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V O L . X X X N O. V I M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 4 28 L ibah was born in southern Somalia, grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp and came to the U.S. in 2004. He settled first in Syracuse, N.Y, and moved to Lewiston the next year — bringing with him rich experience in farming and a passion for helping his community. He helped launch the Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine in 2005. He has also helped launch sev- eral other nonprofits, including the Middle Jubba Relief and Sustainability Organization. In addition, Libah is CNA certified to do medical transla- tion. He graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a bachelor's degree in natural applied science, con- centrating in biology with a minor in holistic health. Mainebiz: What was the biggest hurdle you faced in the early days of your organization? Muhidin Libah: When I helped start the Somali Bantu Community Association, I did not know how to run an organiza- tion. But I was one of the few people in the community who could speak English upon arrival. And we became — by necessity — a self-help organization, providing transitional services that were needed by the community. One of the challenges we faced was that we did not know anyone to ask for help, and we were not experienced in running a nonprofit. It took me 10 steps to do something that only took one for others. And nobody seemed to trust us at first. Our ability to operate always seemed to get undermined. MB: As Liberation Farms grew, what kind of challenges have you faced along the way? ML: Access to a piece of land was the greatest challenge for our farmers. ere were times when we were renting four different properties, across multiple P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY BREAKING BARRIERS LEADER Muhidin Libah Co-founder and executive director, Somali Bantu Community Association of Maine Cultivating a farm, a nonprofit and a community the Somali Bantu community bring economic prosperity to Muhidin Libah leads effort to B y W i l l i a m H a l l Muhidin Libah has pushed through and beyond some daunting barriers in his life. He now helps others break down obstacles of their own in his role of executive director at the Somali Bantu Community Association.