There are so many great need for refugees coming to the United States from Afghanistan and other places from around the world.
My husband and I have been engaged in volunteer work with Afghan families settling in our area for 2-1/2 months now. It is such a rich experience for which Ron and I are so incredibly grateful. And whether we are on the giving or receiving end of support, it is such good medicine for us all.
My deep prayer is that more and more of us will recognize the humanity we share and be moved to help if we can. There are so many different ways that we can make a difference. And this also includes through demanding changes in our immigration laws.
We are all interconnected, all related, all family. And we need to care about our sisters and brothers everywhere who have suffered so much. For those of us who live with privilege, there are countless opportunities in which we can put our caring into action and contribute to alleviating the suffering, trauma, and losses of others. Bless us all, no exceptions. 🙏Molly
A young Afghan mother holds her 2 year old on a recent outing with our family. Photo by Molly
When a refugee family like the Azizpours steps off an airplane at Portland International Airport, it’s usually officials and volunteers with Lutheran Community Services Northwest, based in Vancouver, who welcome them with hugs, resources and companionship as they face the daunting prospect of restarting life in a strange new place.
The nonprofit is a regular partner of the U.S. government in placing refugees here. In recent months, the agency has resettled 144 Afghans in Vancouver and Clark County, 199 more in Portland, and 356 in the Tacoma area.
Washington ranks fourth in the U.S. for refugee resettlement, Lutheran Community Services Northwest spokesman Matt Misterek said, with 3,000 Afghans resettled here recently. That welcoming history began with Gov. Dan Evans during the Vietnam era and continues today, he said.
In recent years, Afghan refugee communities have grown up around the military bases where their American friends and associates live.
“There’s a nexus between the military and Afghan refugees, so many of whom worked as translators,” Misterek said. “They have friends and allies in and around the military bases here, like Joint Base Lewis-McChord.”
But resettling and supporting refugees is demanding work, he said. More volunteers are always needed.
“Our case managers and volunteers help with all kinds of refugee supports such as transportation, language tutoring, job training, school enrollment and health care appointments,” Misterek said.
But mental health help is not part of the package in Clark County, he added, even though it’s certainly needed by many refugees who have suffered violence and trauma.
“Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide them with behavioral health services in the Vancouver district at this time, although we do in Portland,” he said in an email. “We did offer some services from 2013 through June 2021, but had to cut them due to funding and staffing issues.”
There aren’t enough Afghans in Clark County yet to drive a “client base for culturally specific mental health programs,” he said. “Funding for our refugee adjustment support groups dried up for a couple years because the county didn’t issue a request for proposal during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The No. 1 priority for arriving refugees is finding permanent housing, Misterek said.
“Finding affordable housing options is hard enough for the average person in the Vancouver area. It’s compounded dramatically for refugees, who don’t have a work history or credit history,” he said.
“What we need most are rental managers, apartment owners and others who are willing to relax some rules.”
To learn more about how you can help, visit lcsnw.org.
Please go here for the original article: https://projects.columbian.com/2022/03/14/small-steps-into-a-new-world-for-afghan-family-in-clark-county/
No comments:
Post a Comment