It has been over three years since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and almost three years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In this time for many, the resettlement of refugees to the UK became a matter of life or death.  

Now urgent legal support is needed for asylum cases, appeals and family reunifications,  as well as other housing and family issues.

At the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), we are working round the clock to support these refugees - with over 600 people a day coming to our centre - but we need funding to keep up with this huge demand.

Please donate anything you can and share this page with family and friends on social media and via email/WhatsApp! Any support you can give us is greatly appreciated.

Who do we support?

We have been overwhelmed with enquiries from Ukrainians,  Afghans and people fleeing conflict in Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere. People are searching for support and guidance, which is why they need ACAA. On top of this we continue to work anyone needing out help, including Farhad.

Farhad's Story

Farhad has been in the UK for over a decade, having come from Afghanistan when he was a child as an unaccompanied minor. Since then he has obtained British citizenship. Despite having security for himself, Farhad’s immediate family remained in Afghanistan in danger. The situation intensified when Kabul fell in August 2021. Farhad knew that his family needed to leave Afghanistan for their own safety. He  had to travel to Afghanistan by plane, bus and foot. 

 Eventually he reached his family’s home, but only for a fleeting night as he, his parents and six siblings then fled to the airport. Amidst gunshots and rumours of bomb threats, the family reached where, the British Army were posted. 

When they were referred to employees of the Home Office, Farhad’s parents were told they were not vulnerable enough to be evacuated. He and his six siblings, who at the time were all under 18, had just 15 seconds to say goodbye to their parents and Farhad managed to convince the Home Office that the children were in his care and get them on the next evacuation plane.

 Upon their arrival in the UK, there was insufficient support for Farhad and his siblings from the government. His whole life was put on pause, with him quitting his job and moving into a bridging hotel to care for his siblings. Serving as a parental figure, despite being quite young himself Despite their compelling case, the initial family reunification application was denied. 

Through research and communication with law firms, ACAA connected Farhad with an immigration solicitor, who reversed the appeal and ultimately was able to enable a positive decision on his parents’ family visa. Plans are now underway for their travel to the UK.

Why we need a legal fund?

We now need to raise funds for legal advisers to deliver free immigration, housing, family and civil advice to refugees in the UK. 

ACAA will run a legal advice service to provide all levels of immigration, housing and family advice needed for refugees arriving in the UK. A structured legal advice clinic will be set up, along with ongoing psycho-social support from ACAA staff.

After all our clients have been though, we want to ease their journey through the immigration system by giving them support right from the very beginning. This means access to the correct level of advisor/representation, language support and psycho-social support to deal with any difficult emotional issues that arise out of the legal process. 

 In the last three years ACAA has helped 72,000 people navigate the UK asylum system. We are urgently fundraising to meet the demand and pressure of the greatly increased amount of people requiring our services. 

Amid these struggles, the Afghanistan & Central Asian Association (ACAA) continues its mission. Despite being the only main charity dedicated to supporting the Afghan diaspora, we operate largely without substantial government backing, relying on volunteers to meet overwhelming needs.

We're aiming to raise £50,000 to support those who need us most. Every donation counts and makes a difference for the people in need. 

Thank you for your support!

INFORMATION ABOUT ACAA:

The Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) is an award-winning British charity based in London and established in 2001 with a long history of delivering advice, support and integration support for refugees and asylum seekers across the UK. ACAA was founded by Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, who arrived as a refugee in the back of a refrigerated container with his young family in 1999. The charity has steadily grown and is now the largest Afghan diaspora-led charity in the UK, with 4 offices across the UK - Hounslow, Harrow, Birmingham and Liverpool.

ACAA has a solid reputation for high quality, culturally sensitive services based on utilising the lived experience of its’ Director, Trustees, staff and volunteers. 

Our core services in the UK include:

• Education, training and development opportunities
• Women’s outreach and women-only projects – empowerment, development, advice and support
• Legal and advice clinics to Advice Quality Standard and OISC accreditation, using volunteers and pro bono solicitors, focusing mainly on immigration, housing, business and employment issues
• Social and cultural activities and events promoting community cohesion, music and fitness, volunteering
• Football, Yoga and Zumba sessions for disadvantaged and socially excluded women and girls

MEDIA COVERAGE OF ACAA AFTER THE FALL OF AFGHANISTAN IN AUGUST 2021

BBC London News - https://www.youtube.com/<wbr>watch?v=emgyeEiOMjk

BBC News at 6pm https://www.youtube.com/<wbr>watch?v=x4sxt0_YFNo

BBC Breakfast - https://www.youtube.com/<wbr>watch?v=fPgJwY9OWEE&t=63s