Health

Her mission: Get East Africans to stop smoking

Zahra Bashir is trying an unconventional approach to get community members to understand the dangers of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and hookah. It’s not an easy sell.

A woman wearing a black hijab tapes a flier to the wall.
Community health worker Zahra Bashir posts a flier, written in Somali, about the dangers of smoking hookah. Bashir and other health officials visit businesses in immigrant communities to teach people about the dangers of smoking and tobacco.
Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News