Welcome to UMOJA
Building Strong Communities; Moving from Newcomers to Neighbours.
Umoja Operation Compassion Society of British Columbia is a newcomer settlement and charitable organization formed in 2002 to work with recent immigrants and refugees of all cultural backgrounds living in Surrey, BC. Our culturally attuned, trauma-informed programs are particularly essential for those at risk of socio-economic marginalization based on language and skills gaps, race, cultural and religious background, trauma, or perceived status.
Umoja is the Swahili term for ‘unity’ or ‘oneness’. It evokes notions of striving for and maintaining of unity in the family, community, and nation. In this spirit, we seek to holistically support newcomer integration into Canadian society while upholding each person’s dignity and and unique worth to our communities. We aspire to bridge the privilege gap and to work toward an authentically thriving Canadian society in which no person is left behind.
Over our 20 years of service, we have supported the successful mainstreaming of over 4000 newcomer families and individuals. Our diverse, dedicated staff and volunteers work hard to transform lives daily. We also remain deeply grateful for the faithful support of our sponsors, partners and community over the years
Over our 20 years of service, we have supported the successful mainstreaming of over 4000 newcomer families and individuals. Our diverse, dedicated staff and volunteers work hard to transform lives daily. We also remain deeply grateful for the faithful support of our sponsors, partners and community over the years
Internationally, Umoja is actively involved in improving the quality of life and long term outcomes for local communities within the East African Great Lakes region primarily in Western Uganda via education and wealth generation initiatives among the local peoples.
Celebrating 20 Years of Community Impact
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Umoja offers an array of programs and specialized services based on identified needs of newcomers to the community and internationally. Please click on the links below to learn more about our work: