The Face of Philanthropy

Afghan Refugees Look to Build New Lives — With Some Help From Resettlement Nonprofits

October 5, 2021

Arriving refugees evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan walk to board a bus that will take them to a refugee processing center nearby, August 27, 2021 at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, VA.

People from Afghanistan arriving as refugees in the United States have been through a harrowing experience, worrying about the safety of their families and the fate of their country. Some braved flogging by the Taliban to get to the airport in Kabul. They endured long journeys to a country most had never seen before.

“Some described sleepless night after sleepless night,” says Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, CEO
of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. “But there is also this very clear expression of hope for the future. They’re incredibly resilient.”

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, or LIRS, is part of a national network of nonprofits welcoming the new arrivals and helping them build new lives. The federal government told the organizations to expect 65,000 refugees by the end September and another 30,000 in the 12 months after that, Vignarajah says.

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“Some described sleepless night after sleepless night,” says Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. “But there is also this very clear expression of hope for the future. They’re incredibly resilient.”

It’s a tall order for resettlement nonprofits after significant decreases in the number of refugees allowed during the Trump administration. In 2019, the country admitted 30,000 refugees. That number fell to fewer than 12,000 last year. As a result, resettlement organizations closed more than 100 local offices nationwide. LIRS closed 17 offices.

“We have had to rehire, retrain, and resurrect the infrastructure overnight,” Vignarajah says.

She says that with the tight labor market, helping refugees find jobs should be relatively easy. The biggest challenge is affordable housing, especially in places that already have large Afghan communities like California, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Vignarajah has been heartened by public support for the new arrivals. More than 47,000 people have signed up to volunteer with LIRS in coming months. The group will need people to help with apartment set-ups, serve as English tutors, drive refugees to medical appointments, and do myriad other tasks.

“We’re working around the clock because this is an all-hands-on-deck effort,” Vignarajah says. “The outpouring of support we’ve seen in recent weeks has been such a blessing.”