The History of Communities Care

Communities Care has a deeply rooted history, stemming from the personal experiences and resilience of its founder Nebiyou Timotewos. Nebiyou Timoteows is a 19-year-old with multiple international awards, including Humanitarian, National Hero, and Youth Role Model of the Year, making him the first-ever Youth Community All-Star in Canada (before even becoming an immigrant). However, his life hasn't always been easy. He was born in Ethiopia, specifically Hawassa, on October 18, 2004, alongside his 7 siblings, although tragically two passed away at a very young age, leaving him with 5 siblings. His father was originally a mayor of a city in the southern nation but resigned due to corruption, as he didn't want to partake in unethical practices. This forced Nebiyou's parents to open a restaurant cafe to make a living until his dad got the opportunity to work as a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, this position was in Addis Ababa, a different city, so he had to move alone, leaving the children with only their mother for a while.

Those were long 3 and a half years, but time eventually passed, and things improved when his dad became a diplomatic accountant and started getting placed at different locations. They were later placed in Yemen, where their whole family moved. It was a good time until they were shortly met by the unfortunate war. When the war broke out, every embassy closed, and everyone left. However, Nebiyou's dad, as the embassy leader, made the brave choice to keep the embassy open, allowing more than 6000 people to evacuate with their families safely. Eventually, once everyone who wanted to leave had left, they also closed the embassy and left. Those few months were hectic as their car, house, and even Nebiyou's school were bombed. Nebiyou witnessed the horrifying, graphic deaths of his close family and friends right before his eyes. But with the grace of God, they were fortunate enough to survive.

After they left Yemen, they stayed in Ethiopia for a few months, during which Nebiyou's dad won the National Hero Award in 2015. After that, they moved to Ireland where Nebiyou's dad was sick, near death, and faced other challenges. When they eventually moved to Canada, they were placed in a shelter for 7 months until they eventually found a place to stay. His mom baked bread to sell, and his dad worked night jobs to maintain the family's livelihood. His parents sacrificed their lives so the kids could have a better future, and they survived on community donations.

Nebiyou didn't let the trauma or hardship define who he was but rather used it as motivation to excel and help the community that once assisted them. He graduated high school with honours and got into university. Once he entered university, he expanded his community involvement. He volunteered with the PSAC, became a youth ambassador with Peacebuilders, a project advisory council member with Black Legal Action, the director of the largest faculty at York University, a campus commissioner at York University, vice president of his program at York University, and an event director at the Ethiopian Association at York, among other roles.

In the summer of 2023, he still felt like he wasn't doing enough for his community. That's when he took things to the next level. Nebiyou founded and started his mentorship program called “Brothers4Brothers," designed for male youth aged 14-18, where they address the stigma around men's mental health and promote healing, joy, and resilience. He founded this program because, during his own experiences with trauma and hardship, there was no one to hear him due to the social stigma around men's mental health. Nebiyou wanted to become the mentor he wished he had for the youth.

Furthermore, he initiated another project now an organization called "Communites Care," focused on helping needy youth and immigrants through packages and workshops. He created this movement because when they immigrated to Canada, they were placed in a shelter for 7 months where they lacked even the basic needs, such as jackets, being forced to spend the 2016 winter with just shirts and shorts. So Nebiyou created this movement so no youth or immigrant ever goes through what they went through. Communites Care has helped over 300 youth since launching February this year. But Nebiyou envisions this kindness movement becoming worldwide one day. Read more about Nebiyou here: Nebiyoutimotewos.com