Tiyya Foundation Inc

Tiyya provides community support and educational opportunities for families of refugees, immigrants, and displaced indigenous communities. In doing so, we hope to create a community that fosters the development of self-sufficiency, ultimately helping our program participants overcome obstacles and actively participate in society.

 The Tiyya Foundation is an award-winning 501 (c)(3) known for transforming the refugee living experience in the Greater Los Angeles & surrounding areas. Since 2010, Tiyya has led the charge for impacting thousands of families through innovative education, arts, and recreation programs. Founded by Owliya Dima and her daughter Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, the Mayor of Los Angeles recently awarded the organization’s leaders acknowledging its positive impact on society.The story for Tiyya began in 1984 when co-founders Owliya and her daughter Meymuna settled in Southern California as refugees. In the early ’90s, Owliya began volunteering. Coming from Ethiopia, Owliya knew first-hand the challenges refugees face in resettlement. Taking matters into her own hands, she started efforts to help others find stability and navigate the same complex challenges. In 2010, Tiyya was formally established.

Behind every statistic is a personal narrative of resilience and hope. Our impact is not just measured in numbers but in the lives we touch and the stories we help rewrite. With the support of our donors, here are some proud highlights of the impact we had in 2024:

Supported 226 households, 716 individuals, of which 372 are children in Southern California

Set up job placements for 87 participants in meaningful employment, achieving an 85% job retention rate, a testament to the readiness and resilience of our program participants.

Generated $35,000 in catering revenue from eight successful jobs, with five additional bookings secured for the summer season.

12 paid internships and five upskilling recertifications supporting long-term career development.

The monthly Tea & Tots program continues to serve as a vital space for mothers and their children to build connections, foster friendships, and engage with other families in the community. This program serves 113 babies per month with a box of diapers and baby wipes.

The Tiyya Foundation is growing its staff and expanding services to support more families in Southern California. To meet the needs of our participants and organization we are exploring resources to improve our evaluation and metrics systems to improve programming. Fundraising tools to grow corporate sponsorships and volunteer opportunities. On an administrative level, Tiyya needs to refine its accounting to include the prospect of scalability and financial stability.

The Tiyya Foundation serves refugees, immigrants and displaced indigenous families in Orange County and Los Angeles. 

Since establishing our agency in 2010, my mother has formally resigned because of her Post Traumatic Stress around her personal refugee experience. With the help of our Board of Directors, I have stepped into the role of the Executive Director position to help steer our agencies vision. This was a difficult transition and a great experience for all of us. Through my family’s personal experience as refugees, Tiyya has taken a definitive stance to protect the integrity of the families we serve. All images and stories shared to the public are presented through a positive lens of resilience. In some cases, names are altered and/or left anonymous.  --  Meymuna Hussein-Cattan