Meet The Founders
Dheman Abdi and Jennifer Gueddiche have worked with refugee communities in Colorado for more than 25 years! The experince and networks brought to CAFI from this leadership is being shared with new community leaders and women who wantt o serve others in meaningful ways. Join us!
CO-FOUNDERS
Dheman Bande
Dheman Bande is the CEO and Executive Director at CAFI Women’s Wellness Center. Originally founded as the Center For African Family Integration, Dheman wanted to develop an organization where women could be empowered to do more for themselves and each other.
Dheman is a community advocate and co-founder of the CAFI Sustainability Center based in Aurora, Colorado. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Colorado State University, with a focus on leadership and change management.
Through her work at CAFI, Dheman is dedicated to strengthening immigrant and refugee communities by expanding access to education, youth mentorship, and health awareness. She leads and supports programs that empower families, guide youth toward academic and leadership success, and provide culturally responsive resources that improve everyday lives. Her work is rooted in community voice, practical support, and a deep commitment to building stronger, healthier, and more connected communities across Colorado
Jennifer Gueddiche
Jennifer Gueddiche has worked with refugee and immigrant communities in Colorado since 1998. Jennifer spent 17 years as the founding Director of ECDC’s African Community Center, providing refugee resettlement services to 7,000+ refugees. Jennifer has successfully written and managed grants exceeding $2million, developing employment readiness, cultural integration, health outreach, education, and youth progams .
Jennifer is deeply committed to empowering women to fulfill their dreams, Her relationships in the community run deep. She has mentored women and girls, built meaningful programs, and helped connect numerous newcomers to the people and resources they need to be successful and independent.
community navigators
Ayan Hersi
Ayan is our Somali Community Navigator. She has a lifelong commitment to helping others and is a dedicated
Tamima
Tamima is a well- known Community Navigator for the Ethiopian Oromo Community Tamima knows the benfits sytem well and has helped hundreds of families connect with benefits, housing and employment
Kamariya
Kamariya is a well- trusted Community Navigator for the Ethiopian Oromo Community and a great community connector.
Who we are
Meet our dedicated team members who are passionate about making a difference. Our Community Health Navigators bring a wealth of knowledge and hearts full of enthusiasm, eager to guide and support you on your journey.
CAFI is an organization of refugee and immigrant women working together to serve our own community. Many of us came to this country for a better life, brought here by others– our parents, husbands, and resettlement agencies. But many vulnerable women, disabled and handicapped individuals who are homebound and seniors in our community remain economically unstable
CAFI aspires to achieve equitable access to community resources and services that will impact health and therefore the ability to participate in the community. Because we are a diverse group and many of us former refugees, we understand the value of inclusion and are striving to represent that in our staffing and board of directors.
Contact us
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!