Her role model in life is her mom, who has endured big challenges to send her daughter to the best schools the family could afford in Afghanistan. Masiha owes it to her mom that she has become the dedicated, hard-working person she wanted to be. Her mom worked for Care International, one of many agencies working in Afghanistan.
When Sapna A. left her home early that cold morning, she knew she was not coming back again. All she could tuck into her small bag was some documents, her ID, and the little money she had saved from her work as a teacher. Only her sister knew where Sapna was headed.
Before moving to the U.S., Farhad N. had to lead a double life. Born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, Farhad worked in a security company that escorted convoys of USAID and other American agencies working in Afghanistan. But only Farhad’s wife knew that.
“When the plane took off from Kabul, everybody was clapping and cheering except for me. I covered my face with both hands and sobbed. And when an old man sitting next to me asked why I was crying, I said I didn’t know I was going to leave my country like this. I did not know when, or if I was coming back.”
Afghan immigrants will be facing tremendous emotional and mental health challenges, even with significant financial and other support. Our training program will help reduce this stress by creating a pool of qualified interpreters for the community who understand the legal and medical systems in the U.S. and can facilitate understanding on both sides.
