These Afghans Had to Start Over. They Didn’t Have to Do It Alone. - The New York Times

A translator for U.S. forces since 2002, Mr. Bahar was fearful of the Taliban’s threats of retaliation against radical who had worked with Americans. “I was scared,” helium said, “for myself and for my children.”

With the Taliban seizing powerfulness successful Kabul, helium needed a mode out. Thanks to a erstwhile colleague, Mr. Bahar and his household were capable to evacuate 10 days later, among the more than 120,000 Afghans who were airlifted retired of the country successful the aftermath.

Tens of thousands of Afghans, galore with lone the apparel connected their backs, person reached the United States since the Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan past year. Among the nonprofit agencies supporting them has been Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York.

The organization, a beneficiary of The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, was assigned cases from Catholic Charities’ nationalist resettlement bureau to assistance link caller arrivals with housing, employment programs, acquisition and societal services.

During the evacuation, Mr. Bahar and his household mislaid 3 of the 5 backpacks containing their belongings. They received exigency backing for covering and household items, on with 3 months of rental assistance, arsenic they settled into their caller location successful Queens, including $1,135 from The Neediest Cases Fund for groceries.

Today, Mr. Bahar works arsenic a transportation operator for Amazon, and his woman is simply a homemaker. The 3 youngest children be nationalist school, and his eldest daughter, who was studying for her aesculapian grade successful Afghanistan, works astatine a aesculapian clinic.

For Shekiba Hakimi, who fled Afghanistan with her hubby and their 3 school-age children, assistance came from the International Rescue Committee, different beneficiary of The Neediest Cases Fund.

Ms. Hakimi, 50, had been moving arsenic a lawyer for 20 years, and her hubby was employed by the Afghan authorities and regularly worked with U.S. forces. Then the Taliban took over. Fearful for their lives, the household fled and settled successful Modesto, Calif., successful September 2021. There, they were connected with the International Rescue Committee’s Northern California office, which uses wealth from The Neediest Cases Fund to enactment integer literacy programming and to assistance its clients use for nationalist benefits.

Her hubby recovered enactment with Uber Eats and DoorDash, and Ms. Hakimi enrolled successful the Refugee Family Child Care Microenterprise Development programme of the I.R.C. She graduated successful October with a concern license.

“There’s a request for culturally responsive kid care,” said Stanford Prescott, a communications serviceman astatine the I.R.C. “So by making definite that immoderate refugees are capable to unfastened up kid attraction businesses, it enables different exile parents to participate the enactment force.”

Ms. Hakimi is taking English courses arsenic she works toward her extremity of 1 time practicing instrumentality again. Most important to her now, though, is making definite her children are good settled. “I privation my children to proceed their acquisition and execute their goals,” she said.

Inspiring children is simply a absorption of First Book, different Neediest Cases Fund beneficiary. In effect to the influx of Afghan children arriving successful the United States past year, First Book worked with the steadfast Room to Read to people and administer 30,000 children’s books exploring themes related to exile resettlement, written successful Dari and Pashto.

“Stories are powerful,” said Shannon Hesel, subordinate manager of Room to Read’s U.S. program. “When children don’t spot themselves reflected successful the stories that they person entree to, they’re not going to person their interests sparked.”

First Book, which aims to supply culturally applicable speechmaking worldly to children successful need, says that its partnerships assistance children amended recognize what is happening astir them, and that the books springiness them the words to process their experiences.

“Books are a comfortableness for children,” said Candace Radoski, vice president for First Book’s web engagement partnerships. “It helps them person a harmless and comfy spot that does successful immoderate ways mitigate immoderate of the trauma they’re experiencing.”

Julie McDonald, a room media specializer astatine Wiley Post Elementary successful Oklahoma City, saw the benefits firsthand. She jumped astatine the accidental to bid books from Room to Read’s Afghan postulation aft the fig of Afghan children astatine her schoolhouse increased.

When Ms. McDonald distributed the books astatine the extremity of the schoolhouse day, the children didn’t privation to gaffe them successful their bags and spell home, she said. Rather, they instantly began to riffle done the pages. “I deliberation the familiarity was thing that brought them joyousness and happiness,” she said.

Yousra Rawan, 7, and her younger sister, Asra, 4, person been successful the United States for a year, coming to the Washington, D.C., country from Afghanistan. Daughters to a Tajik parent and Afghan father, they talk some Farsi and Dari.

“My favourite connection to work books successful is Farsi due to the fact that that’s my language,” Yousra said. “At schoolhouse I work English books astir dinosaurs, cats, dogs, fish, sharks and much animals. But my favourite publication is ‘Goodnight, Mom!’” — 1 of the 12 titles distributed successful Dari that research themes related to the exile experience.

The girls were capable to get the books done their father, Baryalai Rawan, who heard astir Room to Read and contacted the group.

“When you spot books successful your ain language, that is an bonzer service,” helium said. “It helps support our identity, support our language, and is the lone mode that our children tin support their autochthonal languages and identity.”

Mr. Rawan, who works with refugees and immigrants successful the area, is moving to administer the books to section Afghan communities.

Donations to The Neediest Cases Fund whitethorn beryllium made online oregon with a check.