Abou is a public advocate who cares for the well-being of ordinary citizens working very hard to put food on the table. He is ready to promote political equity and justice for all.
A former United Nations officer, he oversaw and implemented an awareness and prevention training program for personnel in United Nations Operations in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) for six years. Abou contributed to peace and development in Cote d’Ivoire by advocating for recognition of volunteers; worked with national and International partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming; and mobilized and helped increase the number of volunteers, including experienced UN Volunteers, throughout the world.
He is a dedicated civil servant who has been serving the public in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. After immigrating from Senegal two decades ago, he has resided on Staten Island. He worked for Community Health Action of Staten Island for more than 10 years in many community initiatives that served the need of immigrants. This work made him one of the most solicited community organizers and health advocates in Staten Island's immigrant community. Abou has been a driving force in promoting universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support, and in creating partnerships among civil society, governments, and people living with HIV.
Abou has an undergraduate degree from the City University of New York and a graduate degree from Yeshiva University School of Social Work. As an adjunct professor at Wagner College and Medgar Evers College City University of New York, he worked with the City's youth. He is fluent in three languages and is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). He has received numerous awards for his outstanding contributions throughout his professional and academic career. When he can, Abou fosters his unbridled passion for soccer and tennis. He is married and has a son.
Education is a key to success, and Abou will ensure that Staten Island gets a fair share of New York City's educational budget and resources.
Abou has been working tirelessly advocating for quality education, and he believes in the 30,000 Degrees program and will work with the middle schools, high schools, and universities to create pathways to higher education--both colleges and trade schools--for every student.
He will also help us build on the successful after-school and pilot programs developed by community organizations and the Department of Education under Borough President Oddo's leadership.
Since Abou knows that early intervention and ongoing education makes children with autism which is a part of developmental disabilities more happy and productive members of the Staten Island community, he will fight for every program and make resources available to our community.
Abou works with Community Health Action's food pantry and Project Hospitality's housing program.
He has served Staten Island individuals, families and communities by helping to organize food distributions with local organizations and immigrant groups, securing food access for all.
He knows what it means to be so rent-burdened that you're unable to buy healthy food or medicine. As a City Council member, he will address rent liberalization through affordable housing as well as owner occupied program in the NYCHA houses that facilitate the process for tenant ownership.
He will also work the management of NYCHA and tenant association to enhance safety.
At the NYC Health Department, Abou helped to develop hepatitis B awareness and testing programs for the African-born community, where hepatitis B is a special concern.
At Community Health Action of Staten Island, he conducted assessments, counseled individuals with substance use disorders and their family members and did intervention including opioid crisis. He is currently a Community Health Action and SILTRO board member.
As the HIV/AIDS Training Officer and Deputy Chief HIV/AIDS Coordinator for the United Nations, Abou helped civil organizations in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) by building effective HIV/AIDS prevention monitoring and evaluation programs.
He will support the work that the borough president's office, the medical community, and the local non-profits have been doing for the past four years to help Staten Islanders live longer, and healthier lives through collaborative network.
Abou is co-chair of the Staten Island Immigrants Council, a founding member of the African Coalition Alliance of Staten Island, on the executive board of the NY Muslims United for Civic Engagement, and vice president of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor, Staten Island chapter.
He has worked with the immigrant communities on Staten Island as a facilitator of many initiatives including health, and provision of socio-economic resources.
About A fifth of our community members are first-generation immigrants. As an immigrant himself, Abou will support the work of the Staten Island immigrant council.
He also will support the efforts to develop an immigrant database on Staten Island. Following the examples of the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries, which reclaimed the history of the Irish immigrant experience, and Sandy Ground and the Unitarian Church, which documented Staten Island's Underground Railroad on the South and North Shores.