Afghan Coalition Announcements

On Friday, October 24, 2008 the Afghan Coalition will proudly participate in a holiday fair hosted by the East Bay Community Foundation. The event will take place before and after the Alameda County Funders’ Forum in the foundation’s conference center in downtown Oakland.   Guests to the forum will have the opportunity to shop for the holidays and meet micro-enterprise entrepreneurs from local nonprofit programs including the Afghan Coalition’s Jewelry Making Program.  Other participants include Anew America Community Corporation, Creating Economic Opportunities for Women, West Contra Costa Business Development Center, and Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment.

About the Afghan Coalition Jewelry Making Program
With the support of a seed grant from Wells Fargo, in spring of 2007 the Afghan Coalition established a successful jewelry making program to teach refugee and other immigrant women entrepreneurial skills with the objective of increasing self-sufficiency in a supportive environment. The Jewelry Making Program is an extension of the Afghan Coalition’s ongoing support programs for women - safe arenas where women learn new skills, receive health education and provide mutual social support while working on jewelry making and other craft projects.

The Jewelry Making Program trains participants in a handicraft skill they can carry out in their own time – beading and jewelry making. Many participants come to the program with experience in beading and jewelry making from their time spent in Pakistan’s refugee camps.  Women who have been isolated have experienced opportunities to socialize with each other and share ideas and experience. The program involves a weekly three-hour workshop, which includes training in the handicraft skills as well as skills of money management, budgeting, marketing and other entrepreneurial skills. The Afghan Coalition’s vision is to develop the program so that participants in turn become trainers who empower other members of the community.

Holiday Fair: The Wares of Local Entrepreneurs
Friday, October 24, 2008, Noon – 2:30 pm.
East Bay Community Foundation Conference Center,
353 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland.

No registration necessary.

In September the Fremont Main Library will host an educational program on citizenship, and the Afghan Coalition will participate by staffing an information table on the day of the program.  The program is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008, 1:00-4:30 p.m. The main speaker will focus on the citizenship process, with an emphasis on changes to the citizenship test.  The speaker is Lucee Rosemarie Fan, Community Relations Officer of the San Francisco District of the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.  She will speak and answer questions.   She has presented other successful programs at the San Francisco Public Library as well.

The program will be held in the library’s  Fukaya Room.  In addition to the Afghan Coalition, other representatives of East Bay community groups working in the area of immigration and citizenship will be available to provide information about their services to attendees.

The program is a joint venture between the Fremont Main Library and the Alameda County Library Write to Read Program.

The program:

Citizenship: An Introduction

• Introduction to the naturalization process
• Update on the new citizenship test
• Representatives from local community organizations involved with naturalization

1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Speaker: Lucee Rosemarie Fan, Community Relations Officer, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

2:30-4:30 p.m. Speak with local community organization representatives involved with naturalization.

In partnership with:
Alameda County Bar Assocation
Afghan Coalition
Catholic Charities
Centro de Servicios
Filipinos for Affirmative Action
Tri-City Elder Coalition

For more information on the program contact: Fremont Main Library Information Desk (510) 745-1401
Directions are available on the Fremont Main Library’s Web site.

This Thursday, State Assembly Member Alberto Torrico will honor Rona Popal, the executive director of the Afghan Coalition, with the 20th District Unity Award. As part of Torrico’s State of the 20th Assembly District address, the award ceremony will be held at the Newark Hilton, 39900 Balentine Drive in Newark. The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Torrico will also honor other “local heroes” from Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Milpitas, Pleasanton, including SAVE and Promotoras de Salud.

Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required. For more information, call 510-440-9030.

“Rona Popal is a strong advocate for women’s rights and a great humanitarian,” Assembly Member Torrico said. “Her drive and commitment have improved the lives of many in the Afghan community both here and abroad.”

