Honoring Women’s History Month
Throughout this month, we reflect not just on history, but on the women we have the privilege of working alongside every day. Women whose strength, leadership, and care continue to shape our community in ways that are both visible and deeply felt.
This year, we were especially inspired by local women, including members of our own HMI community who were featured in Riverside Women Creating Change. Seeing their stories recognized was more than a moment of celebration. It was a reminder of the impact they have had not only on Riverside, but on us as an organization.
We wanted to take this moment to give them a heartfelt shoutout and honor the work they continue to do.
Honoring a Legacy of Change
In Riverside, women like Ysabel Olvera and Margarita Solorio helped lay the foundation for what community care and access to education can look like. Their work created pathways that continue to shape how we show up for one another today.
At HMI, we carry that legacy forward through our Community ESL classes, where education becomes a first step toward confidence, connection, and opportunity. In these spaces, women and families are not only learning a new language, but also building the tools they need to navigate their new environment and advocate for themselves.
Continuing the Legacy Through Leadership
That legacy lives on with women at HMI like Friba Dawar.
Before arriving in the United States, Friba was already an educator and advocate. She built a school in Afghanistan under the threat of a regime that sought to limit education for women. When she arrived in Riverside, she did not leave that purpose behind. She continued it.
Today, as a Cultural and Community Liaison and Case Manager for ANSP at HMI, Friba plays a critical role in supporting families as they rebuild their lives. Her work reflects not only her own journey, but a deep understanding of what it means to start over while holding onto purpose.
Creating Pathways for Families: The Ansari Story
Through Friba’s work and the broader ANSP program, we see firsthand how access to education, resources, and consistent support can transform entire families.
The Ansari family arrived in Riverside facing financial pressure, housing uncertainty, and the challenge of navigating a new system. With support from ANSP, they were able to stabilize their housing, secure immediate income, and begin building toward long term goals.
Through ANSP, we worked alongside the family to stabilize their immediate needs while building a pathway forward. We helped secure rental assistance to maintain housing stability and supported one member in accessing immediate income through flexible work opportunities so he could begin supporting his family right away. By helping one family member accredit his education and enroll in a Pharmacy Technician program, while both he and his wife participated in ESL and career development, the family gained the tools to move forward with confidence and clarity.
What once felt uncertain is now filled with direction, possibility, and hope. This is what it looks like when families are not just supported, but truly given the chance to rebuild and move forward with dignity. Today, they are stable, their children are thriving in school, and they are actively working toward a professional future.
The power of community and family is something we deeply value at HMI. When we support one another, we create a stronger, more connected community that benefits us all.
Our Commitment at HMI
At HMI, our work is rooted in creating spaces where women feel supported, seen, and empowered to grow.
Through educational support, career pathway guidance, language access, and community based services, we walk alongside women as they rebuild, navigate, and step into their leadership.
More importantly, we build relationships. It is within those relationships that real transformation takes place.
Creating Space for Community and Celebration
Our International Women’s Day celebration was a reflection of that work in action.
This year’s theme, “Together, We Create,” came to life as we aim to uplift women and their potential to impact the community. When women share their voices and support one another, they create moments of connection that are extremely powerful
For us, it was more than an event. It was a space filled with laughter, vulnerability, and joy. A space where women could show up fully as themselves and be met with understanding, appreciation, and support.
Moments like these remind us that community is not just something we talk about. It is something we actively create together.
Moving Forward Together
Women’s History Month is not only about looking back. It is about recognizing the women around us right now and the ways they continue to shape the future.
The women we honored this month are not separate from our work. They are at the heart of it.
Because when women are supported, when their stories are seen, and when their leadership is valued, entire communities begin to transform.
Together, we create.
