Support two Young Afghan Women, journalists
Donation protected
Update 9/19/2022
We are excited to announce that we have welcomed two newcomers to our neighborhood in Bed-Stuy. Masha & Mina* are cousins in their early 20s. In Kabul, they were journalists who had their own news and culture broadcasts. Nearly 14 months ago, their lives were permanently changed when they were forced to flee from everything they’ve ever known, leave their home and their families, and start the long journey to the US.
Since they arrived on 9/6, we’ve:
- Gotten them settled in temporary housing donated by Airbnb
- Obtained Library Cards and began free language classes
- Gone with them to a center called Women for Afghan Women to meet with a caseworker
- Applied for SNAP and Medicaid benefits
- Set up subsidized phone plans
- Interviewed and confirmed their participation in an employment match program
- Identified an English Language Intensive, which they will participate in starting in October
- Gotten accepted into an employment match program
- Identified an English intensive program that will begin the week of September 26th
- AND spent 4 hours together at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, ate delicious meals, and listened to the latest Afghan pop music :)
Masha and Mina are vibrant, kind, smart, gracious and eager to learn and try new things. They are determined to learn English quickly and begin rebuilding their lives and careers.
Of course, there is a long road ahead and many challenging moments to come.
Our Sponsor Circle is in it with them for the long-haul, and we want to invite you to continue to be a part of this journey with us. Any amount you can share will go a long way to support these two women in setting up a new life.
We also want to take a moment to recognize that Masha and Mina are among the lucky ones who were able to flee. Right now, many thousands of young, brilliant, vibrant women in Afghanistan live under the unthinkably oppressive and violent rule of the Taliban. The work we do together with Masha and Mina will be in solidarity with those women.
** Masha and Malania's names have been changed for their safety
Original Post 2/15/2022
Hey there, We are a Bed-Stuy Sponsor Circle, raising funds to support a newly arriving Afghan family in New York city.
In response to the critical and immediate need to resettle Afghan evacuees arriving in the United States in recent months, the US launched a Sponsor Circles program, which allows everyday people to come together and form a support system for a newly arriving family.
We are hoping to welcome a family of five in New York and are aiming to secure enough funds to help get this family off the ground. We were lucky enough to secure a funding match of 6:1, meaning that every dollar we raise will bring in 5 more dollars, up to a max total of $30,000. Put simply, your contribution will go a very long way!
The funds collected will directly support the newcomers who will become part of our community. This financial support includes housing, food, clothes, basic necessities, legal assistance, transportation for at least ninety days, and other resources as needed, all of which our Circle has committed to providing.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out using the contact button below. Thank you so much for any help you can provide to make Bed-Stuy a true home to this new family.
With gratitude,
The Bed-Stuy Sponsor Circle Team
- Christopher Martz
- Sasha Shanina
- Edward Graham
- Kanalya Arivalagan
- Colette Kessler
- Cari Levison
Organizer and beneficiary
Cari Levison
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Colette Kessler
Beneficiary