Afghan immigrants fleeing Taliban are coming to Sacramento. Here’s how to help them

Already home to one of the largest Afghan communities in the country, the Sacramento area is receiving an influx of refugees displaced by the Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Evacuees coming to the U.S. are starting their lives anew, and on short notice. To give a sense of scale, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, which helps with refugee resettlement, saw six times as many cases as they would in a normal month in the space of a few weeks, according to spokeswoman Melanie Flood.

“In the past, we had about a 10 to 14 days lead time … and we would have time to prepare and get ready,” Flood said. “We’ve been finding out one or two days before that someone’s coming. I even have some of our caseworkers tell me that they received calls at 11:30 p.m. at night telling them someone was coming the next day.”

About 9,700 Afghan people live in Sacramento County alone, more than any other county in the U.S., according to census data. Another 2,000 live in Yolo, Sutter, Placer or El Dorado counties.

And World Relief Sacramento, a Christian humanitarian organization that works on resettlement, said it’s received at least ten families and more than 50 people in the past two weeks alone. World Relief’s Vanassa Hamra said flights out of Afghanistan are changing and uncertain.

“We hope more will come,” Hamra said over email. “We are waiting to hear what the current administration will do to ensure more Afghans are able to evacuate safely.”

Refugees need help with everything from short-term, temporary housing to permanent places to stay and language services as they transition to life in the U.S. The Sacramento Bee reached out to community organizations and groups helping with resettlement to find ways people can support the Afghan community. Here are three ways you can contribute.

Volunteer

In the past two weeks, more than 30 volunteers helped World Relief set up apartments for the 10 families, and welcomed additional families at the airport.

Volunteer needs have rapidly evolved in recent weeks, so many organizations are looking to have a group of volunteers able to quickly mobilize. World Relief is particularly in high need of volunteers to help refugee youth and families with tutoring and mentorship. The agency also said in a statement that it is “actively looking for community partners to help us facilitate safe, supportive spaces and activities for the community here.”

Opening Doors, a Sacramento resettlement agency, recently relaunched its volunteer program that was suspended during the pandemic. People can volunteer to meet new arrivals at the airport, help them navigate Sacramento, and work with them on their English.

“People can sign up on our website and volunteer to walk alongside our new neighbors as they’re making this transition,” said Jessie Tientcheu, CEO of Opening Doors.

Additional information is available at https://openingdoorsinc.org.

Donate

Another agency assisting with the transition to the U.S., International Rescue Committee, is raising money for a Soft Landing Fund to help families from Afghanistan get started with their new lives in Northern California. The group is trying to raise $150,000 to help evacuees pay for emergency temporary housing and eventually rent for families who are getting settled.

IRC has put together an Amazon wishlist comprised of supplies like pots and pans, laundry detergent and toiletries. People can purchase off this wishlist, and email confirmation of the purchase to maranda.giron@rescue.org, to provide these supplies directly to evacuees. IRC is working on more donation opportunities to help with getting homes set up to be launched soon.

You can also donate money to Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, which is the food bank for Sacramento County that also provides resettlement services, citizenship classes, and immigration legal services. Flood emphasized that donating to the food bank helps provide for families, including refugees, both in times of immediate need and over the longer term as they adjust to their new lives. World Relief also accepts monetary donations on a one-time or monthly basis.

Shah Shams, a board member of the Afghan Community Center in Sacramento who assists Afghans with resettlement, said he is setting up a GoFundMe page to help with resettlement. Shams said the GoFundMe will be posted on a Facebook page called Afghan Community in Sacramento.

Raise awareness

Shams emphasized the need to raise awareness around what’s happening in Afghanistan, expressing shock and indignation after 20 years of effort in Afghanistan disappeared in a matter of days. Shams has family members still in Afghanistan.

There is an incredible power that comes with advocacy, World Relief Sacramento’s Vanassa Hamra said. The agency’s advocacy page has a tab specific to helping Afghans in need that includes an email to Congress calling for speeding up access to U.S. resettlement programs for Afghan refugees that you can personalize.

Advocating for the Afghan community and staying informed can help keep the pressure on the U.S. and global leaders to protect vulnerable Afghans, Hamra said. World Relief is sharing upcoming needs, news, resources and ways to support on social media and in a newsletter.

IRC is running a similar email campaign urging President Joe Biden to resume arrivals of Afghans under the Special Immigrant Visa program. The SIV program is for people who have helped the U.S. in Afghanistan by serving as interpreters or translators. The organization is also posting updates and more volunteer opportunities on Facebook, including posts that can be shared to express solidarity with the Afghan people.

For Afghans and Americans still stuck in Afghanistan, Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., is collecting emergency information that will be communicated to the State Department and other relevant agencies. Individuals can submit their information through this form.

“My office is working around the clock to assist our Afghan allies and their families who are stuck in Afghanistan,” Bera said in a statement. “Please reach out to my office if you need assistance.”

This story was updated Aug. 18 to correct the spelling of the name Vanassa Hamra of World Relief Sacramento.

This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 12:30 PM.