about

Rufo Jiru

Board Member

Rufo Jiru is a member of the Oromo community and the founder of the nonprofit Anole Sisters that supports Oromo women financially and emotionally through crises. Rufo's journey with autism began when she became aware that her sister had an autistic child that was being hidden because of the misplaced belief that there was something "wrong" with him.

"Denying autism is not a solution.

Accepting autism is a solution"

About

Rufo Jiru came to the USA in 1993 as a refugee from Oromia, Ethiopia. She has been a Research Chemist at Bio-Techne for over 15 years and was honored by the Minnesota Department of Human Services in 2020 for her civic contributions.

Rufo is the founder of Anole Sisters, an organization committed to working with women in the Oromo diaspora to acknowledge past trauma, embrace healing, build connections, and create systems and supports to effect change in our global and local communities. This organization came about as a result of Rufo's observations of the past trauma affecting her community, and the lack of resources available to women in particular. She felt moved to build connections and community for Oromo women to provide sister-to-sister support.

Rufo's journey with autism started when, on a visit to Africa, she found out, for the first time, that her sister had an autistic son. In all of the pictures that her sister had previously shared of her children, the autistic boy was visibly absent. When Rufo finally met him, he was 10 years old.

This experience really had an impact on Rufo. She realized that her sister was not alone in trying to hide a disability. In her community, because of the stigma associated with disabilities, many people with autism and parents of those with autism, often try to hide the individuals and autistic condition instead of seeking help.

In Rufo's own words -"We should not be ashamed of autism. Not hiding autism is good for the well-being of both children and their parents. Sharing is empowering. Don't hide. Accept autism. Get help and be free".

Rufo is the main liason to the Oromo community and helps families get access to the resources and support they need in order to help autistic individuals thrive.