Press coverage: Torrico to honor ‘local heroes’ at event

Mr. Hirad Dinavari from the United States Library of Congress will be visiting on September 24th, 2007 at 10am in the Afghan Coalition office to meet with individuals and representatives of organizations who produce or publish arts, media, and literature in the Afghan Diaspora communities of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mr. Dinavari is a reference librarian for the Afghan, Central Asian and Iranian collections at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. The library is sending him to California, to meet with Afghan and Iranian Diaspora communities in the South Bay Area of San Francisco and in the greater Los Angles area. He is interested meeting with individuals and outlets that publish print materials, newspapers, periodicals, posters, books, music, film and broadcast shows.

Rona Popal, executive director of the Afghan coalition, will host the meeting and discussion focused on publications and productions of the Fremont based Afghan community. The Library of Congress would like to begin collecting and archiving Afghan-American arts and cultural traditions in the United States. In addition to materials in English, he is interested in publications and productions in Dari, Pakhtu/Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Hazaragi and all other regional languages.

If possible, please bring samples materials or gifts to the Library of Congress for him to take back with him to Washington D.C.

Afghan Coalition
39155 Liberty St., Suite D-460
Fremont, Ca. 94538
510-574-2180

With the support of a grant from Wells Fargo, in spring of this year the Afghan Coalition established a successful jewelry making program to to teach Afghan women entrepreneurial skills with the objective of increasing self-sufficiency for refugee women.

The Afghan Coalition organized a culturally appropriate training program for women that will train them in a handicraft skill they can carry out in their own time – beading and jewelry making. The intent of our program is to help Afghan and other immigrant women work towards economic empowerment in a safe environment. The program also gives women who have been isolated a great opportunity to socialize with each other and share ideas and experience. Beading and jewelry making was chosen as many women who come to us gained experience with this handicraft from their time spent in Pakistan’s refugee camps.The program involves a weekly three-hour workshop, where women are trained in the relevant skills by professionals; not only the handicraft skills but also skills of money management, budgeting and marketing. Our longer-term objective is that the women involved in this initial program will go on to train other members of the community.

The Afghan Coalition is grateful to our supporters and volunteers!

photo by Kasturi Rangam

On July 17, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles will open a new exhibit called “Woven Witness: Afghan War Rugs and Afghan Freedom Quilt.” The exhibit will feature a project of Afghan Women’s Association International and the Afghan Coalition called the “Afghan Freedom Quilt” display.

To view photos of the quilts, the Foundation for Self Reliance, prepared a slide show.

In the Main Gallery:

July 17 – September 23, 2007
Woven Witness: Afghan War Rugs and Afghan Freedom Quilt
http://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/exhibitions_upcoming.html

“Further exploring the impact of war on traditional textile arts, this exhibition takes a closer look at the influence of war on the evolution of traditional Afghan rug design, from the Russian invasion through the current U.S.–Taliban war.

Whether individual rugs were woven as political statements, personal reflections, or as souvenirs for soldiers, only the weavers could reveal for certain. Regardless of intent, these examples are a powerful testament to the relevancy of the rug form, its expressive capacity, and the ability of a people to adapt to the ravages of war.

Accompanying this exhibition, the Museum will also display the Afghan Freedom Quilt, a collaborative project sponsored by the Foundation for Self-Reliance. The quilt is a collection of blocks made by war widows in Afghanistan and assembled in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pieces sewn for this quilt are symbolic interpretations of what human rights, empowerment, equality, peace, hardship, sisterhood and freedom meant to each individual contributor. The Foundation for Self-Reliance conducts life-skills training and economic empowerment programs for Afghan women immigrants.”

This exhibit is co-presented by the Armenian Rugs Society, The International Museum of Women, the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, the San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society, and the San Jose Center. Woven Witness is presented in collaboration with the Foundation for Self Reliance.

Woven Witness would not have been possible without the generous support of the Compton Foundation, The Christensen Fund, the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, and Bonhams & Butterfield.

On June 23, 2007, the Foundation for Self Reliance presented a symposium called “East Meets West: Awakening to the Challenges of Afghans in Fremont” that turned into a monumental event. Over two hundred guests gathered at The Golden Peacock restaurant in Fremont to hear panels in both Farsi and English including a speech by Rona Popal, executive director of the Afghan Coalition and Afghan Women’s Association International.

