By Megan Shook 

In the fall of 2021, after thousands of refugees had been evacuated from Kabul, Jean Athey foresaw the need to assist in their resettlement and Homewood’s Peace and Social Justice Committee (PSJ) put $9200 in their contingency fund to support this effort. We were asked by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to prepare homes for three families. In March 2022 I saw Homewood Friends fill the front lobby of the Meetinghouse with furniture and rugs for them. We coordinated the delivery with IRC, readying homes with beds, linens and groceries.

Later in the fall, I encountered a mother and her six children playing in Druid Hill Park when I had my young grandsons at the playground. We became friends. Soltanbibi invited me to her apartment. I removed my shoes and was served “coffee” (actually tea, perhaps with saffron or cardamom) and a lovely array of nuts and dried fruit—Central Asian Muslim hospitality. She insisted I eat dinner too. It was Ramadan and the Iftar menu she had prepared was amazing: pullow, curried chicken, cold mint-yogurt soup, vegetables fried in crispy batter and pistachio pudding. And bread—homemade Afghan style naan. We smiled a lot and hugged and were able to exchange a few words, using Shir Ali, her 11 year old son, as interpreter. I haven’t been able to learn much Dari, nor Pashto, and most of the refugees have not learned English (many, predominantly the women, are illiterate, even in their native language); but those few who are able will graciously translate.

I have come to know many of the other volunteers who are helping the community of about 150 Afghan refugees that IRC settled in Reservoir Hill. The volunteers come from three nearby congregations: Brown Memorial Presbyterian, Memorial Episcopal, and Beth Am Synagogue. I have also volunteered with Heart4refugees, a 501(c)3 organization based in the Annapolis area. We all work together to support the families as they struggle with banking, transportation, public welfare, schools, English lessons, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, bicycles, etc. It is all strange and complicated for anyone, let alone someone from a vastly different culture and language background.

The families are homesick and worried about loved ones left behind. They are observant Muslims who pray five times a day, don’t drink or smoke, eat only halal and protect women and girls in their families. The America they find themselves in is nothing like the America they’ve seen on TV. They do not feel safe in Reservoir Hill, although I don’t know of any harms to have come to them there yet. The children however have experienced many incidents of bullying and harassment at school. They need more American friends. If you have time to reach out, I will introduce you.

The Meeting’s PSJ contingency fund was mostly spent on the families: $870 on 6 mattresses, $528 for groceries, $170 to rent a UHaul truck, $1,000 contribution to Heart4refugees, $850 for education, $4,200 to help pay 6 months of rent. As the winter approached, Homewood collected winter coats and clothing which I delivered and in the process got to know many of the other families better.

Most of the men have full time near minimum wage jobs. It is a struggle because they have to pay market rate rent, car insurance, cell phones, etc. The temporary cash assistance has ended for them and food stamps have been reduced. The families have many children. The women have been sewing to make money and they will cook dinner for you – they cook everything from scratch every day to feed their families – all quite tasty. Cooking dinner for non-family requires some negotiation, because it violates their rules about hospitality – they do not allow themselves to take money from guests. I also sensed some reluctance on the part of the fathers to have their wives make money to support the family – that’s new to them. I know many of you went to the bazaar at Brown Memorial Church where the women sold almost $7,000 worth of things they had sewed and cooked. That was a tremendous eye opener I think. They will do it again in the fall. It would be nice if there were more volunteers skilled at sewing with time to coach the women who are learning to use their machines.

It is encouraging to see that resources have come together in the community to focus on the needs of these families. Baltimore City Community College has a Refugee Center under the leadership of Alana Hayes which offers programs for high school students and adults to learn English. She will be providing transportation for students to go to a combination soccer/summer school program. Mt Royal Elementary Middle School has a Muslim ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) teacher who has met with most of the families. The St. Francis Neighborhood Center offers English classes for the mothers and space for the sewing group. Beth Am has a weekly food giveaway with fresh fruits and vegetables. We are all hoping that the refugees will “make it” and not end up homeless. It is possible if they make it through the USCIS (immigration service) application process to get green cards this summer before their Special Immigration Visas expire. The need remains great.