Dear Friends,

On a Sunday in late January, our pantry in the East Village (@EVLOVESNYC) sponsored an event (a food and clothing drive) to provide support and assistance to the many global migrants recently transplanted to our City. It was a special day, an important day for not just these extraordinary people but also for our many volunteers who were enriched by learning about the plight, sacrifices and loss experienced by this courageous group of individuals. I ask that you please take just a moment and allow me to share with you a unique and special part of my experience of this day.

As a New Yorker, I feel I have been kept well-informed - almost desensitized - by our media that has reported not only on this large-scale relocation of migrants to our City (approximately 40,000) but also on the resulting stress that it has placed on the City’s limited resources and infrastructure. However, also as a New Yorker, I had not yet been afforded the opportunity to meet our new neighbors and fully and properly understand the struggle that has become their daily life.

On that Sunday, unexpectedly, between my encounters with African and South American refugees, I met a special Afghani family - the Mudaqiq family - father Abdol Saboor and his three young children - Ali, Bibi and Aboukar (aged 3, 7 and 8). Having a common culture and language, they shared with me the story of their long journey; a story that was both humbling and heartbreaking.

Saboor, his wife Shabana, and the children were forced from Afghanistan approximately one year ago. Saboor was a government employee working for the Afghani Ministry of Defence - an electrical engineer by training. This role was terminated at the conclusion of the US occupation requiring Saboor and his family, like many others, to seek safety and freedom away from their home. This difficult journey took this family from Afghanistan, through west Africa (Burkina Faso) before stopping briefly in Brazil, ultimately arriving in the United States.

As directed by US officials, they left Afghanistan for Burkina Faso to get visas and enter the United States legally. However, after five months and no visas from the embassy, Shabana unfortunatly contracted malaria. Forced to travel to Brazil (where no visas were required) to seek medical attention, Shabana succumbed to the disease, sadly dying a week later. Saboor, left grieving and alone, with still no word from the US Embassy, began the long journey by foot with his three small children to the US border. Having already exhausted all financial resources, cold and hungry, they received shelter from border patrol before being transported to San Diego. After a month, with help from Catholic Charities USA, they arrived in New York City and are currently in temporary accommodations (with other migrants) in midtown Manhattan.

They have until July to complete the asylum application process.

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It is my most sincere hope - that with just a bit more support and assistance - they can complete this journey and begin the process of rebuilding their lives. I appreciate that this is a time of great need for charity within our communities and around the world. Nevertheless, I am hoping that in this instance charity can truly begin at home and together we can help this special family through this very difficult time. We can still remember the graphic images of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and how we felt in that moment. I know we cannot have an effect on the lives of all refugees but Saboor’s determination captivated me and his beautiful children have stolen my heart.

Please consider assisting in any of the following ways:

A cash donation to the GoFundMe page noted below to allow for this family to purchase the basic necessities. https://gofund.me/3529b503

A donation of time - specifically pro bono legal expertise - to assist with the completion of the asylum process (application and review).

Providing opportunities (or information) enabling Saboor to secure local work opportunities for undocumented persons (manual tasks, construction, maintenance, yardwork, janitorial, heavy labor) until his immigration process is finalized.

Sharing this information with anyone you know that could help.

Saboor in Farsi means patience!

With my gratitude & warmest regards,

Maryam xo