AUG 18 2021
The Situation:
Afghans are in crisis. As violence in Afghanistan continues to escalate further with every passing day, tens of thousands of people are at risk- the majority of whom are women and children. Afghans who supported the United States are also in a dire situation, with more than 20,000 waiting to be evacuated through the Special Immigrant Visa program.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is not new. By May of this year, over 500,000 people were already displaced by violence and conflict —80% of them women and children.
The withdrawal of the United States military has amplified this situation. With their removal, Taliban forces were able to swiftly take over the country in a matter of days.
What We Are Doing:
Canopy and our partners at the national level, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, are working around the clock to prepare to welcome thousands of refugees from Afghanistan. We are working closely with the US State Department and US Department of Defense to identify the thousands of Afghans who supported US troops, worked for US NGOs, media agencies, and schools in need of immediate evacuation. While the situation on the ground in Kabul is changing hour by hour, at resettlement agencies across the US and here in Northwest Arkansas, we are preparing to welcome these families and provide the services that we provide to all refugees. This includes identifying a home located along a bus route, furnishing the home, and mobilizing a group of volunteers to support each family in the orientation to their new community.
Why it Matters:
The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is extremely painful for our Afghan neighbors with friends and families who may be in imminent danger, and for our local Veteran community, particularly those who served in Afghanistan who are thinking of the Afghan nationals who served alongside them and became like family.
The US has a duty to honor our commitment to protect our allies. The swift departure of the US from Afghanistan has put our Afghan allies in a perilous situation and opened the door for Taliban forces to take control of the country. These Afghans who served alongside our military as translators, engineers, advisors, embassy clerks, soldiers, and more – put themselves in danger to help the United States.We can not abandon them in their greatest time of need.
Mike Rusch, a Marines Corps Veteran, agrees that it is our responsibility to ensure their safety. “Those with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) are the people who have the heart to see their country free, to live without fear- and they have taken the first step to get to that- they have put their lives on the line to make change for their country, for their fellow men and women. The Afghans in this program have put themselves on the line- they have a unique vulnerability. They have taken a risk to help their country and our country, and this has put them in danger. We must protect them and give them a place to come. We can not ask people to take those types of risks without guaranteeing their safety.”
Mike, who has served as a founding Canopy board member since 2016, believes this obligation extends to SIVs, as well as all vulnerable Afghans- and vulnerable people around the globe.
“When we think about the ethos of what the US is hoping to strive for, and has been trying to reach for a long time- is the right and desire to care for vulnerable people around the world for the purpose of freedom, humanity, and democracy. Those freedoms aren’t enjoyed around the world. We have a moral obligation to help in this way and especially to refugees. If we were in their shoes, we would want help and they need help.
It’s been the stance of the majority of Americans that all people deserve freedom, a chance for a safe life, and to live without fear.”
Mike is grateful that we live in a nation where we don’t have to choose who to help- we have the resources to help vulnerable people across the board. “We live in a country that helping folks is not either/or but a both/and. We have an obligation and ability to take care of the vulnerable- we can take care of homeless folks, veterans, and refugees. It’s like saying there is a limit on the capacity for love- can you run out of love? Perhaps for some, their capacity of resources is to only help one group- but as a nation, we have the ability to help so many vulnerable communities.”
As both a veteran and a supporter of refugee resettlement, Mike- a member of the NWA community for 35 years- encourages folks to get involved at the local level. “As a community, make a friendship with someone from another country. Be kind, be helpful. Form a new relationship. Go through Canopy, become a co-sponsor, become a donor. Make yourself available to learn from someone else.”
Responses