Mom of twins from Afghanistan gets fresh start thanks to Philly nonprofits

Matteo Iadonisi Image
Saturday, June 8, 2024
Mom of twins from Afghanistan gets fresh start in Philadelphia
Philly nonprofits joined forces to create a 'town center' where immigrants and refugees can access free food, English classes, and more.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- In 2021, a woman named Aber T. left her house and extended family in Afghanistan to seek safety and opportunity in the United States. Since then, she's given birth to twins and found a home in Philadelphia.

Aber is a client at the Nationalities Service Center (NSC). Originally founded as the International Institute of Philadelphia, NSC has been aiding immigrants and refugees for over 100 years with job services, language learning, and more.

Recently, they've invested in transforming their second lobby into a 'town center' where clients can gain access to free food, English classes, and entertainment for their children.

NSC received multiple grants to make it happen. They also partnered with the nonprofit, Community Design Collaborative, which is headquartered in the same Center City building.

The Community Design Collaborative is a group of volunteers that offers pro-bono design services to nonprofits like the Nationalities Service Center. They helped NSC materialize the 'town center' concept to better serve their clients.

The Community Design Collaborative will be celebrating 30+ years, 100,000 hours in strengthening neighborhoods, and 600 community design projects at the Leverage Award Reception on Tuesday, June 18th from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm at Center for Design Philadelphia.

The event is a key part of their annual fundraising to help bring more projects like NSC's 'town center' to life.

At the event, Prema Katari Gupta, President and CEO of the Center City District, will be the honoree of the annual Leverage award.

To learn more about the Nationalities Service Center or the Community Design Collaborative, visit their websites.

RELATED: Friends of the Wissahickon celebrates 100 years of service in Philadelphia

100 years ago, residents banded together to restore Wissahickon Valley Park after a harsh winter. 'Friends of the Wissahickon' has kept growing since.