Somali Immigrants Learn Lifesaving Skills

Written by Jessica Bernstein, Redcross.org

(Photo: Bill Mohn)

Visitors to the American Red Cross Seattle-King County Chapter might easily feel they've been transported to another land. That's how Toni Higgs, International Services Administrator, felt the first time she saw a group of Somali women, in their veils and long colorful gowns, gathered for an American Red Cross first aid class. On any given day, Toni sees groups of Somali women at the chapter's training sites learning first aid and CPR or taking HIV/AIDS education courses.

The project to train Somali women began with a grant from the United Way. As increasing numbers of Somali women began to contact the chapter asking for interpreters to take health classes, the chapter responded. They hired a bilingual instructor to develop culturally specific training programs for Somali women in their own language, which is called Somali. In the initial course, they trained 30 women. Most of these women spoke little English and some could not read or write in their native language.

Where others might have seen obstacles to learning, Higgs and her colleague, Rehema Abdi, saw opportunities. Abdi, the chapter's bilingual Somali instructor, taught the course in Somali. She had the handouts and tests translated and used the spoken word and visual cues to assist those not used to reading.

The training session covered infant, child and adult CPR, first aid, and HIV/AIDS awareness education. The 30 women, divided into two groups, spent two full days in the sessions. Since the groups came together for the HIV/AIDS class, Abdi was able to train all the women in three days. The chapter provided child care and had food catered from a Somali restaurant.

Abdi described some of the unique aspects of the course. "We were able to be culturally sensitive when talking about HIV in the class. For example, we talked about sexuality very openly because the class was all women, even the guest speaker. It's very rare for Somali women, who are Muslim, to even talk about sexuality.

One major change that has faced Somali immigrants is the need for women to work alongside their husbands. Abdi explains, "In East Africa, where they came from, that was unheard of. The men worked, the women took care of kids." The classes offered these Somali women the first step toward becoming certified child care providers. The chapter assisted with more steps by arranging for a local child care training agency to offer the first in a series of child care courses required to become certified child care providers. The course was offered at no cost and the agency paid Rehema Abdi to interpret for the class.

Abdi described the impact that the training had on many of the women's lives. "This training empowered Somali women with confidence to go out and seek employment. Because they were learning in their own language with all women classmates, they went from being typically passive listeners to active participants in the class. They are more assured about taking care of their own families as well as other people's children because they know what to do in an emergency."

Several class participants explained that in the past, if anyone needed emergency care they would stand back and watch, not knowing how to help. The concept of calling 9-1-1 was also foreign to them. In their native country, nobody answered the phone when the emergency number was called. The idea that someone would answer and that an ambulance could arrive in as little as two minutes was unheard of.

Another participant described how, in the past, if someone was choking, she would just hit the person on the back. That was the custom in East Africa. Now she knows how to perform abdominal thrusts to help a choking victim.

Rehema Abdi believes that the courses that are offered to Somali women will have a lasting impact on the participants and on the community. "This training was something that helped the people who are most left out in our community. It was very rewarding to see, especially the older ladies, some who have never taken a class in their whole life and are illiterate in their own language and uneducated, yet still able to learn because we taught by example, doing skills and using photos and videos. Somali women can be very reserved and in their own shells. By the end of the training they were all talking loudly and actively participating. That was a step ahead for them, now perhaps they will be more vocal in other classes."

American Red Cross Seattle-King County Chapter

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