Written by Program Manager Amin Hassan
The UMM Project, or Uniting & Mobilizing Mothers (Umm also meaning “Mother” in Arabic), launched in October 2024 as part of GMCC’s Recovery Care program. The workshop series has been held monthly on the second Saturday of each month. This series emerged from a growing need within the Somali and East African community in Minneapolis, specifically among pregnant and parenting mothers. Many of them face stigma, lack access to culturally competent care, and are isolated from support systems that understand the intersections of faith, trauma, and motherhood. GMCC partnered with Access Healing Center to launch the program, funded by the MN Department of Human Services under the WCRRS (Women’s Culturally Responsive Recovery Services) grant.
The goal of the UMM Workshop Project is to provide a culturally affirming, spiritually rooted space for Somali mothers to process trauma, learn practical parenting and recovery tools, and strengthen their relationship with their roots and their families. Sessions include a mix of discussion, reflection, Islamic guidance, and peer connection. Each session is trauma-informed and led by a team of experienced Muslim women facilitators including Ustadah Kaltun Karani, Deqa Yusuf, Zamzam Ahmed, and Dr. Roun Said.
Topics so far have included:
- Parenting in recovery
- Mental health and trauma in the Muslim community
- Healthy boundaries and codependency
- Spiritual healing
- Relationships and shame in addiction
Unfortunately, the recent federal funding cuts resulted in program termination. Currently the program is on pause and we are seeking alternative funding to continue the work. Before the loss of funding, a consistent challenge was maintaining program attendance. The workshops have averaged 6–10 participants, with most being Somali mothers in or pursuing recovery. While we see deep engagement from the women who attend, numbers remained smaller than we hoped. Part of this is due to stigma many mothers fear being judged or seen at a “recovery” event. The funding termination came at a critical time when we had figured out the programming and started gaining new program participants. Restarting the program after a long pause might be difficult in the future.
On a positive note, many women were able to attend because they could bring their children. Utilizing our childcare contractors, we were able to create a space where they could focus on healing. Even after the program was paused, the women kept in contact, leaning on each other for support. A significant outcome from UMM was the community and relationship-building we cultivated amongst the mothers. This workshop series has shown us that healing isn’t just possible – it’s happening. Through a blend of faith, therapy-informed education, and community support, these mothers are rebuilding not just their lives but the lives of their children.
We hope to see a future for this program with new funding, continued support for our existing participants, and the possibility to expand it to a wider audience. Despite the barriers we have faced, we are really proud of the dedication put into this project.
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