Refugee health
Health has
no borders.
Beyond Borders is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit expanding access to healthcare and essential resources for refugee communities. We bring students, healthcare professionals, and community partners together through service, advocacy, and research.
Our collective impact
- 1,000+
- People connected to healthcare and essential services
- 1,100+
- Health and hygiene kits distributed
- $50,000+
- Mobilized for refugee-serving programs
- 150+
- Active student volunteers
Our Work
Three ways we advance refugee health.
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01
Service
- Health fairs
- Resource navigation
- Essential supplies
We spearhead community health and resource fairs that connect refugee families with preventive screenings, multilingual health education, health insurance enrollment support, and referrals for continued care. Working alongside healthcare professionals and community organizations, our volunteers coordinate outreach, event operations, and resource navigation. Beyond the fairs, we organize digital health workshops to help families navigate clinics, patient portals, and appointments, and lead essential supply drives guided by the needs our community partners identify.
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02
Advocacy
- Youth education
- Community perspectives
- Healthcare access
We build understanding of displacement and mobilize support for refugee communities through high school presentations, public education, and community engagement. Our outreach examines the barriers families face when rebuilding their lives in Los Angeles, including language, transportation, and the cost of care, and connects students with concrete opportunities to help. We are expanding this work through community-led panels, photography exhibits, and focused healthcare access campaigns that bring refugee perspectives into public dialogue and encourage institutional action.
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03
Research
- Needs assessments
- Evidence reviews
- Program evaluation
We connect student scholarship with the health priorities of refugee communities. Building on our displacement research showcase, we are developing faculty-mentored needs assessments and health-fair evaluations to understand barriers to care, identify unmet needs, and strengthen our programs. Our research agenda also includes literature reviews and evidence briefs examining refugee health and social disparities. Through research showcases, we bring students, faculty, and community partners together to share findings and translate knowledge into more responsive services.
Why it matters
Care begins with access. It continues with support.
We work alongside community partners to help families navigate barriers to care after displacement.
Inside a community health fair
Your path through a health fair.
Five stops, one shared purpose: making care easier to access. Choose a stop to see what happens there.
Start with a warm welcome.
Volunteers explain the available services, ask about language preferences, and help participants choose where to begin. Participation is voluntary.
Station 1 of 5
Illustrative event model. Services vary by event and partner availability; referral follow-up is a program-development priority.
Our work in action
Our commitment in practice.
Through community screenings and health fairs, we bring our mission into the communities we serve.
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2026
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) Community Health Fair
1879 N Lake Ave, Altadena, California
Explore the dayView location on map
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to
UCLA Displacement Research Fair
University of California, Los Angeles
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2025
International Rescue Committee Los Angeles (IRC-LA) Community Health Fair
625 N Maryland Ave, Glendale, California
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Open in Google Maps
Recognition · Altadena, California
Recognized for community service.
Beyond Borders was recognized by the California State Senate for its partnership in CHIRLA’s Rising Together Mental Wellness and Health Fair in Altadena, California. Student volunteers provided health and wellness resources for immigrant families.
Presented by State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez, California’s 25th Senate District, on May 16, 2026.
Our Network
A shared mission. Local leadership.
Our chapters at UCLA, USC, Cal State Fullerton, UCSB, and CSULB translate a shared commitment to refugee health into locally led initiatives. Each chapter connects student leadership with community priorities through service, advocacy, and research.
Find your campus.
Select a campus to explore its chapter.
Explore our Southern California chapters using the campus buttons below.
Campus locations shown for reference.
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Founder and Outreach Director
Kasra Eshtehardian
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Finance Director
Nickolai Gladkikh
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Finance Director
Elle Tonnu, CPA
Cultivating the next generation of community leaders.
Bring refugee health education and community service to your school. Our high school chapter pathway invites students to lead educational outreach and organize service initiatives shaped by community needs.
Ask about a high school chapterOur student-led publication
Common Ground
Explore research, stories, and perspectives on displacement and health.
Get Involved
Help advance the next chapter of refugee health.
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Join
Contribute your time and skills through community service, advocacy, research, and chapter leadership.
Find your chapter -
Start
Establish a Beyond Borders chapter and build a team committed to advancing refugee health in your community.
Start a conversation -
Partner
Bring your organization’s expertise to community health fairs, educational outreach, research, and resource distribution.
Explore a partnership -
Give
Support the essential supplies, community programs, and chapter operations that make our work possible.
Contact us about giving
Start a conversation
Your next step.
Our shared mission.
Bring your time, ideas, or expertise to advancing refugee health. Tell us how you would like to contribute.
