Announcement
During the evacuation from Afghanistan, many families were separated and displaced. Leaving your home country and culture can be difficult for a number of reasons. There is often language barriers, cultural norms, and new laws that people need to adapt to. In the past year the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City has worked to resettle 612 Afghan evacuees to Utah in addition to over 200 refugees from around the globe. One couple from Afghanistan is overcoming barriers together to make Utah their new home.
Aminullah and his wife, Farzana, were two of the more than 124,000 people evacuated out of Afghanistan through Operation Allies Refuge. They came from a modern generation of Afghans who believed in education and woman’s rights. Both Aminullah and Farzanah were college-educated: Aminullah went to four years of undergraduate school before working for the U.S. government, and Farzana was training to be a teacher until they had to uproot their lives and move to the U.S.
Aminullah and Farzana came to the U.S. together during the Afghan evacuation in the fall of 2021. Now living in Utah, the married couple works to make this place their forever home
Photo: Rachel Hatch
Although the process took a while to get settled, the pair knew that they could make better lives for themselves. In January of 2022, they left the temporary arrangements on a U.S. military base and settled in Utah. Upon arrival, the team at the IRC worked to provide a breadth of emergency resettlement services in addition to begin plans for long-term services the family could access, including housing, medical screenings, ESL classes, and more!
It has not been an easy transition for Aminullah and Farzana. They expressed missing their family and friends that are living across the world from them. However, they were given hope soon after moving here when they found out Farzana was expecting a baby boy! This has been their joy as they tackle a new culture and city, knowing they will start their lives in Utah as a growing family. Aminullah was able to start working to provide income for their new family. Farzana has also been surrounded by her new friends that she has met through the IRC women’s health and healing group. Both of them have worked hard to begin integrating into their new community.
Farzana pours black tea and sets out dishes of nuts and sweets. An Afghan tradition for guests as they arrive to a home.
Photo: Photo: Rachel Hatch/IRC
Aminullah reflects on their time in Salt Lake City, “There was one day that I was at the grocery store, and I saw a lady struggling with her groceries, as she had a broken hand. I went over to her to help here, even though I do not speak good English. After I finished helping her, I noticed that she ended up paying for all of my groceries. I did not mean for her to pay for me, but it made me smile.”
Ever since the couple moved to Utah, they have not felt alone because of their neighbors that have welcomed them so well. Aminullah and Farzana plan to stay in Salt Lake City and continue to build their new family’s life here. “We have seen difficult times,” said Aminullah, “But we feel hope here. You just have to be patient and know that through time things will be okay.”
The couple’s plans for the next year are quite ambitious. As they learn a new language and get used to being new parents, they also continue their path to self-sufficiency and pursuing their dreams. Farzana holds tight to her dreams of being a teacher one day, and Aminullah would like to use his degree in business. “We work hard to be self-sufficient and to not be lazy. We take advantage of every moment and opportunity that we see,” said Aminullah. They look forward to meeting their son in October of 2022.
You can learn more about supporting families as they settle into their new home, like Aminullah and Farzana are doing now, by visiting Rescue.org/SupportSLC.
A special thank you to Rachel Victoria Hatch for capturing these moments with Aminullah and Farzana on film. You can find her photography website here.
