LERRN Co-Lead of the Training Working Group, and Associate Professor of Social Work at 杏吧原创 University, Nimo Bokore exemplifies LERRN鈥檚 mission of enhancing the role of civil society in responding to humanitarian needs in the Global South. As chair of the committee responsible for 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 support of the University of Hargeisa Social Work Program, Bokore has been instrumental in creating Somaliland鈥檚 first Bachelors of Social Work program over a decade ago, with the program now expanding to include a 听听

Since the implementation of the program 550 students have earned bachelor鈥檚 degrees in social work, enabling them to provide appropriate psychological care in Somalia, especially to women and children who often lack strong support systems. Culturally appropriate trauma-based care and knowledge is essential in rebuilding society and strengthening community resilience. As Professor Bokore ,听听

鈥淪ocial work and Somali culture are a match made in heaven because caring for your community is something that comes naturally. There just wasn鈥檛 a formal training structure in place.鈥�听

听Professor Bokore鈥檚 work demonstrates how academic partnerships can create sustainable, locally led solutions that transform communities facing complex humanitarian challenges.听听

To learn more about the important work led by Nimo Bokore please visit: 听

/lerrn/people/nimo-bokore/

Somali Studies in Canada Presents: Somalinimo, Blackness and Belonging in the West

Dr. Nimo Bokore is leading a project devoted to providing cultural-based trauma responses to refugees.

The complex needs of survivors wars have left service providers in the West struggling to use the “one size fits all” Western-style intervention model that doesn鈥檛 provide the specific, cultural-based trauma responses service users need to help them resettle in their new country. As a result, the , an Ottawa-based community organization which serves refugees from diverse non-western countries, asked Dr. Bokore to lead a collaborative study to create a cultural-based trauma-informed intervention.

From there, the project “Rethinking Resettlement And Integration: Creating Cultural-Based Trauma-Informed Intervention” was born. The project is based on Participatory Research (CBPR) that responds to SCFS needs and will work on the development of a culturally-based trauma intervention model (CBTI). The goal of this project is to extend the benefits of CBTI beyond SCFS to other community organizations, thus contributing to the programming of other resettlement services and data for future research.

Dr. Bokore says 鈥淭he team of researchers in this study recognizes the need to provide a lasting integration necessary to develop and implement services/policies that promote healing.”

This project strives to create a practice model that will benefit communities in Canada and beyond. Dr. Bokore hopes that each resettled refugee will have access to need-based services that are informed by a cultural-based and trauma-informed intervention.

The project team is comprised of:

鈼� Dr. Patricia McGuire, Professor at 杏吧原创 University’s School of Social Work, (co-applicant- academic).

鈼� Dr. James Milner, Director of Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN), Associate Professor of Political Science at 杏吧原创 University (co-applicant- academic).

鈼� , Professor Emerita, York University School of Social Work and Centre for Refugee Studies (co-applicant- academic).

鈼� , Faculty of Psychology and the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University (co-applicant- academic).

鈼� , Associate Professor at the University of Calgary (co-applicant- academic).

鈼� and (Collaborators) at SCFS and expertise in post resettlement programs.

Congratulations once again, Dr. Bokore! We look forward to seeing the great impact and benefits of this work.

Nimo Bokore had to leave her home country, Ethiopia, in her early 20s. Photo 漏 Barbara Doro

Nimo Bokore left Ethiopia in her early 20s during Ethiopia鈥檚 Civil War. Before leaving, Nimo worked as a journalist, covering the 1977- 78 Ethiopian-Somali war from the field. Bokore was in prison for seven months before she was released, but that was not the end of the persecution for her. Right after having her fourth child, Bokore found out that she was still a target for the government.

Knowing she did not have much time before they would come for her again, Bokore left Ethiopia with a baby and three young children and headed to Somalia. Her father was Somali and therefore she was able to find a job and settle there.

She was living Somalia until it became unsafe for her children. She then decided to leave once more. She carried her four children and they sought asylum in Europe. They landed in Italy, where they received support from UNHCR, World Christian Churches and the Vatican.

Life in Canada

Bokore and her children lived in Italy for two years and then she moved to Canada. She tells that one of the things she knew about Canada was the country鈥檚 generosity. Once a group of Canadian Aboriginal people sent a contribution to people in Ethiopia. She was familiar with the story of Aboriginals in Canada she was touched by their action.

鈥淚 had this Aboriginal people, that were so kind,鈥� says Bokore. 鈥淎nd this is their land and you know, that was taken away from them, but they are still welcoming people.鈥�

Besides the cold, she says that she had a good feeling about Canada. And she chose Ontario because she thought it was the least cold province to live.

Starting a new life was not easy. At some point, she had three jobs, so she could provide for her four children and keep them in school. She worked delivering pizza and waitressing, until she got a job at the YMCA as a trainer. While working there she heard about an opportunity to become and employment consultant, but she needed the Canadian education and that is how she got her college degree.

Once graduated, as an employment consultant she was able to have only one job. And from that point she did not stop. She got her bachelors鈥� degree in social work and her masters in mental health. After all she had gone through, while dealing with her own traumas and helping her children to deal with theirs, she wanted to learn more about it.

鈥淭he help I got was from the books I was, reading from what the teachers were teaching,鈥� says Bokore. 鈥淚 always talk about cost me over 40 thousand dollars in student loans to heal myself and understand myself.鈥�

While figuring out how the trauma process worked she realized she needed to do research about it. She then started her PhD in social work and a graduate diploma in neuroscience.

Bokore then became an expert in trauma and therapies for refugees and was hired as a faculty member at 杏吧原创 University in 2016.

She already knew James Milner, the project director for the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network, and when she was invited to join LERRN as a co-investigator she had no doubt she wanted to be part of the project.

鈥淲hen I was doing my own research for my PhD, I could not find anybody actually asking refugees how things were and people were telling how refugees felt, but nobody was asking them what they felt.” Bokore concludes saying that what she likes about LERRN is that “it is from the grounds up.鈥