ELFA empowering refugees in Tucson to reach work, school goals

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Marwa Alfandi, who came to Tucson from Syria, dishes out desserts from her home country year-round. Though many orders are coming in now, during Ramadan.

She takes orders through her Facebook page and runs her business out of her home, after getting a boost from Tucson group ELFA.

Director Rania Kanawati says the non-profit’s goal is to empower refugees now living in Tucson, especially women who need to stay at home to take care of family.

“Some women would never, ever imagine that they can start working like this from home,” Kanawati said. “And this is show how they will benefit Tucson and benefit the community.”

Kanawati tells KGUN that the group’s volunteers visit with refugees and help them get settled in—finding them furniture or giving them rides around town, as many do not have cars.

Volunteers also get to know their new neighbors and their skills and interests which, when combined with training and business connections, can lead to a job.

“Some girls like sewing. So we give them a sewing machine, give them the skills, some classes,” Kanawati said.

“They want to work, they want to be part of the community. They have really good skills, some of them are very educated. So they want to be involved in everything.”

There are also programs to help pay for women and girls to continue their educations and go to college.

ELFA is still responding to an influx of refugees from Afghanistan dating back to last fall. The group estimates around 500 Afghan refugees are now in Tucson.

“They are still finding homes to stay, they still not settled down in Tucson,” Kanawati said.

But no matter which country a refugee is coming from, ELFA’s goal is to get the new Tucsonans on their feet and feeling fulfilled.

“We don’t ask who you are,” Kanawati said. “We don’t want all this information. We want to know what they need.”

For more information about ELFA and how to volunteer, you can visit the group's website.