AshaKiran was started to help foreign-born individuals experiencing crises, such as human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence throughout the state of Alabama.

We aim to help diverse communities overcome barriers such as language, cultural and/or religious stigmas through education, empowerment, and providing culturally-sensitive services.

Founded in 2006 by Bhavani Kakani, AshaKiran was established by volunteers who were initially able to provide services in South Asian languages. However, as the organization grew, so did the numbers of languages we could operate in. We now offer our services in over 50 languages.

Unfortunately, foreign-born individuals — when faced with challenges such as abuse, violence, emotional trauma, loneliness or depression — have a difficult time reaching out for help. They face additional barriers such as language, cultural, and/or religious diversity from the mainstream and may be underserved by mainstream services, which leads to a dangerous silence.

Through a variety of free, confidential, culturally-sensitive programs and initiatives, AshaKiran provides a “ray of hope” toward building a more healthy and harmonious community.