Our community of East African Immigrants in the Portland metro area has been growing in the past few years, and sometimes resources may not be readily available for those that need it most. My hope for HAKI is to be a community organization that allows for an easier transition during a difficult time of life, and encourage a diverse, multicultural community to emerge, as one, built on the foundations of hope and respect.

I grew up in the coastal region of Mombasa, Kenya, an East African country and in a multicultural family. My mom was Indian and I had an Arab dad from Yemen. I came to America in 2012 and remember very well how much of a culture shock it was to arrive here for the first time. While there were many things my family was excited about, there were also several parts of this new society that were overwhelming. I’m thankful to have had many great guides with navigating this transition process as we were able to get our official citizenship status in 2018, one of the happiest moments of my life.

During our own transition, we were able to receive help from several organizations and dozens of passionate, caring people. I wanted to pay it forward and help others in this way too. Upon moving to SW Portland, we got connected with many families that came from a similar background as us and I found a lot of opportunities to help this community: by helping them get access to affordable housing, English learning services, resources to help with a path to citizenship, and much more.

While we are still a newer organization, I have been amazed already by the amount of kindness and love that we’ve seen growing in our community and city. We’ve now partnered with several other nonprofits, hosted a multitude of events, and seen the lives of countless people change in an impactful and positive way. I am grateful for this organization and am proud to be able to help it grow. We’re all excited for the future of what this community will become and are thankful to our supporters.

Mohamed Bahamadi

Mohamed Bahamadi