Afghanistan and central asian association​

 

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) is an award-winning registered charity with more than 20 years’ experience of helping Afghan refugees resettle and integrate into British society. ACAA is the main charity in London, and the only charity with a large unrivalled centre ideal for the delivery of its services, which are focused on supporting Afghans and Central Asians. In the recent crisis the centre is now opening its doors to Ukrainian refugees. As the ACAA centre is unique, refugees from all over the UK travel to London to access the centre’s services and support. It is an important social and cultural hub.
 
The charity was founded in 2001 by its current Director, Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, who fled Afghanistan with his young family in 1999. They travelled for three months across Europe before finally arriving in the UK to claim asylum. The challenges he faced trying to integrate into British society motivated him to establish ACAA and develop services that were missing in his experience. 
 
We provide a range of services which tackle the root causes of problems directly affecting migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. These services seek to help all displaced people, regardless of nationality or background. Events hosted by the ACAA have seen as many as four languages spoken (Farsi, Pashtun, Urdu, and Arabic), reflecting the breadth of support we provide. In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the many refugees fleeing the violence, as well as the Taliban’s return to power last year, we expect our services to continue to grow to enable us to best help all refugees. The ACAA will never turn away any displaced person who is seeking our help.
Our services include: 

• ESOL course

• Employment training

• Legal, immigration and citizenship advice

• Housing, social and welfare support

• Supplementary schooling for children

• Translation and interpretation services, including in Pashto, Farsi/Dari, Arabic, Urdu, and Hindi  

• Volunteer and work placements

• Women-specific advice and support Culturally sensitive sports and fitness provision for women and girls, such as the Afghan and Muslim Girls Football Project

• Outreach and visits to individuals and families in detention

• Mental health support

• Supplementary Saturday School