Verband afghanischer Organisationen in Deutschland e.V. (VAFO)

The Verband afghanischer Organisationen in Deutschland (VAFO) is a nationwide umbrella organization that has united eleven non-profit associations under one roof since 2020. VAFO was created out of the necessity to consolidate the important voices of the Afghanistan diaspora in Germany and to work together for their interests[3].

VAFO's main mission is to strengthen the Afghan community in Germany, represent their interests at the federal level, and increase their visibility. The association acts as a central interface between the community and German politics to actively defend the concerns and needs of people from Afghanistan. VAFO is politically independent, secular, and multi-ethnic, and it is committed to the democracy and human rights movement in Germany[2][5].

• Advocacy: VAFO represents the interests of the Afghanistan diaspora to politics and administration in Germany.
• Projects and Working Groups: The association initiates and supports various projects and topic-related working groups to consolidate and address the concrete experiences and concerns of the community. Examples include projects like "HamWatan" and "Blickpunkt Medienfreiheit: Herausforderungen und Chancen"[5].
• Capacity Building: VAFO supports the capacity building of its member associations and promotes self-representation of the Afghanistan diaspora.
• Events and Dialogue: The association regularly organizes events and dialogue formats to discuss important topics such as human rights, women's rights, and the current situation in Afghanistan[2].

VAFO actively works on shaping German migration policy and German-Afghan relations in the field of development cooperation. The association advocates for equal and self-determined participation of the Afghanistan diaspora and promotes exchange within the community as well as with external partners. VAFO has also engaged in the Bundestag and other political forums to draw attention to urgent human rights issues in Afghanistan[2][5].

VAFO is transparent in its actions and regularly provides information about its projects and events in a quarterly newsletter. The association also regularly invites the public to events to promote solidarity and engagement for the Afghan community. Through donations and volunteer engagement, VAFO supports the challenges of migration and participation of the Afghanistan diaspora in Germany[1][2].

VAFO is a vibrant example of commitment and solidarity within the Afghanistan diaspora in Germany and works tirelessly to strengthen and make visible the voices and needs of this community.

• 1 - https://yaar-ev.de/ueber-uns/
• 2 - https://vafo.ngo
• 3 - https://vafo.ngo/verband/
• 4 - https://vostel.de/de/volunteering/organisations/2079_Verband-afghanischer-Organisationen-in-Deutschland-e-V
• 5 - https://www.gooding.de/verband-afghanischer-organisationen-in-deutschland-115798