Meet Our Director

A message from the director

Our vision at the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association is fair treatment for all refugees who enter the UK.

We seek improved quality of life for refugees, including successful integration into their host countries, improved human rights in the Afghan diaspora and in Afghanistan itself. All of ACAA’s projects, from citizens advice centres in Afghanistan to homework clubs and Saturday schools in the UK, seek to achieve this.

This commitment stems from my own journey: I arrived in the UK in 1999 as a refugee, unable to speak a word of English. While studying English at Lewisham College, the challenges I faced as a refugee trying to integrate into British society motivated me to action. I founded ACAA in 2000 to focus on the needs that I felt were unfulfilled when I first arrived as a refugee.

Equipped with a law degree from Southbank University, I was determined to make a meaningful contribution to improving the quality of life for refugees in the UK and for the people of Afghanistan. Ever since, our organisation has worked to advance this mission in areas whether in education and employment, or social cohesion.

Though we have achieved a lot, there is still much to do. With the support of people across the UK and in Afghanistan and Central Asia, I am confident that we can continue to go from strength to strength and make a real difference to the lives of the people we help.