WHO WE ARE:

Salaam Urban Village Association (SUVA) is a nonprofit organization that provides support and help for the East African community needs for family and youth intervention through counseling and services to build emotional healthy relationships to achieve self-sufficiency and stable lives.

OUR MISSION:

To provide solutions to East African Community who are underserved and at risk due to the complex social, cultural, educational, and economic structure of their new home land to succeed and build a strong community.

OUR GOALS:

SUVA will provides charitable and educational services to immigrant and refugees (current focus E. Africans decent) to increase their knowledge by providing ESL services, referrals to social outlets, civic education, counseling and therapy from a certified professional.

HISTORY:

Salaam Urban Village Association is a vision of Amanuel Yohannes who is an East African immigrant. He arrived to United States as a young man for a better life. He faced hardship because of limited access to information, resources and support. Despite the limitations, Amanuel hard work and ability to adapt the American culture enabled him to learn and fuse to run several successful businesses.

Amanuel understood that people who have been displaced by wars, famine, disease, and human trafficking arrive to the United States hoping for a better lives. But the immigrant face yet another difficulty: cultural shock and language barrier. SUVA will offer help with overcoming these barriers to save the lives of children of immigrant from following the wrong path of street gangs, drugs, crimes and mental illness.

Amanuel’s awareness to the plight of these immigrants struggling with adjusting and coping with their new life, led him to found the Salaam Urban Village Association. His vision for the organization is to provide culturally relevant services and programs that help  immigrants and refugees to connect, and adapt to American culture. Amanuel strongly believes immigrant who gets the right support and help could succeed as well as gain a voice to fully participate in the civic arena of American society.