by Brigid Rowlings, LHI Communications Director
Children wait in line for LHI school packs to be distributed in Afghanistan.
If I’d been born in Afghanistan
I remember distinctly when I learned about the history of Afghanistan-in a hurry! It was late at night on September 11, 2001. I was a third year high school history teacher in Annapolis, MD. In the morning, I had to face my students and explain what had happened and what was likely to happen next.
As I researched, I realized that if I had been born in Afghanistan, all I would have known my entire life was at best turbulent shifts in political power, and at worst, armed conflict. I learned that the government in charge of Afghanistan at that time, the Taliban, rose to power on promises of peace. That peace was at a price: the Taliban instituted a totalitarian and oppressive regime. And, on September 11, President George W. Bush stated that the United States believed the Taliban was harboring the leader of Al-Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and for the hijacked plane downed by passengers in Pennsylvania.
When I put myself in the place of an Afghan woman my age-I was 24 at the time-I felt great empathy for the Afghan people. I suppose that my empathy has only grown over the last 21 years. While perhaps my Afghan counterpart felt some hope in the two decades after 9/11 as the United States and other countries supported a shift to a democratic government, that hope was dashed when the United States completed its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021.
The current humanitarian crisis
During the two decades of international intervention, the Taliban had never completely gone away. They were simply held at bay by an emerging democratic government and Afghan military force supported by US troops. But, the United States began a withdrawal of troops that culminated in President Joe Biden’s announcement that full withdrawal would be completed before September 11, 2021. Unfortunately, the Afghan military was not strong enough to stand on its own. On August 15, 2021, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country as the Taliban entered the capital, retaking the country and taking thousands of citizens in Kabul by surprise. Some Afghans feared repercussions for things as ordinary to us as attending school or university while female or finding work as an interpreter for the U.S. Army. Others, especially women, feared a return of the oppression and violence of the first Taliban regime. Day after day, desperate Afghans tried to escape. Land routes quickly became clogged, and ultimately, were blocked by the Taliban. The only route out of Kabul was the Hamid Karzai International Airport. Thousands of people flocked to the airport, only to be met by Taliban forces denying them entry. Even citizens of other nations and Afghans who had documentation that allowed them to board planes found it difficult to impossible to get through the airport gates. Tens of thousands of Afghans ultimately made it out. Thousands more who were eligible for evacuation were left behind when the final US military cargo plane took off from the Kabul airport two weeks later.
This infographic describes the steps Afghans wishing to enter the U.S. under the Special Immigrant Visa program must take. According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, around 18,000 Afghan nationals who provided service to the U.S. government and their family members are waiting for their special visas to be approved. Meanwhile, they remain stuck in Afghanistan or as refugees in other countries. (Image credit: USCRI)
In the wake of the Kabul airlift operation, the US Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Allies Welcome, an effort to safely resettle vulnerable Afghans and those who worked with US troops in the country. The process involves rigorous screening and vetting prior to receiving humanitarian parole into the US. Individuals and their dependents who then receive Special Immigrant Visas are admitted as lawful permanent residents who can begin the resettlement process through the Afghan Placement and Assistance Program.
How LHI Helps
When Afghan families are transitioned into residential housing, US Federal law requires refugee apartments to be fully furnished before families move in. However, unless the long list of housing items are donated, the cost of furniture and household supplies comes out of the family's already humble living stipend. That is why LHI has partnered with the International Rescue Committee to assist with housing setup for refugees being resettled in Utah through our Afghan Refugee Aid program. Carlissa, our co-director of Utah operations and Anne, our warehouse manager of local aid, coordinate donations of household items and lead teams of volunteers who set up apartments. Carlissa recently shared a story of a particularly memorable set up on our blog.
LHI Volunteers load a container of international aid
What of the Afghans left behind? It is estimated that 3.5 million Afghans are internally displaced due to years of war, violent conflicts, economic problems, and natural disasters. Most lack adequate food, water, shelter, health care, and find few opportunities to pursue employment and education. LHI's International Aid program ships and distributes containers of critical aid supplies to these families in Afghanistan.