Late last week, Catholic Charities of Green Bay welcomed in local media to meet with two of the Afghan refugees that have been resettled in the greater Green Bay area.
As we have previously reported, Catholic Charities is responsible for helping around 120 Afghans settle in the area after the bloody U.S. withdrawal from the country.
One of the 48 men who have successfully begun his new life is named Abdull (pronounced ab-DUH-lah).
For the safety of his family, Abdull asked that his face not be revealed.
He was at the Kabul airport as thousands of Afghans attempted to flee the country, now overrun by the Taliban, and was only able to see his family for five minutes before he was loaded onto the plane.
Abdull recalled that “It was all crying and moaning. Devastating. A very ugly experience.”
For many Afghans, working with the U.S. was a very risky choice, but not in the City of Kabul.
Abdull said that when he was growing up, the Taliban had been forced into more remote places, so he was able to learn English quite quickly.
“I started English right from my nursery,” he explained. “I learned the ABCs, words like apple, ball, chicken. Until 12th grade, I continued learning English. I was very interested in learning English.”
While many of his fellow refugees are currently working at a variety of factories in the area, Adbull explained that he is one of the thousands still waiting on the U.S. government.
“I’m unemployed because there is a document, work authorization, unless you don’t have that document you cannot work anywhere,” he explained. “I am still waiting to get that.”
When asked what his favorite thing about living in the U.S. is, Adbull had a one-word answer.
“Freedom.”
We will have another story tomorrow with another of the refugees settled in Green Bay, and a third story on Wednesday with the interpreter who is helping Catholic Charities, who has been living in the area for the past six years.
To learn more about Catholic Charities of Green Bay and how you can help the Afghan refugees, visit www.CatholicCharitiesGB.org.
