You are not alone!
Nour Sarah, (Light of Sarah)named in honor and memory of Sarah Hegazi (1989-2020) is a collaborative initiative by Spectrum and LebMASH aiming to provide LGBTQIA+ people living in the NAWA region or those of NAWA region descent with the necessary tools and resources to support their mental health and well-being, using a trauma-informed and culturally/linguistically-appropriate approach. These tools and resources are offered free of charge, in Arabic, Persian, Pashto and Kurdish, and will be available online where they can be accessed securely.
Due to the current situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, Phase I of this initiative will focus on LGBTQIA+ individuals currently located in Afghanistan or Afghan LGBTQIA+ individuals who recently relocated to neighboring countries or to Western countries. Pashto and Persian (Dari), the two main languages spoken in Afghanistan are prioritized in this phase.
Next Phases of this project will expand to other countries in the NAWA region and will include other languages.
Our Goal:
The main goal of this initiative’s first phase is to link LGBTQIA+ people living in Afghanistan or who have recently relocated to neighboring countries or to Western countries with emotional support services.
Our Objectives:
- Objective 1: Raise awareness about mental health among the target population and equip them with basic coping skills through social media posts and a series of podcasts in a culturally/linguistically sensitive manner.
- Objective 2: Identify a network of Persian (Dari) and Pashto speaking providers who are LGBTQ affirmative, a secure online referral system to these providers and oversight over their work.
- Objective 3: Connect individuals from the target population with the providers for confidential and anonymous emotional support services.