Minnesota welcomed over 1300 Afghan evacuees as part of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) Minnesota. Global nonprofit Alight (formerly the American Refugee Committee) and four other local agencies partnered with the State of Minnesota to set up furnished homes and assist in the resettlement of newly arriving Afghan families.
Alight’s Welcome Home Initiative has evolved to include community-based programs created in collaboration with Afghan women and children. The Women’s Sewing Social was developed to address isolation and loneliness among the women by strengthening their social connections. Our Dari and Pashto interpreters provide comprehensive language support for these events that also offer mental health support in group and individual settings.
Alight supports global refugees and displaced populations along the resettlement continuum. The organization’s holistic humanitarian model places special emphasis on displaced women and girls, as they are most at risk for human rights violations .
We have provided thousands of hours of interpreting services in support of Minnesota’s Afghan resettlement program and are honored to be a part of this important work.