Projects
4/23/2022: UAA Job Fair
With partners like Google, JobTrain, Deloitte, TENT and Chabot College we were able to host a very successful Job Fair. Our Newly arrived Afghans were able to get 1:1 assistance in resume building, job placement and Training in a variety of different fields.
3/27/2022: UAA Refugee Resource and Nowruz Fair
At the newly developed Alameda Point Waterfront Park, we held a fantastic fair where our communities came together to help our newly arrived Afghan neighbors. With nearly 30 stations and 255 attendees, we were able to bring all needed resources to one location. People were able to enroll in school, social services, receive health, dental, vision screenings, receive COVID vaccinations, get casework assistance, enroll in support groups, child care, apply for different employment options and receive several gift bags filled with essential items. We had kite flying and a martial arts performance for the children as well as a Nowruz meal and dessert for all to enjoy.
11/21/21: Holiday Gifts for Afghan Children Campaign
Within this campaign, we wanted to share the gift of giving by providing gifts to Afghan refugee children and sparking a sense of joy. To accomplish our goal, we partnered with One Afghanistan, Afghans Americans of New York, the Komak Foundation, and Lutheran Services Florida. Together we were able to send gifts to Afghan Children across California, Florida, New York, and Virginia.
11/14/21: #FreeAfghanistan Walkout
This global walkout once again sought to bring further attention to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as well as call to end the mistreatment of marginalized ethnic groups, such as the Hazara ethnic group.
11/19/21-11/21/21: “We Give So They May Live” Campaign
This collaborative campaign with Tory Burch at the San Francisco Premium Outlets, the United Afghan Association, and the Bayat Foundation strived to gather funds for Afghan refugees by donating 10% of purchases at the Tory Burch Store in the San Francisco Premium Outlets located in Livermore, California. The funds raised were provided to at-risk citizens in Afghanistan in order to provide nourishment for their lives.
10/12/21: Spread the Gift of Warmth Campaign
In order to accommodate and prepare the newly arrived Afghan refugees for the winter that were being housed in camps outside of military bases. We sought the support of various communities over California to collect gently used coats, jackets, and sweaters.
Tory Burch LLC. generously donated 16,000 items of clothing (worth over $5 million) towards this initiative
Due to the support of Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster relief organization serving vulnerable communities, as well as Uber Freight, we were able to successfully send our donated items to the Fort Bliss military base in Texas.
9/10/21: OrderShef and United Afghan Association Meal Distribution
With the help of OrderShef, a community-based food platform that empowers local cooks to share their talent and culture with neighbors, the United Afghan Association was able to provide home-cooked meals to newly-arrived refugees and allow them to taste their culture once again. The United Afghan Association distributed meals to over 100 families in the Greater Sacramento Area.
08/28/21: The Worldwide Protest for Afghan Lives
In a further effort to raise awareness and urge action from the State and the Federal government, the United Afghan Association began working on a day of worldwide protests that aimed to bring attention to the humanitarian crisis occurring in Afghanistan. This movement included rally’s within 17 countries and 41 cities that all shared the same common goal to save the Afghan People.
08/24/21: World Affairs Town Hall on Afghanistan: “What can the Bay Area do right now to help aid Afghan Refugees and IDP’s?”
Representatives from the United Afghan Association were invited to participate in a virtual town hall by World Affairs, a nonprofit and nonpartisan forum for members of the public to join leading foreign policy and international relations experts to discuss and debate global issues.
During this event, topics such as how members of Bay Area communities can support Afghan refugees, how to get involved in donation drives, legal help, and various other areas of focus.
Along with the United Afghan Association, representatives from Roots of Peace, Afghan Student Associations, San Jose State University’s Human Rights Institute, Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) Bay Area, Pars Equality Center, and Article 26 Backpack Project were present.
08/21/21: The Current Reality of Afghanistan Webinar
In an effort to educate Afghans and non-Afghans on the brief history of Afghanistan and how the fall of Afghanistan occurred, the United Afghan Association and Dr. Hakeem Naim collaborated to host a virtual teach-in.
Dr. Hakeem Naim is a Professor who had spent his youth in Afghanistan and immigrated to multiple countries before coming to the United States. Once here, Naim received his Bachelors of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Modern Middle East History from the University of California, Davis in 2019. Naim has taught at universities such as UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Western Washington University.
Naim’s research focuses primarily on late 19th Century Islamic nationalism, colonialism, post-colonial theories, and comparative intellectual history of the Ottoman Empire, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.
08/01/21: California State Capitol in Sacramento Protest
This march to peaceful protest led by chapters of Afghan Student Associations in Northern California such as UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and Sacramento State University, aimed to garnish attention on the recent events that had transpired in Afghanistan. Furthermore, it aimed at local and congressional leaders to take action and support the Afghan people.
07/25/21: San Francisco City Hall Protest
This protest was in response to and in condemnation of the recent events in Afghanistan that had contributed to the constant endangering and loss of Afghan lives. This protest sparked mobilization amongst the Afghan diaspora as a united front.