Interviews were conducted in March and April of 2004 by Task Force members Saba Waheed and Aleyamma Mathew. The interviewees were: Soniya Munshi (Manavi), Javid Syed (Trikone), Hamid Khan and Nirva Parikh (South Asian Network), Biju Mathew(FOIL/Youth Solidarity Summer) and Aley Mathew (National CAPACD).The purpose of the interviews was to gather information about various issues facing South Asian organizations.

These issues are summarized and divided into seven areas. Within each area, we have summarized what we found to be key points and included short blurbs from the interviews.

Please note that these summaries are excerpts of much larger conversations that were conducted two years ago, which helped to shape the direction of the Task Force’s work.

In 2005, members of the Task Force conducted a survey among 18 organizations around the country. These organizations represent the diversity of resources and services available to the South Asian communities around the country. The purpose of the survey was to provide a snapshot of these organizations in terms of staffing, communities served, and services provided.

Out of these surveys, we unearth organizational priorities, infrastructure issues, barriers encountered, and perspectives on national coalition building. All of this will help us gain an understanding of the role of organizations such as these in building a movement that strives to raise our voices.