Protect our youth.
Preserve our culture.
Commercial tobacco is harming our community. Together, we can stop it. Join Ethiopian, Eritrean, and East African families across Oregon in building tobacco-free generations.
Rooted in community. Built for health.
Tobacco-Free Generations is a community-driven initiative by the Ethiopian and Eritrean Cultural and Resource Center (EECRC), working to reduce commercial tobacco use among East African immigrants and refugees in Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties.
For years, EECRC has been a cultural and social anchor for Ethiopian, Eritrean, and East African families in Oregon. This campaign brings that same care and connection to the work of building healthier communities, through education, workshops, and conversations that honor our traditions and our future.
This project is proudly supported by the Oregon Health Authority, funding the education, outreach, and resources needed to create lasting change across our communities.
This program is for you.
Whoever you are, wherever you come from, this campaign was built with our community, for our community.
Youth & Young Adults
Building knowledge, confidence, and leadership to choose health and lift up the next generation.
Parents & Families
Tools, conversations, and resources to protect our children from commercial tobacco at home and in the community.
Elders & Community Leaders
The wisdom keepers of our community. Honored partners in passing healthy traditions to younger generations.
Faith & Cultural Leaders
Trusted voices who can carry this message into the spaces where our communities gather, pray, and grow together.
Newly Arrived Immigrants
Welcoming you home. Resources in your language to support your family's health from your very first days in Oregon.
Workshops for every generation.
Join us for culturally responsive conversations, resources, and community support. All workshops are free and open to the public.
Information that empowers.
Clear, culturally grounded information about commercial tobacco and support for those ready to quit.
What is Commercial Tobacco?
Commercial tobacco includes cigarettes, vapes, cigars, shisha, and chewing tobacco, products manufactured and sold by tobacco companies. These products are designed to create addiction and are the leading cause of preventable death worldwide.
Health Impacts in Our Communities
Commercial tobacco use contributes to heart disease, stroke, cancer, and respiratory illness. East African immigrant communities face unique barriers to cessation support, language, access, and culturally specific care. This campaign works to close those gaps.
Ready to Quit?
Quitting is a journey, not a single decision. Support, community, and the right resources can make all the difference. Our workshops and community toolkit connect you with free, confidential help in your language.
Family & Community Support
Change happens in community. Our workshops invite families, elders, and young people into conversations that build lasting health, grounded in the cultural strengths we already carry.
A Note on Commercial vs. Traditional Tobacco
This campaign focuses on commercial tobacco, products manufactured for profit by tobacco companies. We acknowledge and respect the cultural, traditional, and ceremonial uses of tobacco that exist in many communities around the world. This initiative does not address those practices.
Oregon Tobacco Quit Line
Free, confidential support available in multiple languages. Call anytime.
Community Toolkit
Free, evidence-based resources you can use with family, community groups, and workshop attendees.
Real stories, shared with hope.
The strongest change comes from within our own community. These are some of the voices leading the way.
Join the movement.
Register for a workshop, stay connected, or reach out to our team. We are here to listen and to support.
Register for a Workshop
Free and open to the community. We will confirm your registration by email.