Meet our Neighbors - Part V

For those of you who are not familiar with the QAS partnership with Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB), a small non-profit organization in Chicago, here is a short recap of the help provided and the journey that three refugee families have made in one year. Last August, each of the families left Kabul when the Taliban took over the country. Each family made this determination to leave everything behind given the grave and possibly mortal risks they faced in staying. They left on transport aircrafts, with no money available to them, just the small bags of precious items they could carry. Some left with nothing at all. They went through strict screening at various locations, and finally were sent to Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin, since they had indicated that they had family or friends in the Chicago area that might be able to assist them.
 
Locally, one of their Afghan friends reached out to QAS parishioners to ask for in-kind donations of clothing and toiletries to send to Ft. McCoy for the three families. From there, QAS stepped up to assist the families when they arrived in Chicago. QAS also provided winter outerwear to these families and other refugee families at Ft. McCoy following a clothing drive at QAS. 
 
So where are we now? The families have passed a few significant milestones, but still face daunting obstacles in their quest for self-sufficiency and integration. Importantly, housing and health concerns are at the top of the list.  The townhome in which the families live has become uninhabitable due to issues beyond their control, so a move to a safer and cleaner place is needed. BPB is assisting in the search for a comparably priced home but they may need financial assistance in order to move the families quickly to a new place.  As for health concerns, several of the women in the family find themselves in need of weekly doctor visits to address serious health conditions. Volunteers are needed to drive them to doctor visits since public transportation is unreliable and slow.
 
BPB continues to support and mentor these families. Thank you to those who have contributed. If interested in helping go to: www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org.