By Fahimeh Akbarmolaee, Refugee Resettlement Caseworker
September 2023

Fahim was among the many Afghan nationals evacuated to the United States after the Taliban took over their country. In December 2021, he was waiting to be evacuated at Kabul International Airport with his wife and their five children.

There were thousands of people desperately attempting to leave the country. He was separated from his wife and young daughter in the middle of the chaos. He boarded the plane with his four children and landed in the U.S. while his wife and daughter remained behind. Fahim eagerly awaits reuniting with his wife and daughter but now finds himself raising four children alone.

When Fahim first came to Opening Doors, he was served through the Refugee Resettlement Program and was provided with reception and placement funds and rental assistance. Our Immigration Legal Services Program assisted him with a family-reunification application. He was also referred to our Economic Prosperity Micro-Lending Program to access a loan to support his path to self-sufficiency.

In late 2022, Fahim received a $10,000 loan from Opening Doors to start an auto-mechanic shop. He uses his 16 years of experience working as a mechanic for the United Nations in Afghanistan to support his family in his new home. Fahim’s business is growing, and he hopes to reunite with his wife and daughter soon.