Woman and Girls
From being a women-led organization to empowering women across generations and cultures, CERI is a place that uplifts and champions women and girls. Since our beginnings, women have shaped the community center that we’ve become today.
Currently, we facilitate eight weekly or monthly groups for elderly, adult, and young women.
Cambodian elder women’s groups
We facilitate three weekly groups for women survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide. These groups have been a part of CERI since the beginning. Groups emphasize storytelling, self-expression, body awareness, cultural foods and practices, and connecting to a peer support network.
Afghan Women’s Group
Brings together newcomer Afghan women and their children to build community, provide mental wellness support, and create art each month. It is designed to provide a safe and welcoming space for women from the Bay Area’s Afghan refugee community, many of whom face daily challenges of isolation and language barriers. Participants explore and share their stories and build lasting bonds in the process.
Blossoming Khmer Women / ពន្លឺស្ត្រីខ្មែរ
Provides a weekly group along with full-time case management, individual therapy, and mother-and-child bonding opportunities. The group includes nature outings and workshops such as family planning, nutrition, pregnancy, breast feeding, food safety and encouraging positive communication.
All About Love
A group for BIPOC young women and girls inspired by bell hooks and radical Black feminist writers. This is a space for young women and girls to connect about self-love, body liberation, relationships, anger, grief, boundaries and healing.
Nepali Support Group
Provides a wide range of support to Nepali community members, often residing in Contra Costa County, including but not limited to financial, social, psychological, and legal support. We act as advocates for our community members’ issues, and we help them acquire the required resources for their physical/mental well-being. Women’s Empowerment, Capacity Building, Gender Awareness, Domestic Violence Issues, Career Development, Accessible Healthcare and Income Generating activities are some focus areas.
Vietnamese/Chinese elders group
Facilitated in partnership with the Fremont Community Center, this group engages elders with movement, art, and self care activities for enrichment and bonding.
In the past we also facilitated groups for Tibetan grandmothers focused on the intergenerational gap and how to adapt to differences across ages to build stronger relationships, and Eritrean women, who came together in weekly circles over food and coffee and talked about their lives, facing their fears of judgment through practicing vulnerability.
Community Stories
Thavery Hov was one of CERI’s first youth participants and today is CERI’s HR Manager. She recently completed a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice while raising her children. Her story highlights the spirit of CERI.
Kanley Souet-Pich is a Program Manager at CERI and an inspiration to all those involved in anti-deportation advocacy. This film documents her journey as a community leader, advocate, and mother.