SAN ANTONIO — One San Antonio non-profit has helped more than 3,200 Afghanistan refugees since the U.S. military completely withdrew from the country a year ago.
The Center for Refugee Services (CRS) provides a variety of assistance to foreign nationals such as housing help, job training and guidance on applying for government benefits.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan marks an official end to a 20-year conflict following the September 11 terrorists attacks.
One of the center’s newest workers is a man named Mohammed, who came to San Antonio with his family last year. He's one of more than 80,000 people who evacuated to the U.S.
“I came out from Afghanistan with my family in the time of collapse of Afghanistan and I arrived to USA on September 2,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed serves as a case worker for CRS, helping families as they begin the process of receiving aid. In many cases, Mohammed said families have difficulties speaking English, making it difficult and confusing for Afghan nationals who are trying to acclimate. But beyond the cultural challenges, Mohammed stressed his mission is to treat everyone with respect and individual attention they deserve.
“They have a variety of problems in every section, in health sections, in benefits section like food stamps and Medicare,” Mohammed said.
Sakib Shaikh, who serves on the board of the Muslim Children Education and Civic Center, is encouraged by the wealth of community support over the past year. San Antonians have stepped up by “adopting” Afghan families.
“What they can’t provide, that’s where we try to fill in the gaps,” Shaikh said. “What we mean is like, literally take them to their dentist appointments, set appointments with the pediatrician to make sure they’re healthy, to make sure they’re happy, spend time with them. Take their families to the park.”
The Office of Refugee Resettlement is hosting an Afghan Refugee Center in San Antonio through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The center is located at the Hacienda Santa Maria at 2121 N. Saint Mary’s St.