Berlin, January 22, 2026 – Interview with Pia Bergmann (Communications and Administration)

 

Who is Zaki – Education and Culture e. V.?

Zaki e. V. is a migrant self-organization based at the Berlin Global Village. The organization’s thematic focus can be summed up in one sentence: arrival and inclusion through education.

 

“Zaki” comes from Arabic and is also used in Persian. It means something like smart or wise. A name that speaks for itself—because at Zaki, the focus is above all on self-efficacy. The organization was founded by Omed Arghandiwal, who has Afghan roots and is now the managing director of Zaki e. V. Drawing on the team’s own migration experiences, the organization understands itself as one that offers counseling and educational work - low-threshold, multilingual, and free of charge.

 

Target groups: support for often invisible communities

 

Zaki supports people from Afghanistan, Arabic-speaking countries, and third-country nationals from Ukraine in accessing education, employment, and social rights. A particular focus is on groups that are often invisible in public discourse—such as so-called third-country nationals from Ukraine. These are people who, for example, lived there for studies or work, were then forced to flee, and can now neither return to Ukraine nor to their countries of origin. “These are forgotten groups,” says Pia Bergmann, who works at Zaki e. V. “And that is exactly where we see our mission.”

 

What Zaki does: counseling, tutoring, seminars

SOCIAL COUNCELING: A central component of the organization’s work is free social counseling. This takes place at the Berlin Global Village as well as at additional locations in Pankow and Charlottenburg and is offered in Dari, Arabic, English, and German. Counseling covers topics such as letters from the Jobcenter, applications (for example, how to apply for a housing eligibility certificate), job applications, job searches, and appointments with public authorities. The aim is to provide orientation within the German system and concrete support in everyday life.

 

TUTORING: Education also plays a central role in Zaki’s other projects. Through the tutoring project “Give thEM:POWER”, funded by the Senate Department for Integration, Labor, and Social Affairs, Zaki supports young people from Afghanistan in German, English, and mathematics—many of whom attend welcome classes or are close to completing school qualifications. The organization regularly seeks qualified volunteers with pedagogical experience, particularly in mathematics.

 

LANGUAGE COURSE: A special project is the German language support course for older Afghan refugees. Participants are sometimes over 80 years old and often were not able to read or write even in their first language. The goal of the course is to provide basic language and literacy skills so that participants can manage their daily lives in Germany more independently and feel comfortable here. The course is part of a project funded by the German Television Lottery and, for many participants, also serves as a social anchor - a reason to leave their shared accommodation and build social connections.

 

MEN CAFES: In addition, Zaki e. V. organizes men’s cafés for refugees - particularly for men who are perceived as Muslim, a group for whom there are comparatively few protected spaces for exchange. In men’s cafés, organized in shared accommodation facilities, neighborhood centers, or the organization’s own offices, men from Afghanistan and Arabic-speaking countries meet regularly for conversation. They bring their own topics, drawn from everyday life: insecurity, family, work, fear of deportation.

 

GROUP MEETINGS: Furthermore, Zaki e. V. organizes a monthly psychosocial group meeting together with IPSO (International Psychosocial Organization). The sessions are professionally facilitated by IPSO and conducted in two language groups—Arabic and Dari.

 

INFORMATION EVENTS: The range of services is complemented by regular information events for single parents or people with disabilities from Afghanistan. These take place in a hybrid format—online and at the Berlin Global Village—and address concrete questions related to education benefits, housing searches, disability ID cards, specialist doctors, care needs, or access to work and education for people with disabilities. Responsibilities are explained and pathways are outlined.

 

All services offered by Zaki e. V. are free of charge.

 

The organization works closely with other organizations and welcomes donations as well as qualified volunteers who, for example, can offer tutoring.

 

Arrival is not a one-way street. It is a shared process that requires time, resources, and solidaristic structures. Zaki e. V. does not provide simple answers - but it delivers reliable work.

 

More about Zaki e.V.: www.zaki-ev.de