In Remembrance

Selam, I was appointed by the National PTA to serve as a Board Member on the Minnesota PTA, as the first Cultural Inclusion Chair, for the state of Minnesota, this is a new Chair Seat, in our state, but one that had been wanted for some years now. And The history of the PTA is that it was started by an African American Woman, there is a need for us to inform and discuss the issue surrounding this historical problem. I am working hard to inform other community leaders who are willing, and working with me to correct the injustice of not knowing we had a PTA, a Parent Platform; were our voices can be heard; a place to advocate for our children; and ourselves as parents. The National PTA an organization that has always been there for us. I would like to talk more about what changes this will bring about in the Minneapolis Public Schools, how it works in St. Paul, or how it should work. And the valuable educational and parent resources, information that is provided by the National PTA, to assist us in advocating for our children and families; locally and nationally. And at the same time provide educational resources for teachers, and children that enrich the education being taught daily in the Public, Non-Public, Charter and Private Schools as well.

Paw was born and raised in Burma and demonstrated resilience and independence from a young age, leaving home at 12 and later moving alone to a Thai refugee camp to complete high school. There, she became a dedicated advocate for refugee women through her work with the Karen Women’s Organization and Karen Youth Organization, promoting education, freedom, and equality.

After immigrating to the United States in 2011, Paw studied English, worked as an interpreter, and became a passionate doula with Everyday Miracles, where she was known for her compassionate care.

A devoted mother, community leader, and proud Karen woman, Paw left a lasting impact through her courage, generosity, and unwavering commitment to uplifting others.

My name is Shamsa . I was born and raised in Mogadishu, Somali. I am happily married with five grown children. Before the Civil War took place in my country in 1991, I was a registered nurse working at Banadir Hospital, where I helped pregnant women deliver babies and also consulted with mothers about any health issues that they had while they were in the hospital. I was also a midwife at a center called Mother Child Health in Mogadishu and my main job was to educate mothers about prenatal care, nutrition, immunizations, and health in infants in order to prevent illness. I  worked at the Mother Child Health Center for five years. I was a scholarship recipient selected to go to Rome, Italy to learn about infant nutrition. I then returned to Somali to continue with my career as a Family Educator. As a Family Educator I was responsible for educating families about nutrition and healthy eating habits.

In 1991 when the Civil War took place I was forced to move out of my country, and became an immigrant in Nairobi, Kenya. I resided in Kenya for about five years before I came to the United States in 1996.

After coming to the United States my goal was to continue with my work as a family educator and in order to help my community the best way that I knew how. My focus was to find occupations that mainly focused on the well being of family and children.  In 1997 I was fortunate enough to find a job at Way to Grow, which focuses on promoting the well being of the family as a whole. I use my knowledge as a registered nurse, midwife, and a family educator to assist families.

I help mothers with children with early childhood education and school readiness so that when their children start school they are ready. I also work as a Doula through Everyday Miracles because of my previous experience as a midwife and registered nurse. I do this type of work because I am very passionate about helping and giving back to the community. I teach mothers about the importance of prenatal care, nutrition, and the process of healthy pregnancies.

My journey in life is to teach those who cannot teach themselves, and hopefully create a community in which all parents have equal rights to education, health, and the safety that they deserve.