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        We strive to serve and represent the needs of the Central Asian community in the US.

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              ©2025 American Central Asian Association. All rights reserved.

              We are the
              American Central
              Asian Association

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              We strive to serve and represent the needs of the Central Asian community in the US.

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              Who are Central Asians?

              People from
              kazakhstan, kyrgyzstan, tajikistan,
              turkmenistan and uzbekistan
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              infoClick to learn more

              Central Asia is a subregion of Asia which stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. The region consists of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

              In the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras (circa 1000 and earlier) Central Asia was inhabited predominantly by Iranian peoples, populated by Eastern Iranian-speaking Bactrians, Sogdians, Chorasmians and the semi-nomadic Scythians and Dahae. After expansion by Turkic peoples, Central Asia also became the homeland for the Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tatars, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, and Uyghurs; Turkic languages largely replaced the Iranian languages spoken in the area, with the exception of Tajikistan and areas where Tajik is spoken.

              From the mid-19th century until almost the end of the 20th century, Central Asia was colonised by the Russians, and incorporated into the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union, which led to Russians and other Slavs emigrating into the area. Modern-day Central Asia is home to a large population of European settlers, who mostly live in Kazakhstan; 7 million Russians, 500,000 Ukrainians, and about 170,000 Germans. Stalinist-era forced deportation policies also mean that over 300,000 Koreans live there.

              Our mission

              Identify the needs and implement programs to support the Central Asian community
              • account_circleAnonymous:

                I am from Uzbekistan and suffer from a rare disease. Because of the rareness of the disease, I have no physcial support group that I can go to. I also don’t have family or a community that I can rely on in the U.S. There is also a language barrier that exists when it comes to receiving help. Because of this, I’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It was only when I found Annabel Counseling Services, a partner company to ACAA, which has therapists that speak several Central Asian languages that I was able to get some of the support I need. After finding out about the formation of ACAA, I was very excited and look forward to the support and unity within the Central Asian community that the organization will be providing.

              • account_circleAnonymous:

                I am a citizen of Turkmenistan and my husband is a citizen of Uzbekistan. We live in the State of New York in the United States. He is continuously abusing me verbally and financially. I can not leave because I depend on him financially and I have 3 kids whom I can not take care of myself and have no place to go, because my family is in Uzbekistan. I wish there were people or organizations who could understand me and support me, people who would know my culture and his culture and wouldn't judge me... I am totally lost now and do not know what to do, as my emotions affect my kids daily.

              • account_circleAnonymous:

                I was born in Kyrgyzstan but raised in the U.S. Applying to colleges as a Central Asian was really hard because when I filled out the forms, they would ask me to identify my racial/ethnic background but I didn’t know which ones to choose since Central Asia was not included into any of them. Also, when I was applying for scholarships, a lot of them were based on racial/ethnic belonging, and since Central Asia doesn’t belong to any of them, there wasn’t a community or organization that would be supporting me through the college application and education process. I remember feeling jealous of my friends who would receive care packages and financial aid from their community organizations. As a member of ACAA, I hope to implement more support towards students that don’t fit the criteria for any of the more recognized racial/ethnic communities.

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              The community

              Community Engagement

              Research

              Central Asians are a group that hasn't previously been represented or studied in the U.S. Therefore, our research department is working on the first-ever community needs assessment for Central Asians. The team is in the planning-piloting phase of the project and preparing for distribution. Once the data is collected and analyzed, the results will be published. Based on the results, more programs will be implemented.

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              Community events

              We are partnered with Annabel Counseling Services PTLC., psychological counseling, and social work company that provides resources, therapy, and social work services to the Association

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              Volunteers

              ACAA cares about education which is why we run an internship and volunteer program available to anybody 16 years and older. The program aims to raise awareness of social issues, as well as give the opportunity to intern/volunteer in an environment that supports the volunteer's career goals Volunteers/interns are placed into their department of interest and are given training and work in alignment with their goals.

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              Our programs

              Our programs and resources aren't limited to members of the Central Asian community, we are always looking to help those in need.

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              Our blog

              Resources and News for Everyone

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                Events

                Throughout the year, ACAA hosts a variety of educational and interactive events, ranging from cultural workshops to community forums.

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