Bulletin Board

Hearts & Homes for Refugees Appeal

Published 2 years ago2y ago • Bookmarks: 113

October 20, 2021

Editor’s Note: From Hearts & Homes for Refugees:

Tens of thousands of Afghans who fled the Taliban with little more than the clothes on their backs remain in military bases. We are rolling up our sleeves preparing to welcome our allies, and building a longer welcoming table by engaging communities to become sponsors alongside us.

Sponsor

Our Afghan Allies are slowly coming out of the camps, often reuniting with family members across the country. Here are a few of their stories:

Hussain* and his son managed to get through the crowds at the airport and onto an evacuation flight, while his wife and two other children remained behind. He is eager to get established in our area and start sending much-needed support to his family in Afghanistan.

Nadia* arrived with her family to New York a week ago. She is thrilled to be reunited with her sister, but the apartment isn’t big enough for her, her husband and their two toddlers to stay for an extended period. Her husband worked for the U.S. in Afghanistan and looks forward to getting back to work now that he is in America.

After a Hearts & Homes volunteer helped Sediq* obtain the letter of recommendation needed for his SIV application, he was able to evacuate Afghanistan with his wife and children and is now in Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. When his processing is complete, he will come to New York where we have connected him to our partners for resettlement.

*Names and details have been changed to protect their pri

Afghan individuals and families are arriving every week to New York. Our partners at Catholic Charities, HIAS and IRC are reaching out and asking for support.

This month we are launching our Afghan Allies Fund.

Our campaign goal is $40,000.

Donate Now to our Afghan Allies Fund

While we continue to serve refugees of all nationalities, we want to be able to respond to the urgent needs facing our new Afghan neighbors right now. These families may not have brought much to the U.S., but they did bring their skills, their determination and their hope.

The sooner we can reach the goal the sooner we can help people like Hussain, Nadia and Sediq, along with their families, to adjust and thrive in their new home.

Hearts & Homes for Refugees has been supporting our Afghan Allies for years:

partnering on film screenings to raise awareness,
leading advocacy actions like postcards, calls and Congressional visits to build support,
providing volunteer assistance to Afghans applying for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV).

We participated in #DigitalDunkirk, and were relieved that 9 of the cases we supported were able to get out of Afghanistan. Our hearts break for those left behind. We haven’t stopped advocating for them and are active in the #AfghanEvac coalition. At the same time, we are welcoming those who were able to make it to safety in the U.S.

In September, Hearts & Homes for Refugees proudly welcomed the first Afghan family to resettle in Westchester during 2021. The children are enrolled in school, dad is interviewing for jobs and mom is about to start English lessons. Volunteers have come from around the county and the family is starting to starting to settle in, saying:

“The team helped us to make progress and get what we need here. We will never forget your help and the support given to us.”

With your generosity and support, we can ensure our Afghan Allies receive the basics they need to start a safe and productive life in the U.S. Your financial donation will directly support providing basic services and assistance with housing to newly arrived Afghans and assist Hearts & Homes expanding its work in developing sponsorships for Afghans.