Edmonton Supporting Newcomers with Self-Isolation Supports

To support families to safely self-isolate, the United Communities of the Ethiopian Diaspora has raised and donated funds to support families living in densely populated dwellings to meet provincial regulations. This support is critical to support Edmonton newcomers that live in small, low-income housing units, and that reside with a large number of family members.

Language is a key barrier to many newcomer and non-English speaking populations in accessing critical and rapidly changing messaging around COVID-19. In response, Jibril Ibrahim, president of Edmonton’s Somali Canadian Cultural Society SCCS, is ensuring that non-English speakers receive free, reliable, and culturally appropriate communications and translation services. SCCS has created a hotline to assist the 35,000 Somali-Albertans across the province to share information around topics such as financial aid, mobility restrictions, renter tenancies, and small business supports. The society produces educational videos, such as this COVID-19 pandemic information video, which are shared on Facebook as a popular and effective alternative to text-based information.

Take your Learning Further

• Read Lost in Translation: Newcomers need COVID-19 information in their own languages
• View more community building stories and ideas in response to COVID-19