Dear friends,
As we watched the dreadful news out of Afghanistan, I am having many conversations with our community members, some of whom came to the U.S. as refugees after previous conflicts.
Indeed, ReWA was founded by Southeast Asian women who suffered in isolation after coming the US, and vowed that future refugees to the Puget Sound would have a place to learn English, find jobs, and be empowered to rebuild their lives.
We at ReWA sympathize with the Afghan refugees and asylees who for a generation worked as partners with the U.S. to improve their country, but now find themselves in a vulnerable position.
We stand together with our resettlement agency partners: International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, World Relief, the Archdiocese of Olympia, and Jewish Family Services, and others. They are working to provide immediate housing and short-term assistance to new arrivals.
ReWA’s Afghani-speaking staff are ready to provide long term assistance in housing, employment, counseling and more.
Many of you ask how to help.
- Give: I encourage you to make financial contributions to ReWA and any of the resettlement agencies above.
- Share your Home: Sign up with the Afghan Health Initiative to host a family for 3-7 days while resettlement agencies find them long-term housing. https://forms.gle/Txk16iqo9o871SNS7
- Learn more: Learn more from IRC about the rapidly-changing situation in Afghanistan and ways to support our Afghan friends & colleagues there: bit.ly/3grAYrR
- Volunteer: ReWA has several remote volunteering opportunities in our online classrooms, or you can sign up with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service to help new arrivals get to appointments, set up apartments and other tasks.
Thank you for your support.
Mahnaz Eshetu