• Asylum Access’s story was published in a chapter co-written by founder and Executive Director Emily Arnold-Fernandez in the book “Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities” edited by Zachary D. Kaufman. Click here to read an excerpt or buy the book here.

• Executive Director Emily Arnold-Fernandez attended the Opportunity Collaboration Conference in Mexico to share Asylum Access’s work with a global community, ensuring that refugees are included in poverty alleviation programs.

• Asylum Access Ecuador opens four new offices in Esmeraldas, Lago Agrio, Tulcán and Guayaquil, offering services to refugees in a total of seven locations across Ecuador.

• Asylum Access Thailand Country Director Medhapan Sundaradeja spoke on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Human Rights Declaration at a meeting with civil society members and governments of ASEAN member-states. AAT was among several civil society groups concerned about the declaration’s effectiveness in protecting fundamental rights.

• Asylum Access Ecuador Country Director Karina Sarmiento published an article (in Spanish) in “Entre Tierras”, a newsletter on Latin American Migration Policies and Human Rights. Her article covers refugees’ right to adequate housing in Ecuador.

• In Thailand, Asylum Access has convinced the government to draft a law that would grant temporary asylum to the country’s 142,000 refugees, protecting them from detention in conditions called “tantamount to torture” and deportation back to countries where they may be raped, tortured, or killed.

• Asylum Access Overseas Operations Director Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter attended the UNHCR ExCom meetings in Geneva, including a session on sexual violence against refugee women highlighting the role of legal aid to prevent sexual and gender-based violence.

• Our leadership staff from all four countries convened in San Francisco for a week-long Asylum Access Global Leadership Training. A total of 14 staff members attended sessions led by a range of trainers, legal aid providers and community organizers.

• Asylum Access organized the second of our quarterly webinar series in November. Overseas Operations Director Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter presented on our exciting new developments in Ecuador. Future webinars will cover our work in Thailand, Tanzania and global policy advocacy.

• Asylum Access’s 2011-2012 Annual Report is now out! Learn about our exciting work in the past year.

Quarterly Figures at a Glance

In Ecuador, we assisted a total of 479 refugees directly, providing 190 new clients with individualized legal assistance, and 160 with community legal education.

In Tanzania, we assisted a total of 118 refugees, providing 39 new clients with individualized legal assistance and 75 with community legal education.

In Thailand, we assisted a total of 102 refugees, providing 67 new clients with individualized legal assistance and 35 with community legal education.