Meymuna Hussein-Cattan is Founder and CEO of The Tiyya Foundation. She is a socially conscious motivational speaker, and an award-winning grassroots community organizer. Her recognitions and accolades include being selected as Woman Of the Year by Congressman Adam Schiff, receiving local honors from then Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, and being named a Local hero by PBS/KTLA..
Cattan,Founder
Tiyya Foundation
In addition to founding the Tiyya Foundation her social enterprise restaurant Flavors From Afar , which employs former refugees chefs in Orange and Los Angeles Counties. 40% of generated profits support Tiyya programs. The restaurant has been featured on the Los Angeles Times list of “LA’s 101 Best Restaurants. Meymuna has also been featured in Bon Appetit and Buzzfeed. And, worth noting tickets are available for a soft launch reopening of her Flavors From Afar restaurant located in Los Angeles’s “Little Ethiopia April 27, 2024.
In 2010 Meymuna Hussein, and her mother Owliya Dima, refugee women from East Africa to the United States, founded the Tiyya Foundation based on their own lived experiences. According to Meymuna “We (immigrants and refugees) have lost everything and manifested so much from nothing.” The nonprofit’s focus is supporting families of immigrants, refugees, and displaced indigenous people to overcome obstacles and actively participate in society.
The foundation has three key focuses, in southern California, in supporting new immigrant and refugee arrivals.
Building a sense of connection and community through a robust calendar of activities, helping families secure housing and find employments.
Opening doors and providing for economic advancement through career placement and workforce readiness programs and services.
Social and community gatherings that enable new refugees and immigrants opportunities to expand community connections and build meaningful networks.
You can learn more about The Tiyya Foundation and Flavors From Afar by visiting https://www.tiyya.org/