By Barbara McMurray, Special to the Independent
When Laguna Beach friends Terri Shubin and Jen Leonti learned about a need for volunteers to resettle newly arrived Afghan refugee families, they dropped everything to help. They collected $1,000 and shoes, clothes, and pots and pans to bring to the families and were hooked. Next stop: Target.
They met two families living temporarily in an Orange County hotel. Like all 24 families living there, their journey began in August as the U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan. They were flown to a Wisconsin military base, where they lived for three months, arriving in California in early December.
One of the families includes two parents and three adult children who had careers in tech and finance and speak excellent English. Last summer, six days before they were to move into their newly purchased condo in a Kabul high-rise, they had to flee for their lives. They are awaiting paperwork so they can look for work, move into a home of their own, and rebuild their lives. They have no idea how long any of this processing might take.
The second family she and her friend assist, Shubin confesses, has melted her heart. When she arrives, the five children, all under age 12, run to hug them. Both parents have limited communication skills, but everyone knows how to smile. Shubin was impressed with their warmth and pride in their home, even if it is a small, kitchenette-equipped double hotel room for their family of seven. Shubin said, “It’s neat as a pin. You can bounce a quarter off the bed. They insisted on inviting us in for tea and snacks.”
So far, Shubin and Leonti have visited a handful of times, bringing clothes, shoes, and creature comforts to make the families’ stay in their hotel rooms more bearable.
The women were connected to the families through Miry’s List, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that has helped more than 500 families since its inception in 2016.
The current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has increased the demand for help from Miry’s List exponentially. The nonprofit is meeting a need for refugee resettlement assistance dismantled at the federal level during the last administration. The U.S. government has committed to assist Afghans at risk, particularly those who may be killed by the Taliban because they worked for or with the United States or have supported international efforts.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the federal government has evacuated 83,000 people from Afghanistan to the U.S., including nearly 75,000 Afghans and 8,000 U.S. citizens and green card holders. At military bases in the Middle East and Europe, another 3,200 evacuees await U.S.-bound flights.
Miry’s List founder and director Miry Whitehill said, “People fleeing violence and persecution have had to give up a lot of their ability to make decisions for themselves. It’s survival. They’re emotionally and physically exhausted and worried about their friends and family left behind. One of the ways we can directly counteract that is showing up with consideration of their needs and preferences, giving them the time to respond and prioritize.”
“Miry’s List works to engage members of the public in the important work of showing up for newcomers,” added Whitehill. “We are helping people who haven’t even gotten to their permanent home yet. We intervene with a message of warmth and welcoming. We impart the feeling that the individual’s personal comfort is considered. We can’t solve every problem every family faces, but we can be friendly neighbors and intervene when it’s lonely and hard.”
Miry’s List has point people throughout California and the U.S. who assist refugees and serve as a welcome wagon. Interpreters are available for the new arrivals who speak Dari, Pashto, Persian, Tajik, and Urdu. Most of its employees were once refugees and deeply understand the needs and emotional state of the newly arrived. They receive EBT cards—formerly called Food Stamps—to buy food based on the number of people in the family. They also receive $2,500 a month for their first three months, intended to help with living expenses. Half of the families have more than two children under five years old.
“They speak limited English and have experienced trauma, violence, and loss,” Whitehill said. “They are often arriving with just themselves and their documents, housed in empty or sparsely furnished apartments, lacking adequate resources to meet their most basic needs. Pregnant women and elderly people are sleeping on the floor.”
Miry’s List crowdsources on its website and robust social media, posting wish lists for individuals and families who need essential supplies on arrival like baby supplies, toiletries, and hygiene products.
“Everyone, especially the children, need shoes,” Whitehill continued. “Most arrive in flip-flops. That’s all they have. And everyone loves new socks. New socks are the best.”
The U.S. Agency for International Development, which also aids in resettlement, notes on its website, “Even small monetary contributions can do a great deal of good, providing more flexible help than unsolicited material donations.” This also means the newly arrived can select items that are new and suitable to their taste, without the worry of allergies or viruses.
Which is why, Shubin said, it is best to give gift cards or cash donations so she and Leonti can purchase new items that are exactly what refugees need.
Shubin retired from her decades-long career as a hairstylist to do the work of welcoming Afghans and helping them to rebuild their lives in the U.S.
“We aren’t sure what we’re doing—we just know we’re filling immediate needs,” Shubin said. “I am so in love with these people.”
The new arrivals are the future of Orange County, Leonti said.
“We’re lucky to have them because they bring diversity. These children will grow up to lead, to serve, to become doctors and teachers. It’s essential to lift them up now and help them thrive,” Leonti said.
After the holiday, Shubin and Leonti plan to bring their new friends to Laguna Beach for their first-ever look at the ocean.
If you are interested in helping refugee families, contact Miry’s List Family Services Manager for Orange County Husna Ahmadzay at [email protected]. Donations can be made at miryslist.org. To assist with Terri Shubin’s and Jen Leonti’s effort, email [email protected].
