Dear Beloved Community,

Allow me to introduce myself; I’m Uma Rao, Interim Executive Director at API Chaya. I began my position here on Oct 1 2025, which means realistically, you and I both know I am not the one to offer a full reflection on 2025. However the first thing I will tell you with conviction: the work speaks for itself. You can learn more about it in this report, and you should know—you are always welcome to reach out to us to find out more and ask any questions you may have. As an interim leader, I am in awe of what this team is capable of.  I consider myself lucky to witness and co-steward this team of warriors! 

I entered in a time of leadership transition. Transitions are a time that can be exciting, anticipatory, imaginative, risk-taking, and let’s face it—transitions are also a time of uncertainty. While there is some uncertainty internally at API Chaya, there is also a reflection of uncertainty all around us in the sector; those of us doing this work under this federal administration. We (immigrants, women, survivors, disabled people, queer and trans people, Muslims) are all under attack at a time when the work we do becomes more important and necessary than ever. The federal government has cut and frozen a significant amount of funds meant to support survivors and our communities–API Chaya is one of many organizations affected by this. So what do we do?

We at API Chaya are stepping into this uncertain time with fearless courage. Our staff show up to do the work day in and day out with our clients and community. Our leadership teams are stepping up and offering guidance and a path forward. We are hustling to raise unrestricted funds, to be less reliant on government funding. We are lucky to witness survivors' courage even in these uncertain times. And we will continue to stand unafraid right next to them in their journeys. 

And as we trek along into 2026, we invite you to be fearless with us. 

With love and solidarity,

Uma Rao
Interim Executive Director