• Asylum Access reached a critical milestone in our short history. In 2011 alone, we reached over 5,000 refugees with direct legal services in Ecuador, Tanzania and Thailand for the first time ever.

• Asylum Access is proud to be a partner in International Defense Coalition’s Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children.

• To raise awareness about the campaign, Asylum Access Tanzania Volunteer Legal Advocate Ben Lewis wrote an Op-Ed article on the detention of children in local newspaper The Citizen.

• 14 refugee women attended Asylum Access Tanzania’s inaugural Women’s Empowerment Group on International Women’s Day.

• Asylum Access Tanzania met with some of the approximately 100 clients who applied for work permits in Dar es Salaam with our help. With the ability to assert their right to legal employment, they were hopeful about building a new life in Dar es Salaam.

• Asylum Access Ecuador filed a petition with the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights seeking reparations on behalf of a Colombian refugee woman survivor of sexual violence for police negligence that allowed her perpetrators to attack her with impunity. If successful, this would rge stronger protections and due diligence for future cases.

• Photographer Nitsan Tal visited Asylum Access Ecuador to learn about our work and document the inspiring lives of our refugee clients. View her photo essay here.

• Asylum Access Thailand welcomed Overseas Operations Director Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter in Bangkok, who met with partner organizations and our dedicated team of staff and volunteer legal advocates.

• Asylum Access Thailand guest-lectured on refugee law in an International Law class at Thamamasat University, raising awareness of refugee rights issues among next generation’s human rights leaders.

• ED Emily Arnold-Fernandez presented “Refugees as Drivers of Development” at University of Guelph’s Global Development Symposium in May. Using our work as examples, she highlighted how equal protection and rule of law are critical to ending global poverty.

• ED Emily Arnold-Fernandez shared the story of Asylum Access’s launch at Ashoka’s U Exchange in a meeting of higher education leaders to discuss teaching social innovation in universities and educational institutions.

In Ecuador, we assisted a total of 497 refugees directly, providing 200 new clients with individualized legal assistance, and 129 with community legal education.

In Tanzania, we assisted a total of 116 refugees directly and helped 75 refugees apply for work permits.

In Thailand, we assisted 87 refugees directly and helped 2 refugees in immigration detention centers.

Published May 2012