The Center of Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) has awarded grants to a total of 13 nonprofit organizations in six different states for 2014. With these grants, the organizations will continue working in their respective communities, providing a wide array of services including: advocacy, arts and culture, social services, and education. Two of this year’s grantees are highlighted below.

Somali Family Service of San Diego: A first-time grantee, Somali Family Service of San Diego (SFS) strives to achieve a better quality of life for the Somali and other East African population living in San Diego. To reach this goal, the SFS helps Somali and other East African families become responsible, fully-contributing members of their community by providing various services that promote health, educational and economic success, and develop leadership skills.

Recently, SFS held an event that focused on training individuals to be more culturally aware when it comes to health care. The event was titled “Providing Patient-Centered Healthcare to Somali Patients: A Cultural Sensitivity Training” and primarily worked on training to tackle some of the cultural barriers that are major contributors to the gap in healthcare and access to and delivery of the care.

Credit: Somali Services of San Diego Facebook Page

Mizna: Based in Minnesota, this organization is also devoted to the promotion of Arab American culture. Mizna creates a forum for the expression of the culture, giving a voice to Arab Americans through literature and art. Mizna presents various works from numerous Arab American artists, exposing the wider American audience to Arab culture and helping to counter the many stereotypes that exist against Arab Americans.

This September, Mizna will hold their 5th National RAWI + Mizna Literary Gathering, bringing together leading Arab American authors. In the past, such gatherings have included workshops on a multitude of topics, such as poetry, short stories, political and legal writing, sexuality, and more. This gathering provides an outlet for these writers, while also informing the public of the Arab culture.

Credit: Giovanna Nido

The SFS and Mizna only represent a small sample of the many organizations that are receiving grants from CAAP this year. For a complete list of grantees—as well as details on what the funds will be used for—visit the CAAP website.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *