Introduction

Umoja Operation Compassion Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping African and other immigrant and refugee families successfully integrate into the Canadian culture while embracing their cultural roots.  Umoja was founded in 2002 by Edith and Amos Kambere, who themselves experienced first-hand the challenges of integration into the Canadian culture. 

The State of the Umoja Society

Umoja Operation Compassion Society has had significant growth over the course of the years.  Although Umoja African Family Services Centre opened its doors to specifically serve the African immigrant and refugee population in Surrey, BC, we have over the years opened our doors to all immigrants and refugees who seek our services.  Over eight different African countries and eight other countries, including Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jamaica, India, Myanmar, Syria and Mexico, are represented at our centre.  Currently, over 300 adults, youth and children access our programs and services.

 

Umoja’s Programs

Umoja offers a variety of programs and specialized services based on identified needs in the community and government contracts.  These services include a Literacy and Life Skills Program, three unique Parenting Programs, An Outreach Program, A Sewing Program, Children and Middle Years Program, Youth Drop-In, and Surrey Champions Soccer Project.

Weekly Schedule:

Literacy and Life Skills Program

The principal objectives of the Literacy & Life Skills Program are that participants may: (1) build English conversational skills; (2) learn to read basic English and do basic mathematics; (3) gain enough confidence to eventually access ESL/ELSA or career programs; and (4) learn about and understand life in Canada.  A couple of times a month the Literacy students take part in life skills workshops focused on topics such as finances and budgeting, transportation, parenting, and family communication.  While parents are on-site accessing our programs and resources, they can leave their children with childcare providers who have been trained in certified Early Childhood Development programs.

The Literacy Program is made possible by a combination of funding by World Vision Canada and United Way of the Lower Mainland as part of Success By 6, which provides home and community based services for children and their families.  This program is offered to immigrants and refugees who have very low levels of English literacy or none at all, whether they are newcomers to Canada or have been here for many years.  The goal of the program is to provide our students with enough English competency to access further ESL courses and/ or career services.

Literacy: A variety of topics are covered, with emphasis on reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Survival English: The program follows monthly themes that are geared towards helping students to understand life in Canada.  These themes include, but are not limited to: greetings and introductions, time, weekly and monthly calendar, seasons and Canadian celebration days, transportation systems, postal services, medical care and emergency access, shopping, time management, financial management, and money.

Grammar: The topics covered include simple forms of nouns, verbs, pronouns, prepositions, and verb tense.

Writing and Pronunciation: Students are taught basic writing skills, beginning with the letters of

the alphabet.

Conversation Sessions: These sessions are conducted once or twice a week to build conversation skills that could be applied to a variety of situations such as discussion with their children’s teachers, the doctor, social services providers, etc.

Basic Math: Much of the basic math taught is related to activities of daily living, including understanding measurement instruction on prescription medicine and household cleaning substances, and shopping for groceries and other goods regarding weight and prices.

The topics covered included subtraction, addition, and grouping measurements.

Parenting Programs

Our parenting programs offer specialized assessment and therapeutic treatment to any child who is a newborn to the age of 5 years.  Childminders have Early Childhood Development certification.  The three programs offered are Hand-in-Hand, Nobody’s Perfect, and Mother Goose.

Hand-in Hand Program: This drop-in parent-child program is offered specifically for Government Assisted Refugees.  The program focuses on Early Childhood Development, and parent preparation and social skills training for school readiness.  This program is available through a partnership between Umoja, Options and DiverCity.  The program runs two days a week at Umoja African Family Services Centre, on Monday and Friday.

Nobody’s Perfect: This program is offered in partnership with Options and gives parents an opportunity to share their experiences & develop friendships with other immigrant and refugee parents.  Topics discussed include child apprehension, safety, growth of children, parent self-care and discipline.  It consists of 12 sessions and is offered twice a year.

Mother Goose: This after-school program is also offered through a partnership with Options to parents of children 0-5 years old.  This program motivates parents to spend time with their children in a structured social setting.  Parents and children learn children’s stories, rhymes and songs.  This program usually runs for 14 weeks.

Our outreach worker seeks out isolated African families in our community. The services offered to families include home visits, referral to resources, sharing information regarding necessary services, connecting families to supportive individuals, and assisting families with transportation to resources, services and programs.

