{"id":40250,"date":"2022-06-15T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/?p=40250"},"modified":"2022-06-15T18:40:59","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T16:40:59","slug":"charity-spotlight-casa-kua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/charity-spotlight-casa-kua\/","title":{"rendered":"Charity Spotlight: Casa Ku\u00e0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As one of this year\u2019s Amazingy Charity Box donation recipients, the Amazingy Team voted unanimously to choose Berlin-based community & health center Casa Ku\u00e0<\/em><\/a>, a grassroots organization run by a group of racialised, queer\/trans\/inter*\/non-binary activists who believe in making decisions by community, for community \u2013 putting into practice what the government often refuses to. They\u2019ve also recently established \u201cQasa X\u201d \u2013 under the umbrella of Casa Ku\u00e0 \u2013 to focus their efforts on those who continue to fall through the grit in the emergency responses of the city in the wake of the Ukrainian-Russian war. But in managing the available resources to continue this initiative sustainably, they are facing obstacles that are known across Berlin: a shortage of accommodations, the decline of volunteer engagement and the difficulties of coordination, often due to overextension of those who are affected by systemic violence themselves. Your donations can help bring immediate relief and potentially long-term change to the lives of third-country nationals who have fled from this war \u2661

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What does \u201cCasa Ku\u00e0\u201d stand for? And how did it come to manifest itself as a trans* inter* queer community & health centre in the heart of Kreuzberg, Berlin?<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


Casa Ku\u00e0, uniting the Spanish word for ‘house’ and the Chinese word for ‘trans’, is a space where alternative, traditional, and conventional medical treatments come together. The health care system in Germany is designed according to white and cis-male norms, reinforcing sexist, racist, classist, ableist and body-negative discrimination. Many inter*-, a-binary, trans* people, women, disabled and fat people fall out of the regular health system and suffer from health-impairing conditions or are forced to resign themselves to poor-quality health care. To counteract, bring communities together, centring the needs and wishes of BIPOC trans*, inter*, queer people, Casa Ku\u00e0 was established as a holistic space of community and health care since community care and health care are inseparable from each other.

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How has Casa Ku\u00e0 developed since its inception? What have been some of the most difficult and\/or most rewarding moments that the team has experienced?<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


Casa Ku\u00e0 was founded at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Especially under these dire circumstances, it became apparent that our communities were, once more, disproportionately affected and the need for a space like Casa Ku\u00e0 was necessary.
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Establishing and maintaining a centre is already demanding. Yet, doing this in the pandemic was even more of a challenge. By centring our own voices and experiences through being a BIPOC-centred space, we are clashing with predominately white groups, for example, by condemning racial profiling, police violence and the border regime, to name a few. Regardless, together with navigating regulations, rules and restrictions without institutional resources, we maintained the freedom and self-determination of what Casa Ku\u00e0 stands for. We are incredibly grateful for the community support and continuous effort because, without them, this would not exist: from financial help, individual and collective support, offering time and knowledge to their wishes and dreams. We are well aware that no space is perfect. However, we are committed to learning from our mistakes and pursuing to be the community space we envisioned.

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Is there a way for someone who lives in Berlin to contribute their time & energy to your organization? Are there volunteer positions available?<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


Casa Ku\u00e0 is a completely volunteer-based centre. In that line, we sustain the space mainly by the resources of our communities. Therefore, we always appreciate the support by proposing workshops, talks and activities to help in the different areas of maintenance and organisation. Of course, we are always looking forward to receiving donations through our crowdfunding<\/a>.
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If you want to collaborate, feel free to write us an email or connect with us on Instagram @casakua<\/a>.

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