Brief Historical Background

The Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition (SEAMAAC) is a United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania member agency serving the Cambodian, Ethnic Chinese, Hmong, Laotian and Vietnamese communities in the greater Philadelphia area. SEAMAAC's mission is to enable Southeast Asians (Cambodians, Chinese, Hmong, Laotian and Vietnamese) to thrive in the Philadelphia area.

SEAMAAC was founded in 1984 with seed money from the Ford, William Penn and Philadelphia Foundations. SEAMAAC was created as a dynamic collection of several Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs) with the intent of existing as a greater voice and an agency of service and advocacy for the refugee communities. For the past 15 years, SEAMAAC, as a refugee-run organization, has helped to bring Asian and refugee interests and issues to the collective agendas of refugee resettlement, social services, employment and job training, health, educational and cultural agencies.

In addition to coordinating a collaborative approach between its five member agencies, SEAMAAC also provide leadership in working with our in house Liberian caseworker and with two other refugee organizations: The New World Association of Eastern European Émigrés and the Ethiopian Mutual Assistance Association.

Mission Statement

SEAMAAC's mission is to have every Southeast Asian refugee in the Philadelphia area successfully and happily integrated into American life. SEAMAAC supports, in every way possible, each person's efforts to become a productive, successful, useful, focused person in his/her new home and new life in America. 

What Can You Do?

• Request for training for your agency around refugee and immigrant issues
• Share your knowledge and expertise about refugees and immigrants
• Be a volunteer!
• Participate in our activities
• Donation