Three years ago, in January of 2022, we awaited the arrival of an 11-member Afghan refugee family with excitement and some trepidation. My church, the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist in Newburyport, had offered temporary housing in the Parish Hall building next door to our historic church, following the lead of other local churches doing the same.
We had little other than names and birth dates. The father, whom I will call Mohammad, and his wife arrived with nine children, then ages 19 and younger, including three-year-old twins. The family had been evacuated from Kabul in August of 2021 after the city fell to the Taliban. As an employee of the American Embassy in Kabul, the father and his family now had to fear for their lives. They spent months in a crowded tent city in New Jersey before coming to Newburyport.
At the time of their arrival, I understood the steps to successful resettlement:
Learning English
Enrolling the children in schools
Accessing resources for new immigrants
Obtaining Green Cards
Assisting with health insurance and medical care
Finding jobs for the adults
Sourcing permanent, affordable housing
The reality of the past three years has revealed that the list above, while not inaccurate, does not reflect the complexities of learning to navigate life in America coming from a conservative Muslim culture.
Let me share some stories.
After the family arrived, our first task was to find ways to communicate with them. Nobody spoke English. Interpreters for their language (Dari or Pashto, the two dominant languages of Afghanistan) were not readily available in person or on-line.
Volunteers carried books with pictures to point to, used a Dari travel dictionary with English pronunciations and translation apps on their phones. Apps and dictionaries require literacy, however, and could not be used by the mother or the younger children.
We immediately recruited volunteers to teach ESL, most with prior teaching experience. Mohammad, the father, was so highly motivated for his family to learn English fast that he set up a separate classroom in their Parish Hall residence.
Supportive tutoring in English and Math continued after the children were enrolled in public school. More than 20 dedicated tutors taught all members of the family for the next two years, and about half of them continue to this day. They have become trusted advisors and friends.
Many women the mother’s age were not able to attend school under a previous Taliban regime and are illiterate in their own language. The mother had to learn not only spoken English, but reading and writing for the first time. Three years later, she now reads at a first-grade level and has been able to obtain her driver’s license. She is a skilled seamstress who runs her own small business from home.
As the family’s English improved, they shared the horrendous circumstances under which they had to leave their country, and the danger and oppression that those left behind still face. In this age of worldwide communication, many refugee families receive daily calls from family members in Afghanistan via WhatsApp, who apprise them of the latest hardships and tragedies. While this keeps family ties alive, it also constantly reactivates the trauma they have experienced.
Apart from learning English, other urgent needs after arrival were vaccinations, required by immigration and schools, dental work, and health education.
Preventive medicine as practiced in the US is a difficult concept for people coming from a culture where doctor’s visits are generally made only for acute issues and illnesses often go untreated. This family has been fortunate to have a dedicated volunteer who is a retired nurse. She has taken on the role of first-line medical support and has spent countless hours taking family members to doctor’s appointments and educating them on medical issues. The family affectionately calls her “Doctor Katty”.
Another extraordinary support effort has been the creation of an “Afghan Women’s Group,” started early in 2022 and run by a local therapist and other volunteers. It includes childcare for the younger children to allow the Afghan women in the area to exchange information and support each other. This group has been a unique safe place for them to share sadness and triumphs.
This family has made many achievements since their arrival:
Both parents and the two oldest teenagers have driver’s licenses. Benefactors helped them acquire their first cars.
Mohammad is working full-time at a local automotive shop.
The whole family now has Green Cards.
The local Afghan Women are part of a craft cooperative founded and run with the support of NAAM, allowing them to earn an income. Mohammad’s wife also has her own sewing business.
The older teenagers have started working at Marshalls and Market Basket part-time besides high school.
The oldest son graduated from high school last summer and is attending NECC while working part-time. Two younger sisters will graduate this year and have hopes of going to college, an aspiration supported by their parents. Another teen brother attends Whittier Tech.
All children are doing well in school, some making the honor roll. The younger children no longer require full ESL support.
Two of the boys are budding soccer stars, and most of the children are participating in sports such as cross-country and basketball.
Most importantly, the family moved to a rented half-house in Newburyport in the fall of 2023. At present they still require support to meet the rent but are moving toward financial independence within the next two years. Staying in Newburyport has allowed them to grow new roots and experience a level of safety and stability.
None of this would have been possible without the support of dozens of volunteers from the First Religious Society, the City of Newburyport, the schools and organizations such as IINE and NAAM. Many individuals have contributed to help our Afghan friends build a new life and to make them feel welcome.
I hope you will welcome them, too.
Bettina Turner
Core volunteer and Newburyport resident
Want to donate or volunteer? Checks can be sent to the First Religious Society in Newburyport for “Afghan Resettlement,” or donate online to “Afghan Resettlement.” For more details, contact: info@townienbpt.com.
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