The Foundation for Self-Reliance and the Afghan Coalition are already planning a sequel event to be held at the Golden Peacock on Saturday, January 19, 2008.

Press Coverage:
Fremont Conference Tackles Challenges Facing Afghan Immigrants - KCBS
Afghan cultural issues subject of panel, book - San Francisco Chronicle

Khaled Hosseini, UNHCR Goodwill Envoy; Afghan American novelist and physician; Author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns

Valentino Achak Deng, Former “Lost Boy” of Sudan and subject of What Is the What by Dave Eggers

Philippe Lavanchy, Americas Bureau Director, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Moderated by Elizabeth Farnsworth, Correspondent, NewsHour With Jim Lehrer

Join the World Affairs Council of Northern California as it teams up with UNHCR to celebrate World Refugee Day in San Francisco. We are very pleased to host both Khaled Hosseini and Valentino Achak Deng as representatives from the Afghan and Sudanese refugee groups, respectively, and Philippe Lavanchy of UNHCR to bring attention to the plight of the millions of refugees who continue to live in terrible conditions around the world and to celebrate the human spirit and the ability to overcome hardship.

Wednesday, June 20
Registration 5:30 PM, Program 6:00 PM

Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill
Terrace Room, 950 Mason Street, San Francisco

Cosponsored by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Association - San Francisco Chapter, United Nations Association - East Bay Chapter, Stacey’s Bookstore, and Human Rights Watch

Council members, cosponsors, and students - $10, Nonmembers - $20

Pre-payment is required. Cancellations must be made 48 hrs in advance of program for a refund.

To reserve a seat or for more information, visit our website or call 415.293.4600.

The World Affairs Council of Northern California engages the public in the exploration of issues and opportunities that transcend borders. For more information, visit http://www.itsyourworld.org.

This Wednesday, the City of Fremont is hosting an important planning meeting. Please spread the word so community members who live, work or have a business in Fremont can have a voice in the future planning. One of our board members, Bruce Green (also known as the “Bridge Building Facilitator”), will be going to express a vision for for a 2-part major tourist attraction called “Little Kabul” next to Historic Centerville. He proposes that Little Kabul could be developed in the empty property on Fremont Blvd. and Thorton Ave. (across and north from Maiwand Market). In a project Bruce calls “Little Kabul + Centerville = Prosperity & Peace,“ a redeveloped and renewed Historic Centerville area would be south on Fremont Blvd. from the train depot to the old theater. Together they could become a world-class tourist attraction that would be a must see for those who visit the Bay Area. Bruce feels that a Little Kabul development would benefit the entire community, revitalize and honor historic Centerville, and bring greater prosperity to all.

Please RSVP to Monica at the City of Fremont if you can make the meeting on June 6 at 6pm at the Centerville Community Center:

3355 Country Drive, Fremont, CA.

Click on the thumbnail to see the full flyer.

Friday, May-18-2007

The World Affairs Council hosts

Women’s Rights in Afghanistan with Sakena Yacoobi
Co-sponsored by Afghan Women’s Association International (AWAI)

Sakena Yacoobi, Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning

Sakena Yacoobi, founder of The Afghan Institute of Learning has brought education and health services to rural and poor urban girls, women and other poor and disenfranchised Afghans. Until the fall of Taliban in 2001, AIL operated underground, supporting home schools for over 3000 girls and was the first organization to open Women’s Learning Centers which taught women to become economically independent. Since 2002, with the adoption of a new Afghan constitution, women have been allowed to return to work and some have been appointed to prominent positions in the government. AIL now serves 350,000 women and children annually and employs about 415 Afghans, over 70% of whom are women. Sakena Yacoobi will discuss the instrumental role that her organization plays in helping Afghan women and girls overcome the challenges wrought by the last quarter century of war and instability.

NOTE: Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance of a program in order to receive a refund

Registration 11:30 AM, Program 12:00 PM,

Members - FREE, Nonmembers - $15, Students - $5 Cosponsors: $7

World Affairs Council Auditorium, 2nd floor, 312 Sutter St., San Francisco

Cosponsored by the International Museum of Women and Afghan Women’s Association International