APPLETON, Wis. — Farahnaz Asghari lived a month under Taliban rule in Afghanistan before she and her family left in September 2021.
“The hardest part was leaving my family back in Afghanistan and for my husband, it was also the same feeling,” she said. “We really didn’t expect this big change in our lives.”
The first stop for Asghari and her family was Pakistan. Then it was on to Qatar and eventually a military base in New Jersey. The family then arrived in Wisconsin in January 2022.
“When we came here, everything was new for us. The culture, the whole system, the rules, laws, everything,” Asghari said. “The good thing was that we both spoke fair English. It was so hard to get resettled, but a big help was World Relief, who helped us resettle.”
Asghari now works at World Relief as a community ambassador. In that role, she is a link between the roughly 250 Afghan refugees in the Fox Cities and the refugee organization.
Tami McLaughlin, director of World Relief Fox Valley, said for many, the transition to life in Wisconsin is a work in progress.
“Now they’re starting to think about what is next for me? Where do I want to move next? We’re seeing a lot of people transitioning to different places of housing. That’s always a good sign,” she said. “Some people are going back for education, maybe next-level jobs. That’s a wonderful sign. We’ve welcomed many babies this year. That is always a celebration. We’re just starting to see those signs of next steps of life.”
McLaughlin said a community effort was instrumental in helping refugees begin the process of resettling.
“We were able to pair every Afghan arrival — were it be a family or an individual — with a volunteer and a community member from the Fox Valley,” she said. “That in itself showed people that this community wanted them here and wanted to welcome them and wanted to walk alongside them on a difficult journey considering the situation that brought people here.”
Asghari and her husband said they’re looking forward to things such as gaining U.S. citizenship and opening a family business. She said she also hopes to further her education.
“Yes, I’m very hopeful about my family’s future,” Asghari said.