Somali moms in Minnesota coordinate swimming lessons for caregivers of autistic children

Maangaar Voices board chair Anisa Hagi-Mohamed (left) and board member Amina Adan (right) at Foss Swim School in Burnsville where caregivers of children with autism take lessons. Photo: Binta Kanteh

On Sunday afternoons, after the doors close at Foss Swim School in Burnsville, a group of Somali mothers gathers around the pool. Many are learning to swim for the first time, knowing one day, the skill could save the life of a child.

The women are caregivers of children with autism and other developmental disabilities who are at risk of eloping, or wandering away from home or caregivers. For families living in Minnesota, where lakes, ponds and rivers are abundant, that risk carries an added fear: drowning.

In 2024, after nearly two decades of grassroots advocacy, Somali parents and allies formally established Maangaar Voices to support immigrants with disabilities and their families. The organization was founded in the wake of the drownings of 4-year-old Waeys Ali Mohamed and 11-year-old Mohamed Mohamed.

“This effort came from a place of pain and grief, because for the past ten years we've been losing a lot of autistic children to the water,” said Maangaar Voices board chair Anisa Hagi-Mohamed, a Bloomington resident and mother of three children on the autism and ADHD spectrum.

Not long after Waeys Ali Mohamed drowned, Hagi-Mohamed found herself in an emergency after her daughter ran off while near a lake. 

“At that time I had no knowledge of swimming. I was afraid of water, but my daughter eloped when I visited a friend's house. Within the blink of an eye, she left within one minute down the balcony and went into the lake,” she said.

Luckily, her daughter was safely located. But Hagi-Mohamed knows that’s not always the case when it comes to children with autism.

“If your child does elope, God forbid, and goes into a pool, you have to spring into action,” she said. 

Advocacy in action

Made up primarily of mothers raising children with autism and other neurological and genetic disabilities, Maangaar Voices turned years of informal advocacy into organized action. The group has worked to educate the public about autism, challenge misconceptions within the community and advocate for policies that better protect children who are prone to eloping around water.

One of those ideas was expanding access to swimming lessons – not only for children, but for the caregivers responsible for rescuing them in an emergency. Hagi-Mohamed and her fellow board members look forward to policy changes that can better help protect children who elope, but because policy making can take time, Maangaar Voices decided to take on swimming training on their own. 

“We realized that we were focusing a lot on the children and we're forgetting the caregivers. A lot of them don't know how to swim,” said Hagi-Mohamed. “A lot of people in our community either have a phobia of water or they just don't have the opportunity, or both, to swim in private.”

The group chose Foss Swim School in Burnsville for lessons.

“Foss Swim School is amazing in providing female staff, female swimming instructors, (and) privacy,”  Hagi-Mohamed said. “Sisters feel at home here. They feel comfortable wearing their Islamic swimming attire, it's been going really well.”

Kelly Fuentes is a swim instructor at Foss and has served as one of the instructors for the caregivers. She said the partnership between Foss and Maangaar voices makes sense and fits their mission of giving children the skills they need to be safe in water. 

“In Minnesota we have a lot of water. I think it's great to see people of all different ages learning how to swim and overcoming fears.” Fuentes said. 

Ikram Habib, a resident of Shoreview, started swimming lessons at Foss Swim School this summer. 

“I am starting right now for safety reasons,” said Habib. “I have three kids, my older two know how to swim but my youngest doesn't, and she loves water. [Besides safety] also spending time with my kids and sharing that experience with them–that is one of the main reasons why I wanted to join.”

Hopes For the Future

Now in its second summer, the women of Maangaar Voices look forward to accessibility to swimming classes only growing from here. 

“We want to also become instructors down the line. I think that it's so empowering to tap into your own resources” Hagi-Mohamed said. 

“In the future, I hope if we do get funding we can make it more accessible and affordable for parents, and also do it at more locations. We have zero funding but our kids need these programs and we need the programs.”