Phoenix Centre Aids Afghan Refugees Afghanistan witnessed a humanitarian crisis during the Taliban offensive in 2021 which saw thousands of Afghans being displaced from their homeland. Many Afghans received refuge in the United States of America. Mumukshus of the Mission’s Phoenix Centre immediately empathised with them as they partnered with The Welcome to America Project (WTAP), a non-profit organisation that creates community connections and provides basic necessities and education supplies to refugees. Let us see how the Centre’s members went the extra mile for helping the Afghans: Sania was pregnant when she, her two sons and her husband Saboor had to leave Afghanistan. They struggled for months to find a job. Phoenix Centre mumukshu Kiran Shah, on knowing their plight, helped the family to secure monetary and in-kind donations and supported them during these trying times. This was appreciated by both Sania and Saboor and their family was blessed to meet Pujya Gurudevshri during His recent dharmayatra to the United States. Two Afghan families opened up to Kiran Shah when they heard a friendly greeting in Hindi. They were happy to meet someone of Indian origin as they were not able to communicate properly with other volunteers due to the language barrier. She then helped these families with their resume and job interviews, taught them basic English and connected them with community resources and local employment opportunities. The support and constant encouragement received helped them ease the challenge of starting a new life. Youth member, Shriya Shah, bonded with young Afghan siblings – eight-year-old Samir and two-year-old Samim. She read stories to them, explained how to play American board games, visited parks and acquainted them with conversational English; ensuring the young ones adapt well. It is Pujya Gurudevshri’s love for each and every being that is inspiring devotees for carrying out acts of compassion towards anyone in need!
