{"id":26259,"date":"2026-06-24T12:10:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T09:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/?post_type=uutinen&p=26259"},"modified":"2026-06-24T14:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T11:38:34","slug":"maya-2025-palkinto-suomen-hazaroiden-kulttuuriyhdistykselle","status":"publish","type":"uutinen","link":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/uutinen\/maya-2025-palkinto-suomen-hazaroiden-kulttuuriyhdistykselle\/","title":{"rendered":"Hazara Culture House Wins the MAYA 2025 Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Moniheli\u2019s MAYA 2025 Award was awarded to Hazara Culture House <\/strong>(Suomen Hazaroiden kulttuuriyhdistys ry). The winner was announced at the Multicultural Independence Day Celebration on 6 December 2025.<\/p>

The jury praised the association for its concrete and diverse work in promoting integration and collaboration. The association has reached a wide range of institutions at different levels of society. According to the jury, the application also stood out for its thoroughness and clarity.<\/p>

Each year, Moniheli presents the MAYA Award to one of its member associations in recognition of significant work for multicultural communities. MAYA stands for Moniheli Association of the Year, and was first awarded in 2021.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Promoting Culture, Inclusion and Human Rights<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Hazara Culture House preserves and promotes Hazara history and cultural heritage, and supports the integration of the Afghan community living in Finland. Its work is built on cultural exchange, mutual learning, and social interactions.<\/p>

The association organises cultural, community and advocacy activities, including cultural events, community gatherings and campaigns that celebrate Hazara history, traditions and experiences.<\/p>

Its integration activities promote dialogue, participation, and collaboration with other multicultural communities. Key themes of its advocacy work include human rights \u2014 especially the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan \u2014 as well as amplifying the voices of marginalised communities in Finland and beyond.<\/p>

Through youth engagement programs, community networking and advocacy, the association strengthens Hazara cultural identity, supports the empowerment of community members and raises awareness of the often-overlooked stories, challenges and achievements of the Hazara people.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Latif Fayaz, Executive Director of Hazara Culture House, at the Hazara Culture Day Celebration in J\u00e4rvenp\u00e4\u00e4 on 31 May 2026.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Recognition and New Opportunities for Dialogue<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to Executive Director Latif Fayaz<\/strong> , one of the association\u2019s greatest achievements has been the recognition it has received for its cultural and civic engagement work. This recognition has also strengthened the visibility of the Hazara community in Finland.<\/p>

A significant milestone was Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's<\/strong> participation in the Hazara Culture Day celebration in May 2026. It was the first time a Finnish Prime Minister had attended the event.<\/p>

\u201cThe Prime Minister\u2019s participation and his positive remarks about our work were a meaningful recognition of our efforts and contribution to Finnish society,\u201d Fayaz says.<\/p>

Another major achievement was the Hazara Culture Exhibition organised in cooperation with the Helin\u00e4 Rautavaara Museum. Opened in May 2026, the exhibition introduced Hazara history, culture and heritage to a wider Finnish audience. At the opening event, the keynote speech was delivered by Member of Parliament Saara Hyrkk\u00f6<\/strong>. The event also featured an expert panel discussion with, among others, Member of Parliament Inka Hopsu<\/strong>.<\/p>

The association has also actively promoted civic participation by organising public information events on municipal and county elections. The events held in Helsinki and Tampere in 2025 helped community members better understand the Finnish electoral system and encouraged them to participate in democratic decision-making.<\/p>

In 2024, the association organised a panel discussion on the European Parliament elections, bringing together Members of the European Parliament and Members of the Finnish Parliament, including MP Pekka Haavisto<\/strong>. The event provided an opportunity for dialogue between decision-makers and immigrant communities.<\/p>

According to Fayaz, these initiatives reflect the association\u2019s goal of strengthening connections between the Hazara community and Finnish society.<\/p>

\u201cWe want to preserve cultural heritage, promote civic participation, and strengthen understanding between communities. Our goal is to help build a more cohesive and peaceful society for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Hazara Culture Day Celebration<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Moniheli Has Been an Important Partner<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Suomen Hazaroiden Kulttuuriyhdistys ry has been a member of Moniheli since the beginning of its activities in 2024. According to Fayaz, Moniheli has played an important role in the association\u2019s growth and development.<\/p>

Through Moniheli\u2019s network, the association has gained opportunities for cooperation, experience-sharing and community engagement.<\/p>

\u201cMoniheli has helped us build bridges with other organisations and create meaningful partnerships. Through the network, we have discovered new opportunities for cooperation,\u201d Fayaz says.<\/p>

The association also appreciates the administrative and technical support provided by Moniheli, which has helped strengthen and develop its operations. Project funding received through Moniheli enabled activities to be implemented in both Helsinki and Tampere, significantly benefiting the Hazara community in Finland.<\/p>

The association particularly values the fact that Moniheli has recognised and appreciated its work.<\/p>

Moniheli has encouraged our efforts, celebrated our achievements alongside us, and helped amplify the impact of our activities. This support and partnership have been one of the most meaningful contributions of the Moniheli community to Hazara Culture House.<\/p>

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Main image: Juke Luoma<\/em><\/p>

Other Images: Hazara Culture House<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monihelin vuoden 2025 MAYA-palkinnon voitti Suomen Hazaroiden Kulttuuriyhdistys ry (Hazara Culture House). Palkinnon saaja julkistettiin Monikulttuurisessa itsen\u00e4isyysp\u00e4iv\u00e4juhlassa 6.12.2025. Tuomaristo kiitteli yhdistyst\u00e4 erityisesti sen konkreettisesta ja monipuolisesta ty\u00f6st\u00e4 kotoutumisen ja yhteisty\u00f6n edist\u00e4miseksi. Yhdistys on tavoittanut toimijoita laajasti yhteiskunnan eri tasoilla. My\u00f6s hakemus erottui edukseen perusteellisuudellaan ja selkeydell\u00e4\u00e4n. Moniheli palkitsee vuosittain yhden j\u00e4senj\u00e4rjest\u00f6ist\u00e4\u00e4n merkitt\u00e4v\u00e4st\u00e4 ty\u00f6st\u00e4 monikulttuuristen yhteis\u00f6jen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":26267,"menu_order":160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26259","uutinen","type-uutinen","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uutiset"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/uutinen\/26259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/uutinen"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/uutinen"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26259"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/uutinen\/26259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26403,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/uutinen\/26259\/revisions\/26403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moniheli.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}