Looking to escape from the war-torn nation of Afghanistan, which was recently retaken by the Taliban, 59 refugees will be starting a new life in Louisiana with the help of Catholic Charities, according to a news release by the organization.
Baton Rouge will be the new home for 49 of the refugees with another 10 slated to move to New Orleans.
“The American people have shown an overwhelming desire to help those from Afghanistan who risked their lives and the lives of their family members to help our troops,” Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge Director David C. Aguillard said in the release.
“The news has come to us quickly, and we still have some details to work out for each arrival,” Aguillard continued. “But this type of work is a critical part of Catholic Charities’ Gospel mission, a work it initiated in the 1960s with arrivals from Cuba after the revolution there.”
Aguillard said the refugees have undergone rigorous background checks and are trying to make a safe life for their families away from the persecution they would have suffered in their native land.
Catholic Charities receives federal money to aid refugees in their search for a better life, using the money for rental assistance, job training and placement, and education to help them better adjust to their new lives in America.
However, that money only funds about 90 days of American life, and Catholic Charities is asking for additional help in helping the families assimilate into their new lives.
“Successful resettlements depend on the community reaching out and embracing arriving families,” Aguillard said.
Aguillard isn’t just asking for money. He said the families need American citizens as sponsors to help them learn the basics of life in the U.S., tasks like navigating the bus line, using 911 to call for help, and other essential tasks, and they’re asking for any furniture that can be donated.
Anyone interested in pitching in can visit their website, catholiccharitiesbr.org, for more information.
Louisiana isn’t alone as refugees will be placed in states all across the country. California is slated to receive the most Afghan refugees, over 5,200.
“These are a special group of people who have taken on extraordinary risks for themselves” Aguillard said, noting how the Afghan people aided American troops over the last two decades. “I’ve seen other refugees who have helped our troops roll up their sleeves to show shrapnel wounds absorbed protecting American lives. I’ve felt metal lumped in their arms.”
