Afghan Refugees Solidarity Association (ARSA)

Type of Organization
Refugee

City/Province of head office
Kayseri

Other cities/Cities you operate in
Offices in Van, Kırıkkale, Trabzon and Konya. Volunteers in 52 provinces

Website
http://afgrefugees.com   
https://arsa.org.tr 

Afghan Refugees Solidarity Association is based in Kayseri, which has a central location in Turkey, and functions as a management center for the network of Afghan community leaders in different cities of Turkey. ARSA was first established in 2009 by volunteering Afghan refugees as a coordinating body of Afghan Refugees. It was established as an independent and non-profit association by journalists, doctors, academics, architects and relief workers in 2014.

The activities of ARSA target both refugees and host communities. Its target-oriented activities are aimed at building trust between refugees and host communities via socio-cultural activities, training for skills targeting women, festivals of art and calligraphy, football tournaments, handcrafts exhibitions and first aid trainings and social cohesion activities, including a series of psychosocial elements.

ARSA has participated in and made presentations at national and international conferences. Working in a wide network in 60 provinces across Turkey with the support to 370 volunteers, ARSA also works in close cooperation with the network of Afghan community leaders and focal points in various provinces around Turkey, which offers advantages in multiplying and implementing best practices in leadership and representation of refugees.

ARSA worked with Oxfam, an international civil society organization, and organized the MENA Refugee Summit in İstanbul in 2019, which drew refugee leaders in the Middle East and North Africa region.  The outcome of this Summit was shared at the Global Refugee Forum which was organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. ARSA was chosen to be one of the two organizations that represented the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Region.

Award

Dr. Zakira Hekmat’s Afghan Refugees Solidarity Association (ARSA), which she started in 2014, worked tirelessly throughout the coronavirus disease pandemic to help people in need, including those who lost homes and jobs or were left vulnerable, and she was recognized in 2020 by Washington-based charitable organization HasNa as one of its Peacebuilders of the Year for her work.

ARSA has been recognized with Angela Burdett-Coutts Award by The IGAM Research Center on Asylum and Migration, The award has been given to Dr. Zakira Hekmat.

ARSA has been recognized with Shining World Compassion Award by The Supreme Master Ching Hai from Taiwan. The award has been given to Dr. Zakira Hekmat.