Similoluwa Kasakwe, founder and business coordinator of Motherland Health, will be highlighting the impact they are making at 1 Million Cups Fargo on March 11. The theme of this 1 Million Cups will be Behavioral Health Day. 1 Million Cups takes place from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. and is located at NDSU’s Barry Hall on the Mezzanine level.
About Simi
Similoluwa Kasakwe, founder and business coordinator of Motherland Health, attended Minnesota State University of Moorhead and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies. Simi quickly gushed about the organization’s people when I asked her about the high point of her entrepreneur career. Simi explains, “The volunteers and interns that work at Motherland are truly evidence of the amazing spirit of Fargo/Moorhead. They are just as passionate about what we are doing as I am and are always looking for a way to do more.” Not only is she passionate about the volunteers and interns, she enjoys pop culture and TV show references! Simi said, “I have way more pop culture knowledge and make more TV show references than a normal person.”
About Motherland Health
Motherland Health was founded by Similoluwa Kasakwe on August 13, 2018. Motherland Health strives to “foster American and New American communities through culturally appropriate services.” Simi expands, Motherland Health is really about helping those who fall between the cracks. A lot of people have the income to counseling, but they don’t have after hours childcare. Other people have family who can watch their kids, but don’t have a vehicle to get there. And so many of our clients may have insurance, but just can’t afford to pay a copay every week to get consistent service. None of our clients are really one-size-fits-all. We meet them all where their needs are the most critical and do our best to fill those gaps.” Essentially, Motherland Health offers free mental health counseling to community members that need it, regardless of income. Motherland Health came about because of Simi’s past experiences. Simi said, “This has been a dream of mine since I was younger. I came from a large family that couldn’t allocate extra funds to additional healthcare that felt like a luxury. And that’s when I realize that mental health care shouldn’t just be available for people who can afford it.”
Event Details
Behavioral Health Day will be at 1 Million Cups Fargo on March 11 from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Simi will be discussing the impact that Motherland Health has on the community. Simi believes speaking at events like 1 Million Cups is important because she believes networking is incredibly important. Simi said, “you never know how the next person you speak to is going to change your life.”
