About Us
ELFA is a new non-profit providing refugees and youth of all backgrounds with resources, workshops, support, and a safe environment to develop healthy habits, find new talents, and gain leadership skills so that they may become role models for others.
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Elfa is an Arabic word that conveys a deep sense of warmth, safety, and the love of home and family. We are dedicated to cultivating Elfa with those who have been displaced from their homes.
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Our programs include a youth club where teens who arrived as refugees gather, create crafts, practice English, and develop skills and confidence; Pop-Up Souqs (Markets) where refugee families are able to connect with their new community through the universal language of food while learning business skills and earning money to support their families; and baking classes where women who arrived as refugees cultivate their art of baking, connect with one another, and gain skills to set up their own businesses to empower themselves.
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Our board and core volunteer cohort are made up of women from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment to creating connections, community, and opportunity.
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Empowerment. Leadership. Friendship.
OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19
Currently, all funds donated to ELFA are being dedicated to emergency response to the COVID-19 situation. Many of the families we have served have not only lost their jobs, but have also lost services such as food stamps.
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WHAT WE ARE DOING
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All donations are currently being used to buy food and emergency needs for families
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Refugee families are now making reusable masks to support themselves. For every $10 donation, ELFA will be donating masks to local health facilities, with all proceeds going to the families.
Please donate using our PayPal widget to support these efforts. If you would like to request a mask for yourself, please indicate in the notes and we will ship them to the address you provide.
Thank you for your continuous support in these times.
Ways You Can Help
Coming to Events
By coming to events, you get to meet all the families that ELFA works with, and buy handmade products directly from them, with 100% of the revenue going to the families.
Become a Volunteer
Fill out our contact form to register as a volunteer to help out with our weekly classes, biannual events, and local projects in Tucson.
Donate Online
You can make an online donation below to support programs aimed at helping at risk youth find new strengths. As a non-profit, ELFA puts all funds donated into projects and classes for the families we serve.