About Us

Hawaasa
Orommoo
Ameerikaa
Minisootaa.

American Oromo
Community of
Minnesota.

Mission statement & Background.

The American Oromo Community of
Minnesota (AOCM) was founded in
2001 and established as a 501 © 3
non-profit organization in July, 2002.
With a mission of assisting Oromo
people adapt and succeed in the
Twin Cities, AOCM was created in
response to the needs of a rapidly
growing Oromo population that is
estimated at 10,000-12,000 Twin
City metropolitan area residents. As
the Oromo population has grown,
many people have had difficulty
securing jobs, learning English and
accessing health, education and
human service organizations.
Difficulties in accessing existing
community resources are attributed
to Oromo peoples’ limited English
speaking skills and a general lack in
knowledge of what help exists, and
how to navigate what is often times a
confusing maze of helping
organizations and institutions.

Like other emerging and African-led
organizations, AOCM has
encountered many challenges in
meeting the needs of its people.
Originally founded by a group of
thirteen Oromo men of varying
backgrounds, AOCM activities were
initially financed by monthly $20
individual contributions from AOCM
members residing throughout the
Twin City metropolitan area.

Currently, two full-time and two part-
time AOCM employees (totaling 2.8
FTE) serve approximately 400
unduplicated limited English-
speaking Oromo individuals, most
who require the assistance of an
Oromo/English-speaking translator.
AOCM offers services in four main
areas including:

English Language Literacy (ELL)
Classes – A 12-hour a week class
that serves 40-50 annually
A Civics/Citizenship Class – A 4-hour
a week class that serves 25-30
annually
Walk-In and Self-Sufficiency
Services – 300+ individuals receive
assistance in connecting to a variety
of services provided by agencies,
schools, healthcare and employment
providers
Transportation – AOCM provides
daily transportation to and from ELL
and Civics classes, and also
provides rides to and from
scheduled medical, school and
agency appointments.

While AOCM periodically provides
transportation to and from medical
appointments, our organization
currently lacks substantive
connections with the health care
industry. AOCM’s Healthy Together
organization development project is
expected to advance the
organization’s mission by stabilizing
and sustaining the agency and
positioning it to become an effective
bridge between the Oromo
community and the healthcare
system. We have yet to determine
any specific organizational partners
at this point in time, but it is our hope
that as a result of this organizational
development grant, we will be
strategically partnered with both a
mentoring agency, and by the
conclusion of this grant, we will have
also established a close working
relationship with two to three
culturally and linguistically
appropriate health care providers.