Kicking off the 2021 Annual Appeal

I want to share with you an inside look into Asylum Access as told by some of our incredible team members


Dear friends of Asylum Access,

Today we’re launching a series of videos with our team–I’m thrilled for you to meet everyone!  We’ll share some exciting new developments in Asylum Access’ work with refugee communities. 

Most of you already know that Asylum Access works with people all over the world who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and homelands, as they reclaim their rights, agency, and power.  

You probably know that together, we are changing laws—and we’re changing hearts.  We’re dismantling barriers to create a world where refugees can work without having their wages stolen.  Where they can send their kids to school.  Where they can take part in civic life, contributing to and helping to shape their communities. 

What you may not know is this: We’re also changing the way we all think and act in response to displacement.  I am deeply honored to share with you that Asylum Access is fast emerging as a leader in a transformation occurring around the globe—one that centers and honors people who have experienced what it means to be a refugee.  

In the next few weeks, you’ll see this reflected as we share our work with you.  Our next communication features Maya, an Asylum Access team member and a refugee.  She’ll share what it means for her to give refugee communities tools in their own languages, so they can stand up for their rights.  Maya’s message, and the others that you’ll receive over the next several weeks, will let you see what I see every day: the transformative work Asylum Access is doing to support refugee communities as they reclaim their power.  

I hope you’ll follow the campaign as it runs through early January.  I also want to tell you personally that we’ll be so deeply grateful for any gift you can make:  It means so much for our refugee clients, constituents, and communities—and for our shared world.  This year, we’ve set a goal of raising $100,000 to expand our support of forcibly displaced communities.  I invite you, if you can, to join us in any amount to be a part of this effort. 

I can’t tell you what a privilege it’s been to lead Asylum Access over the past 16 plus years—words just aren’t enough.  But what I can do is share with you the incredible team I work with, and the impact we’re having in communities around the world. So please stay tuned for future installments in this campaign—and thank you for being a part of the Asylum Access family.  

With appreciation,

Emily Arnold-Fernández

President and CEO