AUG 10 2022
Aarozo Farhad, one of Canopy’s wonderful Case Manager Supervisors who came to Northwest Arkansas from Afghanistan, shared heartfelt thanks for our incredible Co-Sponsors. Her stories of these wonderful volunteers shed light on the incredible impact made by our Co-Sponsor teams, the beautiful relationships that are built with our new neighbors, and the importance of this role as we welcome newcomers from around the world. Read Aarozo’s own words below, remembering sweet moments and the generosity of the many incredible Co-Sponsors Canopy has the privilege of working with.
“I think I have said this many times, and [will] repeat again, that I don’t think Canopy would exist without the Co-Sponsors.”
“At least, the success rate would be way lower if it were not for the Co-Sponsors.” She continued to describe our incredible Canopy Co-Sponsors as the “cornerstone” to the work that we do.“It’s difficult for me to say how [all of our] families feel, but some of them do feel [at] home. And that’s because of who they meet, who these Co-Sponsors are, and how much they give them a sense of [belonging].”
Aarozo went on to explain two specific instances that come to mind when she thinks about the amazing Co-Sponsor teams she has been able to work with in our community. “We have this super co-host (someone who has hosted many individuals and families for short-term stays). And this one time I [went] to visit the family who was temporarily staying with him and he [exclaimed] ‘thank you, Aarozo! I feel so close to these people. They haven’t even lived there for a week or so. In Farsi, they call me Baba.’” She was delighted when she heard his story, and when he shared “I asked them ‘what does Baba mean?’ Because they talked [with people] back home on the phone and they were using Baba a lot.” The family explained to him that Baba means grandfather. Aarozo shared that the family told him they called him Baba “because we feel we never had a grandfather to live with. And now we are here. We feel so close to you, that you give us [the] feeling of having a grandfather here”.
“I literally got goosebumps [as] he was telling me how he felt. I know there is some language barrier…there is a cultural barrier, [ there are] a lot of things you’re sort cautious [about], not to offend the person or not to trigger their feelings when they are going through a lot of emotions. And then you come to know that they feel at home. And that is it. It makes me happy as someone who has been working with Afghans and as an Afghan. The intangible contributions [mean so much]. The tangible is seen by everybody, you can see all they’re doing [with] furniture, taking people places, taking them to important appointments. But the feelings they have [for the families] are precious, and there is no money in the world that could buy it.”
“I think we should be very proud to be able to facilitate that process, it is something which makes me very, very happy. In the future, I think if the connection is the same with Co-Sponsors, we will have way more beautiful stories to share.”
“Sometimes I feel my job is very stressful and [know] how much of effort the whole team puts into making it an enabling environment for people who come here. And then sometimes it’s frustrating because you do not get what you’re expecting or there are so many things that you cannot control. But then there are these moments where [you realize] okay, maybe I did not get done 100% or even 80% of what I was planning, but then this one moment comes and you know you have done so much.”
One co-sponsor told Aarozo, “I love [these families] so much more than my real family members.” She said, “I wasn’t surprised, of course, that the families shared in how much they love the co-Sponsors and how much they like to go to this person for anything weird, emotional, be it any problem or question. They would first think [to ask] the Co-Sponsors and then Canopy, which is our goal as well. You want them to not be really dependent, but also have that connection. So it’s good that they are making that. I mean, if you love somebody more than your own family, that means a lot when it comes to a family-oriented culture like Afghanistan where family comes first – you basically do anything for your family. But then when you see it in another culture, where you have just come and you really you don’t even know these people, and it has been only a few limited months, I see how much of meaning it gives to their lives that “okay, I have somebody there.”
“As a refugee/immigrant/so many things,I know how much it means to have somebody to go to when you do not have your closest family members. And you’re basically longing for, perhaps, a hug, and they get it! That is a part of my job that makes me stay at my job. We are not just following the 90 day or 60 day services timeline.”
“These experiences have been way more heartwarming and welcoming and that is what I think makes us as an organization exceptionally beautiful.”
“A family was having a baby. It is not really [the Co-sponsors responsibility] if they don’t want to be involved in that process. But [this family’s team] tried their very best to facilitate all the processes. I know there have been times that I would not respond to my phone on the weekend because I’m so tired, but the Co-Sponsors have been there. They would go to the ER with with the clients, [once] they had the baby, the co sponsor was sending me pictures of the baby and then telling me how much that baby meant to her and how precious she was. The amount of love they have for that baby, oh my gosh, [and] they call her a cupcake.”
“I think this is one of the best things we have ever done. Honestly, I cannot thank co-sponsors enough for what they have done and they will still do. It always makes me emotional when I talk about them. And I see how passionate they are in what they’re doing. We know how busy American life is, but they contribute hundreds of hours, literally, to do jobs that they are not really supposed to do. But they just do it because of all the passion they have for humanity. And they make our lives easier. That is the beauty of my job, I am so fortunate that I have had the chance to meet these people and know them in person. Some of them even text me saying, ‘Aarozo, how are you doing?’ and, ‘I know you have a very stressful job’. And maybe it seems like just a text, but that means a lot to me. There are so many beautiful things [like this] that I have experienced, though it hasn’t been even a year now.”
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