Somali Bantu Association of Tucson, AZ

A Caring Community In Building A Better Tomorrow
 
 
  

Welcome to SBATA

Field Trip to Reid Park Zoo! On August 20, 2009, SBATA took a group of parents and children to the Reid Park Zoo to celebrate Tucson's Birthday. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

 

The Somali Bantu Association of Tucson, Arizona, Inc, in cooperation with several refugee organizations in the city helped to plan and promote this years Tucson World Refugee Fest, a Celebration of World Refugee Day. It was held on June 20, 2009 at El Presidio Park downtown. There were over 1,500 people in attendance and the event included music, dance, crafts, and food from areas all over the world. The Refugee Artist Co-op Store was present selling their gorgeous beaded necklaces and earrings! This event was meant to educate and promote the support of refugee in the city of Tucson and will be held again next summer as well!

 

 

On May 21st, 2009, SBATA hosted a workshop of Refugee Status and Adjustment with USCIS called "Refugee Awareness Seminar." This event, held at Fort Lowell Elementary, covered topics such as adjustment to Permanent Resident Status,applying for American Citizenship, and applying for Family Reunification. Two USCIS officers explained the paperwork, resources needed, and the interview process for American citizenship which many of the Somali Bantu are beginning to apply for and obtain! Attendees included members of Tucson Unified School District, the resettlement agencies, and refugees. A special thank you to USCIS for their help as well as assistance from the State Coordinator's office.

 

The Somali Bantu Association of Tucson, Arizona, Inc, hosted “From Africa to Arizona…These Are the Somali Bantu,” on March 16th, 2009 at the Pima County Public Library.  This event provided a slideshow presentation about the culture and history of the Somali Bantu people, as well as a political history of Somalia, information about their plight as refugees and resettlement, and the obstacles they have faced in the United States.  The second presentation spoke about the organization and how we aim to help the Somali Bantu refugee community in Tucson, Arizona.  A full buffet was served which included a variety of traditional Somali Bantu foods.  This event was attended by about 75 people from different organizations and affiliations, including the Multi-Faith Alliance, Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network, and a few neighborhood organizations from around Tucson.  The Tucson Human Relations Commission co-sponsored this event by providing funding to cover the majority of the cost of food.

event1

 

 

 

Announcements