Sewing Group

This drop-in program seeks to bring new immigrants together to socialize, share experiences, build friendships, and learn basic English while they gain employable sewing skills.  This program is possible through funding from World Vision Canada.  Our sewing instructor and volunteers work hand in hand with individuals who have registered for the program.  To date, four individuals have successfully completed the program and generate income on their own.

Children 6-12 yrs Program

This program focuses on celebrating the diverse cultural background of each child while introducing Canadian culture through food, games, discussion, books and  interaction with Canadian born mentors.  Two Saturdays per month Umoja partners with Simon Fraser University’s ‘Friends of Simon’ tutoring program. Five student tutors plan activities, crafts and games for the children that encourage mental and social growth in a fun and engaging ways.  The children go on an outing once a month.  These outings allow the children to connect with friends from similar cultural roots, while experiencing new cultural experiences, such as ice skating, tree planting, riding local transit, etc.

Children’s Summer Camp

The highlight of the Children’s Program is the summer camp.  During a 6 week session in 2009, 28 children from Burundi, Congo, Togo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Egypt and some Canadian born children of African parents attended a summer camp.  Summer camps allow African immigrant children to build relationships with other children who have similar experiences to their own.  The children experience Canadian culture and learning through games, crafts, activities, and outings.  On of the highlights of summer camp this year was an outing to Bridal Falls Water Park!

Middle Years Program

This after-school program happens twice a month on Fridays.  The Middle Years Program was created to meet the needs of the older children who have trouble staying engaged with the Saturday Children’s Program.  This program seeks to address relevant issues, such as peer pressure, and personal growth and changes.  Learning and development is encouraged in new and creative ways for children between the ages of 10 and 13.

Our Youth Drop-In is a youth development program, which is offered in partnership with YMCA.  Middle school and high school aged youth meet on Friday evenings to discuss important topics and develop leadership skills.

Surrey Champions Soccer Project

Surrey Champions youth soccer project offers newcomers to Surrey a fun and athletic way to meet new people and connect with the community.  Our goal is to develop new leaders through sport.  Anyone between the ages of 13 and 30 are welcome.  This program runs twice a week.

We currently have 5 staff members on site.  The support of our volunteers is key in sustaining and strengthening Umoja Operation Compassion Society.  We are currently seeking volunteers for our Literacy Program (T, W, Th, 10am-1pm), Children’s Program (Sat, 11am-4pm), Middle Years Program (Fri, 2-5pm), Youth Program (date and time TBD), and Sewing Program (T, Th, 10am-1pm).  If you are interested in volunteering with us, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Privacy and Confidentiality

Under Umoja’s policy, information shared by the clients is kept confidential.  Information about parenting or family dynamics may not be released without the person’s written consent.  Umoja is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all personal information. The information clients provide to us is used to assist in the proper administration of services delivery and to keep you informed about our programs and services. We do not release client names or their personal information without consent under any circumstances

Umoja Operation Compassion Society: African Family Services Centre (UOCS/AFS) has established partnerships with other agencies and mental/social health organizations in our community. These range from funding sources, to program support, and parent education services.  It is important for UOCS/AFS to coordinate with its partners in the community in order to avoid duplication of services and competition for funding and profile. Umoja has not only strengthened our partnerships, but we have also fostered new ones. Our partnership organizations and agencies include:

·    North Surrey Parks and Recreation-we have accessed program space, recreation facilities, and play grounds.

·    The City of Surrey continues to provide a leadership role regarding youth development.

·    Options still continues to support Early Childhood Education at Umoja. For the last two years, Umoja, OPTIONS and DiverseCity have formed a partnership to facilitate the Hand-in-Hand (First Steps) Program.

·    Simon Fraser University through the Friends of Simon Program is one of our valued partners.

·    One of our recent partners is Forsyth Elementary School.

For our youth program, we have worked with, and continue to work with individuals and other community organizations working with the youth such as the City of Surrey, YMCA, Leave Out Violence (LOVE), Surrey Urban Youth Program, MCFD, Immigrant Services Society, and will continue to build more partnerships as we continue to build youth capacity.