African Services Committee
Update
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Acclaimed Somali Poet Reads from Her Latest Work 'Exiles of Eden' in Sold Out Show
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Acclaimed Somali poet Ladan Osman read from her latest work “
Exiles of Eden
” (Coffee House Press) with the breathtaking backdrop "Noiseless" by Ethiopian artist Elias Sime, on view in a sold-out performance at James Cohan Gallery in Chelsea on June 12. Donations made during the event went to support African Services Committee. Special thanks to Ladan Osman,
James Cohan Gallery
,
Blue Flower Arts
and to all who turned out.
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ASC Attorney &
Equal Justice Works
Fellow: Sometimes, Home is a Place You are Forced to Flee
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Equal Justice Works
Fellow and African Services Committee attorney, Samah Sisay describes how her own immigration story inspired her to create a project to address the unmet legal needs of LGBTQ+ African and Caribbean immigrant women in NYC.
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Sometimes, home is a place you are forced to flee. When I was seven years old, my family fled civil war in Monrovia, Liberia and began a new life in the United States. In this new life, I was forced to reimagine the meaning of home. I grew up surrounded by many other African immigrant families who struggled daily to redefine their lives and find some semblance of safety and community in a country that was foreign to them. This history of fleeing home and trying to build a new life is one I share with the numerous women I assist as an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the
African Services Committee
.
Click
here
to read the full story.
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Family Planning Workshop at ASC July 10
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In addition to offering free testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, blood glucose, blood pressure, TB, and STIs to walk-in clients throughout the week at ASC’s testing center, ASC’s Testing Center team is busy holding monthly maternal and infant health and family planning workshops. The workshops are free and in French and English.
The next workshop will be July 10, 2019 at ASC's second floor conference room.
Refreshments, free metro cards and gift cards will be provided to all who attend.
Learn more by contacting Adama at (646) 209-4740 or email Halimatou at halimatouk@africanservices.org
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One of African Services Committee’s two honey farms are led by our beekeeper (pictured here with his son) in remote Wukro, Gheralta, in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region. Natural springs near the farm boost honey production from the 19 hives, now in their fourth year. African Services Committee Ethiopia represents grassroots community-based response to community need — staffed entirely of Ethiopian doctors, nurses, lab technicians, case managers, pharmacists, administrators, outreach workers, and, as seen here, beekeepers.
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Our three Ethiopia health and community development centers serve patients who are impacted by climate change, human rights abuses, war and ethnic persecution, famine, and diseases of poverty. These programs are a true community-based response to community need, and
support
is needed now more than ever to keep our Ethiopia clinics open.
Please make a donation today.
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ASC's Health Testing Center
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African Services Committee’s Testing Center helps immigrants overcome a range of obstacles often encountered when accessing health care in the United States, including social determinants of health, such as low income, unsafe neighborhoods, immigration status, lack of English language fluency, health insurance, and absence of culturally-competent caregiving, in addition to unfamiliarity with what can be a challenging health care system for newcomers.
The typical client who walks in to ASC’s Testing Center can receive free and confidential health screening for HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, diabetes, hypertension, maternal and infant health education, low fee TB testing, navigation to affordable care, and referral to cancer screening.
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The team conducts nearly 1,000 free and confidential HIV tests and counseling each year. Clients who are diagnosed with HIV receive comprehensive care and support from ASC’s other departments, including ASC legal services, linkage to care, nutritional support from our food pantry, housing placement assistance, case management, and client support groups. Visit
www.africanservices.org
or call 212.222.3882 to learn more.
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ASC’s Pro Bono Legal Program Addresses Flood of Newcomers Seeking Immigration Legal Services
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African Services Committee’s
Pro Bono Legal Program
helps boost ASC’s capacity to represent immigrants coming to our doors seeking immigration legal services. Private pro bono partners contributed nearly 2,000 hours and more than a dozen volunteer attorneys contributed more than 4000 hours of time in 2018 — handling several asylum and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) cases.
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“It is an amazing and substantial amount of work and everyone benefits from our Pro Bono program: Young associates get to go to the asylum office and develop their trial and litigation skills, our clients benefit from being represented, and ASC benefits by being able to serve more people," says ASC Senior Immigration Attorney and Pro Bono Coordinator Aminat Sabak.
Learn more about participating in our Pro Bono Program
here
and check out a video
here
to hear ASC/ ICLC Pro Bono Attorneys talk about their experience in the program.
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Free Dance Fitness Classes at ASC Twice a Week
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ASC's Harlem HQ is currently hosting two Shape Up NYC classes: Old School R&B Dance Fitness and Dance for Life. All welcome. FREE.
- Old School R&B Dance Fitness class continues on Mondays at 6pm.
- Dance for Life takes place every Wednesday at 5:30pm.
Click
here
for more info.
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ASC's dedicated staff will continue to fight for our clients. We need you to join the fight, too, by
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