother and father are speaking Somali. During the day, they feel Canadian.”
The hope is to be a positive force before they fall into “criminal activities” in their later teens or early 20s, he said.
“We are having a lot of difficulties,” he said. “We try to straighten them.”