Afghan Refugees Solidarity Association (ARSA) started its voluntary activities as Afghan Refugees coordinator in 2009 by Afghan refugees in Kayseri province, which is centrally located in Turkey. It continued its activities as an independent and non-profit association by journalists, doctors, academics, architects, engineers and other humanitarian aid workers in 2014 officially and serve as the management center of the Afghan community leaders network in various provinces of Turkey.

ARSA addresses both refugee and host communities with its activities. ARSA provides social and legal support for refugees and asylum seekers to access their rights and services. It operates with its volunteers in more than 60 provinces across Turkey, along with its head office in Kayseri. Translation, protection services, referral and counseling services, social cohesion activities, advocacy and academic studies are our activities & services. The aim of our association is to create social cohesion and to build mutual trust between refugees and host communities through vocational and skills training for women, art festivals, football tournaments, craft fairs, first aid training and Turkish language courses and other socio-cultural activities which are based on psychosocial factors.

Our working partners are United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), Danish Refugee Council, the Turkish Philanthropy Funds, and the Turkish Refugee Council.

The institutions and organizations we cooperate with are the Republic of Turkey Kayseri Provincial Directorate of Migration Management, Support to Life Association, Refugee Rights Center, International Blue Crescent Foundation, The Research Centre on Asylum and Migration (IGAM), KAYMEK (Kayseri Vocational Education and Culture), Mazlumder Kayseri, Sivil Düşün (SD) European Union Program and Swiss Confederation.

ARSA has taken part and made presentations in conferences of other national, international and local institutions and organizations working especially in the field of migration and with vulnerable groups. Operating in 60 provinces with the help of a wide network of 370 volunteers across Turkey, ARSA also works in close cooperation with a network of Afghan refugee community leaders and focal points in various provinces around Turkey, which provides an advantage for the replication and implementation of good practices in refugee leadership and representation.

ARSA worked with an international non-governmental organization called Oxfam, and as a result, it held the MENA Refugees Summit in Istanbul in 2019, with the participation of refugee leaders living in the Middle East and North Africa region. The outcome of this congress was shared at The Global Refugee Forum organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. ARSA has been selected as one of the two organizations to represent the MENA Region.

 

HasNa Organization, headquartered in Washington, USA, known for its activities in the field of peace and economic development, has chosen ARSA founder and board member Dr. Zakira Hekmat, who is especially known for his struggle for the rights of women and girls in Turkey, Afghanistan and beyond, as HasNa's 2020 Peacebuilders of the Year.

The first award given on behalf of Angela Burdett-Coutts in the field of Migration in 2021 was given to MD. Zakira Hekmat.

In 2021, MD. Zakira Hekmat has been awarded the "Shining World Mercy Award" by Supreme Master Ching Hai (Taiwan).

In 2022, MD Zakira Hekmat was awarded the "Women of 2022" award by the SES Equality and Solidarity Association.

MD. Zakira Hekmat received the International Women of Courage Award given by the United States Department of State in 2023 at White House.