The British Ahwazi Friendship Society facilitates grants and donations to Al-Ahwaz TV, which broadcasts to the Al-Ahwaz region and the rest of the Arabian Gulf. Al-Ahwaz TV is the only independent broadcasting medium dedicated to giving a voice to the Ahwazi people. Using footage filmed by journalists in Al-Ahwaz and smuggled out of Iran, Al-Ahwaz TV is a unique grassroots Arabic language television station dedicated to freedom, democracy, peace and self-determination. Al-Ahwaz TV broadcasts to Iran on the Assyrian satellite network.

The British Ahwazi Friendship Society is raising funds for training Ahwazi journalists, editors and technicians to help Al-Ahwaz TV remain a trusted source of news for the indigenous Arabs of Khuzestan. The society has assisted Al-Ahwaz TV in the improvement in output and technical efficiency. We are keen to hear from anyone with experience in the broadcast media and those with an interest in funding independent grassroots media in the Middle East.

The British Ahwazi Friendship Society is involved in intensive lobbying efforts at a national, European and international level. We have facilitated meetings between Ahwazi representatives and senior government officials, cabinet ministers and UN officials and continue to actively support Ahwazi representatives at the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO). In March 2005, the BAFS led lobbying efforts at the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, drawing international attention to the Ahwazi issue and winning allies for the Ahwazi cause.

We are planning a major lobbying initiative at the European Parliament and the European Commission in September/October 2005. The European Union's importance as a major political and economic entity, rivalling the power of the US, makes it a crucial arena for the Ahwazi people to be heard. The EU informs the foreign policies of member states and directs most of its members' development aid budgets.

The British Ahwazi Friendship Society gives support to Ahwazi asylum seekers and refugees fleeing ethnic cleansing and persecution in Iran and elsewhere. We work to give refugees adequate legal advice and counselling, integrate them into British society and give them skills and education to help them become economically active and empowered.

The British Ahwazi Friendship Society is documenting human rights abuses and Ahwazi prisoners of conscience in Iran. We also research the unique history and culture of the Ahwazi people, whose history dates back 5,000 years. These efforts are particularly crucial for the Ahwazi people, who face extinction as a result of the Iranian government's efforts to "Persianise" and impose the Farsi language on the indigenous tribes of Al-Ahwaz. We welcome help from researchers, regardless of their professional background, to help build up our documentation centre.