Lessons we learned from two young Afghan women

The following comment is from Curtis S. Chin, former US Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank and inaugural member of the Asian Milken Institute, and Laura deal LaceyExecutive director of the Milken Institute Asia Center.

With the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine now surpassing 3 million, countries around the world are responding.

Poland has welcomed more than 1.8 million Ukrainians. Hungary, Germany and Spain, among other countries, have opened their borders. Even Japan, which takes in very few refugees every year, has worked to establish a support system to accept Ukrainians fleeing their homeland.

However, amid the much-needed attention on this new wave of refugees, it is important that government, business and community leaders do not forget the plight of Afghan refugees. Covid-19 worries, worries about jobs and inflation, and now Ukraine understandably dominates the news.

For context, in 2021, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, reports that there are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of which 2.2 million are registered in the country alone. Iran and Pakistan. Another 3.5 million people are internally displaced, displaced from their homes to seek refuge in Afghanistan. These numbers are likely to continue to rise.

For us, it is personal. Every year, Milken Institute organizes a class of 15 to 20 students to practice in Asia. The show is designed to attract rising stars from across Southeast Asia and developing economies in the Indo-Pacific region. Over the years, the program has included interns from Afghanistan.

With the withdrawal of US forces last year, two of our former interns were evacuated from Afghanistan. We follow their journey from Kabul airport to refugee camps for resettlement.

Thankfully, both girls are safe and healthy now. A person is starting life in Finland and learning to adapt to winter in Helsinki. The other moved to Tempe, Arizona, USA. She is studying with more than 60 other young Afghan women at Arizona State University as part of a resettlement partnership co-funded by the International Rescue Committee and ASU.

So, what do you do when your intern becomes a refugee? Our experience and lessons learned from our former interns suggest the ways in which most anyone – with or without a personal connection to Afghanistan, or Ukraine for that matter – has can help those fortunate enough to make it through refugee camps and those who are now forced to build a new life.

First, identify trusted organizations that are providing supportand find out how you or your organization can best help. It can be sponsorship – cash donations are often the most flexible way to help address urgent needs when in-kind donations are not feasible – or it can be volunteering and time sharing as well. as your knowledge.

Support with employment, housing and education are all important, as is the provision of mental health support. As with people fleeing Ukraine today, many people fleeing Afghanistan may face “survivor guilt” fueled by worries and concerns about family members. and friends left behind. Here, small and medium enterprises and organizations are already involved at the local, community level, which can play an important role.

Support is being provided by government, business and nonprofit organizations, but programs need to be scaled up and sustainably resourced.

In one example, World Education Services launched the Gateway Program to assess the educational credentials of Afghans who have been displaced and have little evidence of their academic achievement. This is important to help qualified individuals continue their education, become licensed in their field, or take the next step on their career path in the United States.

At the government level, the United States since August 2021 has welcomed about 80,000 Afghans suddenly forced to leave their country, while the International Rescue Committee alone has resettled 10,000 newcomers. According to the Washington Post, about 90% of the 80,000 people transported to the US have been moved from military bases and resettled in American communities, with the help of about $13 billion in government spending. .

However, among Afghans who have come to the United States since August, many still face the prospect of deportation due to their hasty arrival under what the US government calls humanitarian parole. This is an emergency that extends the right to work and live in the United States for only two years without qualifying for permanent residency.

Second, take the time to bond and learn more about the refugee’s hometown – Afghanistan or Ukraine or elsewhere – even as the news cycle moves from one crisis to the next. That knowledge can be used to further leverage your voices and platforms – from community organizations to social media – to address important geopolitical issues like the future of Afghanistan. , raise awareness of the plight of refugees and encourage legislative or policy changes as well as bilateral and multilateral assistance to those most at risk and left behind in Afghanistan. This will also be important in the case of addressing the needs of Ukrainian refugees.

With the situation in Afghanistan continuing to deteriorate and hunger and poverty increasing following the departure of the United States, we are especially pleased to see the Asian Development Bank board of directors enter this January to announce through a $405 million grant to support food security and delivery. essential medical and educational services to the people of Afghanistan.

As part of the “Sustained Essential Services Delivery (Supporting the People of Afghanistan) Project,” ADB will provide direct financial assistance to four United Nations agencies with a presence and logistics presence in Afghanistan to immediate humanitarian assistance This direct assistance will be provided through agencies including UNICEF and the World Food Program and their partner NGOs.

Third, look at the numbers for each individual – move beyond the stereotypes and fears that often arise during tough economic times. Among the tens of thousands of Afghans who were able to flee their country, we were fortunate enough to know and work with two of them while they were interns. Each also helps put a human face to an ongoing tragedy, helping to win support for them and others in their roles.

Our colleagues at the Milken Institute enhanced and collectively donated to the Arizona State University Foundation’s Future Education Program for Afghan Refugees. With both of us having spent part of our childhoods in Arizona — and one of us has been married since 1898 in what was then Arizona territory — it was especially rewarding to see Arizona close an important role in helping young Afghan women in their journey to independence in the United States.

It is heartwarming to see friends, family and professional acquaintances providing financial support and other forms of support such as mentoring young women on courses and potential career paths in the United States. Ky. For our intern in Finland, it was a similar experience as friends and strangers expanded our reach in finding support in the field in Helsinki.

A village is needed to make refugees feel welcome. Each of us – in business, in government, in civil society and in local neighborhoods – can be part of a humane and sustainable response to the refugee crisis, whether headers are continued or not.