I have no idea.
But, something just struck me and I had to help.
It was a few weeks before the Christmas holiday, last year (2018). I was on facebook and saw a local article posted about an Afghani man and his son, who just landed in my area to settle into a new life, here in the United States. He was an interpreter for the U.S. Army and the Taliban was after him and his family. During their trip over, his wife and other children did not make it. He and his son were rescued when their boat overturned.
No One Left Behind is a non-profit organization to help America’s Wartime Allies with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) resettle safely in the United States. Read about their mission here. You can follow them on facebook as well.
I decided to sign up as a volunteer.
My first assignment was simple. There was a family coming here and they have a one year old baby girl. I offered to gather clothing, diapers and a car seat for the baby. I was so happy that I was able to help. Lots of people helped me too! Our daycare provider gave me all of the diapers you see below. She has a lot of connections and people were so generous! We were also able to provide lots of winter clothing for the baby as well.
My involvement includes being a part of a "Caring Circle" which is a group of volunteers (there are 5-6 in my group) who takes on certain responsibilities to help a certain family.
The family we are helping is a man and his 30 week pregnant wife. They just arrived last Wednesday and unfortunately, I missed the first meeting due to being out of town.
My contributions are no more than a few hours each month. Completely doable. And most of it is online (email) correspondence. Although, I'm hoping to actually meet this family and help them in a more personal manner.
Types of support we provide:
- Just having a group of people who are there for them is a huge benefit
- We help them go to Department of Social Security and the Department of Human Services to get the appropriate paperwork that is needed
- We help get them settled into an apartment and coordinate rent, utilities, etc.
- Help with registration with OACES (Office of Adult and Career Education Services)
- Get an employment evaluation done so they can get employed ASAP
- Help with necessities - baby gear, maternity gear, etc.
- The goal is to help these SIV families become independent here and to be able to be self-sufficient
Not only am I volunteering, but I somehow got Steve involved :)
One of the emails I received was about 3 Afghan men who are currently enrolled in school and are looking for help in the automotive world. They had (or one of them have) worked in auto mechanics in Afghanistan, AND for the U.S. Army on those vehicles. One of the organizers was asking for anyone who could potentially help these men learn English as it relates to auto mechanics. Well, Steve is perfect for that.
He's super patient.
He's super smart.
He's a wonderful teacher.
So, now he has been in contact with that group, hoping to get them settled and on their feet as well!
I'm so grateful that I'm able to provide support in this manner. Not only is it so beneficial for these families, but it's good for my soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment