With the U.S.-led evacuation of Afghan civilians coming to an end, tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have landed in the United States, looking to start their new life. Many are arriving in Montgomery County, and local agencies and community organizations are working to provide support and care for them.
According to the data from the White House in early September, the U.S. is preparing to resettle up to 95,000 Afghans in 2021 and 2022. Maryland is one of the top state hosts of Afghan refugees.
“In Maryland, we are anticipating anywhere close to about 5,000 or so Afghans that may possibly be assigned to the state. And out of that population, we anticipate about 2,000 to 2,500 that may go to Montgomery County,” Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services Social Services Officer and Acting Chief Oscar Mensah said.
The sudden influx of refugees means local agencies and organizations across the county need to act quickly to aid the arriving refugees.
Mensah and his colleagues are determining the eligibility status of refugees for social services such as food stamps, temporary cash assistance and health insurance. They are also building a strong partnership with resettlement agencies and organizations to support this effort.
“We are in constant communication with the resettlement agencies, ensuring that they have whatever they need in order to provide the necessary support,” Mensah said. “To embrace the Afghans and help them settle is something that we are all striving to achieve.”
Community service organizations are a critical part of the resettlement effort. Those organizations have already played a key role in supporting the underserved and refugees. Now, they are taking on new responsibilities for addressing the necessities of Afghan refugees, such as housing, supplies and health needs.
The Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW) in Silver Spring is one of the local organizations assisting in the refugee resettlement, with a focus on providing vital resources and supplies to Afghans. They have a food and diaper bank for those in need, as well as a “free thrift shop” that offers clothing, kitchenware and other household supplies.
Their aid to the Afghan refugees starts right when the refugees arrive at the nearby Dulles Airport in Virginia. “We send some supplies over to the airport for their immediate needs when they first get off the airplane—diapers for babies, snacks for children,” ACSGW Executive Director Ken Flemmer said.
Through his personal interaction with Afghan refugees, Flemmer noted that most of them are traumatized. “There are cases where [families] were separated, like when a child got on the plane and neither parent made it on the plane. Some [refugees] were quite sick through the ordeal. Some were elderly. Some needed dialysis,” Flemmer said. “There were very critical health needs, as well as personal care needs.”
To secure resources for refugee resettlement, Flemmer and his colleagues spread the word through emails to the community about ACSGW’s Afghan support effort and asked for donations. What they received was beyond their expectations.
“My original intention was to advertise a bit,” Flemmer said. “Someone put [the advertisement] on Instagram, and it went viral. A group of college students came twice with four carloads of donations that they had bought.”
Every day, the center receives donations, especially hygiene products, which has led to a shortage of storage space. “When you have car after car after car pulling up to unload not just one item but sometimes a whole vehicle stuffed with donations, you quickly run out of space,” Flemmer said. “But we’re managing it. We’ve got it pretty much under control now.”
Although the effort to support Afghans has added new workload on top of regular ones, Flemmer feels empowered by the kindness and support from the community and local volunteers. “When someone shows up with a carload of supplies that they bought with their own money, it makes you feel good that people care,” Flemmer said.
ACSGW also partners with other organizations such as the International Rescue Committee and Homes Not Borders that provide housing and job opportunities for Afghan refugees. Together, these organizations and agencies help refugees heal from their trauma and move their lives forward in a new country.
Written by Allison Xu of Walter Johnson High School
Photo courtesy of May Pham of Walter Johnson High School