African Services Committee Update
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Thank you for your support on Giving Tuesday!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you — from African Services Committee to all the amazing folks who supported our clients here in NYC and in Ethiopia this past Giving Tuesday week and along the way!
Thanks to your thoughtful gifts plus the generous donors who matched donations, we exceeded our fundraising expectations and raised more than $35,000! We can’t thank you all enough (but we gave it a shot with
this little video
).
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Take Action Today:
‘Public Charge’ Proposed Rule Devastating to Immigrants and Families
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Dec. 10 is the Deadline to Submit a Public Comment
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The proposed “public charge” rule change -- which could block immigrant families who use certain government programs from a secure future in the United States — is literally a matter of life and death for some immigrant families. In this fight, African Services Committee has joined the nationwide campaign,
Protecting Immigrant Families.
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Thanks to advocacy and outreach,
more than 100,000 comments on the public charge regulation have been submitted.
We still have until the deadline Dec. 10 and we need your help to ensure that every voice is heard before the deadline. If you have not submitted a public comment yet, please make your voice heard by clicking
here
and submitting your public comment against this cruel proposal.
Every comment will be sent directly to the government
and the administration is required by law to review and respond to every unique comment on the proposed regulation before issuing a final rule. A flood of comments can slow down the process and shape the administration’s decisions.
African Services Committee condemns in the strongest possible terms the administration’s proposed revision to the “public charge” rule, and stands in solidarity with immigrant families and their allies across the country against any expansion of the “public charge” provisions (Click
here
to read ASC's statement).
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Join Us Dec. 14 for ASC's Fête de Fin d'Année!
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Come one, come all!
ASC's annual holiday party will be full of delicious Senegalese, Ethiopian and Caribbean cuisine, dancing, drinks, and music. Festive dress encouraged!
WHEN:
6 pm to 10 pm - Dec. 14
WHERE:
ASC's Harlem Headquarters at 429 West 127th Street between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues.
Contact 212.222.3882 for more information. We hope to see you!
$10 suggested donation at the door.
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African Services Cooks Up Thanksgiving Feast
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African Services Committee staff (from left) Christine, Youma, and Adizatou cooking up a delicious Thanksgiving feast for clients and staff at our Harlem office.
More than 6,500 individuals and families each year are served by ASC’s food pantry alone, which provides essential supplemental nutrition, including weekly fresh bread donations from Orwasher’s Bakery and organic fruits and vegetables in the summer months through a partnership with the Central Harlem Community Supported Agriculture Program.
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“When I came to this country I didn’t know anyone. I had no food. This program has helped me so much. African Services Committee staff shows so much love to their clients — like a big family — and it feels like Africa,”
said ASC client Aminata from Burkina Faso.
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Check Out ASC's Latest Annual Report
Spotlights on clients in New York City (also featured in the video here) and Ethiopia and a panorama of all our NYC programs; click
here
to download a printable PDF of the 2017 Annual Report.
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Mobile Mammography Screening at ASC
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African Services Committee was thrilled to host Mount Sinai’s Mobile Mammography Screening team in November. They conducted free mammography screening services outside ASC’s office in Harlem.
Thanks to
The Mount Sinai Hospital
, Health Research Inc., and the NYS Department of Health for making this important event possible.
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ASC joined the
NYC AIDS Memorial
's
Light The Fight
experience on
World AIDS Day
, Dec. 1 to honor the more than 100,000 people who have died from AIDS in NYC and the tens of millions more who have died throughout the world, and to push for an end of the AIDS epidemic.
“I’m working on Light The Fight because the fight against AIDS continues. It’s crucial to maintain awareness that the AIDS epidemic is live, in New York and around the world. The messages on the trucks’ screens, contributed by feeling people, could comfort those affected by AIDS and reignite fires in bellies to end AIDS forever,” says renowned visual artist Jenny Holzer who selected and presented a series of quotes for this World Aids Day Light the Fight event that convey the impact, history, and ongoing battle against the AIDS epidemic worldwide and were emblazoned with LED signs on a fleet of trucks that journeyed through the city displaying the writings by poets, activists, artists, educators, and people living with HIV and AIDS.
If you don’t know your status, get tested - it’s always confidential and free at African Services Committee - all welcome without an appointment.
For more information or ASC’s health screenings or to sign up for a maternal infant health or family planning workshop, contact ASC Testing Center Coordinator Halimatou Konte at 212.222.3882 or
halimatouk@africanservices.org
.
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ASC Ethiopia: Community-Based Response to Community Need
ASC's clients in Ethiopia represent the most marginalized segments of the community, who find it difficult to get medical and social support, particularly integrated support, from larger institutions. ASC Ethiopia has not received expected support this year from multilateral donors. The population suffers from a huge burden of potentially preventable diseases such as HIV, TB, viral hepatitis; and over 40 percent of the population are living on less one dollar per day. Take a look at these videos spotlighting African Services Committee's Health and Community Development Centers in
Mek’ele
and
Ziwey
as well as ASC Ethiopia client Alemitu
(right)
who is also featured in ASC's new Annual Report.
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ASC Ethiopia
provides a true community-based response to community need, and
support
is needed now more than ever to keep our Ethiopia clinics open. Click
here
to donate.
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A look at African Services Committee's Health and Community Development Center in Mek’ele, Ethiopia.
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African Services Committee's Health and Community Development Center in Ziway, Ethiopia.
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English as a Second Language
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ASC’s lauded English as a Second Language program provides free, tailored language and literacy lessons to help immigrants communicate and build opportunity for themselves and their families. ESOL instructors and volunteer tutors taught an average of a dozen students of all nationalities, in each of three class levels, languages and academic backgrounds twice a week.
Currently, classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. To register, come to African Services during those times and speak with an ESL coordinator to be evaluated and placed in the correct level learning group.
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For more information and to learn about volunteering as an ESL instructor please call (212) 222-3882 or email
Andrew Greene
, TESOL Coordinator,
here
.
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Old School R&B Dance Fitness at African Services Committee
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ASC is thrilled to once again host a
Shape Up NYC
exercise course every Monday from 6 to 7 pm. Beverly will lead an old-school R&B dance class at ASC’s 3rd floor event space, which uses easy to follow dance steps to maintain cardiovascular health. All welcome! No prior dance experience needed to participate. Free!
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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