On August 25, 2021, at around 1 pm, Hameed grabbed his passport, packed some jeans and shirts, plus a pair of shoes, and rushed to the airport...

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On August 25, 2021, at around 1 pm, Hameed grabbed his passport, packed some jeans and shirts, plus a pair of shoes, and rushed to the airport. He said goodbye to his mother, father, and siblings, not knowing if he would ever see them again. A drive that should have been one hour instead took six hours – of navigating utter chaos, people leaving in droves, and roadblocks set up by the Taliban across Kabul.

The relief when he reached the airport quickly vanished as he could not contact his cousin, who had instructed him to go to the airport. The signals were jammed, in an intentional effort to prevent terrorist attacks, but to no avail.

“I was standing at the location that was given to me, [and] a suicide bomber came and exploded himself, a day after I left the airport. ” Hameed says. According to media reports, at least 92 people, including 13 U.S. service members, were killed as a result of this bombing.

Hameed spent his first night at the airport and at 10 am the following day, his plane finally took off. The only meal he had during those 21 hours was some meat that U.S. soldiers at the airport managed to share with dozens of Afghans waiting.

He was flown to Qatar, later Bahrain, and finally the United States where he settled in Michigan – the place he now calls home. Three days after his arrival in Michigan, Hameed went to the USCRI Dearborn office to meet his case managers, where he volunteered to translate the orientation meeting for his fellow Afghans whose native tongue was not Dari, but Pashto. After the meeting, he was approached by the Director of the USCRI Dearborn office, Tawfik Alazem, who asked if he was interested in volunteering to help interpret for other newly arrived Afghans, as he is fluent in Dari, Pashto, Hindi, and English.



He “was more than happy” to do that and volunteered for an additional month. Shortly after, Hameed was offered a part-time position as a Case Aide and started working officially at USCRI on January 10, 2022. He has since been promoted to Case Manager, as his commitment to his job has been remarkable to watch.

Hameed’s story is amazing. But for every story with a happy ending like Hameed’s, countless others are waiting to be written.

For these stories to end well, we need your help ([link removed]) .

It has been one year since the fall of Kabul. One year where the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) resettled 10,000 Afghans throughout our network across the U.S., providing them shelter, food, language training, job training, and counsel – providing them sustenance and hope for a new life. A life of dignity. A life of safety. A life of prosperity. In short, a life here in America.

But we could not do it without you. So please, consider joining our monthly sustainer program to help us every month ([link removed]) , as we provide for Afghans, and for other refugees who seek the same secure future in the U.S. If you cannot give every month or every quarter, consider a one-time gift ([link removed]) to honor Afghans like Hameed.

For all that you have done in the last year, we honor you. For all that you will still do in the future, sincerest thanks.

Kind regards,

Kevin Sturtevant, CFRE
Vice President, Strategic Development
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
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