Duniway & Sellwood Family from Afghanistan

The Sayed Zada family, who narrowly escaped Afghanistan in 2021, needs our help to secure housing by March 1. Their landlord is selling the home they have rented since 2021. This fundraising goal would help them secure a new home for their family in our neighborhood so that their kids do not have to change schools again. With 4 kids at Duniway and 1 at Sellwood Middle School, many of you are likely to know at least one member of the Sayed Zada family. For those who don't, please read on to learn more about their story:

Jawed grew up in Afghanistan. He was the oldest boy in a family of 5 daughters and 5 sons. When he was very young, the Taliban tried to extort his father who refused to give them money he didn't have and so his father was shot in front of him and died the next day at the hospital. From that point on, Jawed became the provider for the family despite his young age. Through years of hard work, he was able to provide an education for his brothers and sisters. He had a successful business and worked as a cook for the United States Army and NATO during the war with Afghanistan. During this time, Jawed owned a large house that was home to his wife and their growing family, his mother, and his sister's family. They were a happy and thriving family with so much love, so much community, and so much hope.

When the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, Jawed faced the terrible truth that he had to leave his life behind. He'd already lost his father to the Taliban and he knew how bad things could get. Because he'd worked for the US Army and for NATO, he and his family qualified for a special visa that allowed them to come to the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome. But we all know there weren't nearly enough flights out and the Taliban were already in Kabul. He and his wife and their six children spent seven hellish days trying to reach the airport gates. One day Jawed finally made his way to the gates and in the sea of other people was able to hold up his Operation Allies Welcome paperwork and a solider waved him through but they still needed to make their way back through the crowd for Jawed's wife and children which the soldiers helped him do. They were bruised and traumatized and their journey was far from over, but they made it.

Once they were in Portland, OR a few months later, they had the amazing luck of being connected with a generous landlord who made a five bedroom rental home available for well below market rates. This brought them into our community and when Jawed's eldest daughter, Sahar, joined Annabelle's fifth grade class they became fast friends. Jawed was able to pay rent from his income as a cook at Dar Saalam in downtown Portland. Now, however, their landlord must sell the home and has asked the family to leave by March 1st.

The kids have all begged Jawed to find a home in this neighborhood so they do not need to leave their teachers, who they love, or their new friendships, but there are no homes in this neighborhood--or most neighborhoods--that wouldn't require more than 100% of Jawed's income. He has applied for Section 8 housing and has been accepted but there is nothing available except apartments in remote neighborhoods too far from their current schools.

If we reach the fundraising goal, we can make up the difference between what they can afford and the cost of a 3 or 4 bedroom rental home for 2 full years--which should allow us time to work on long-term solutions. (while they are in a five bedroom house now, we think downsizing will likely be required given that there are only a handful of 4+ bedroom houses available for rent.

Someday Jawed, like all of us, hopes to have a permanent home for his family and he's working so hard toward it but right now he and his family need our help. Today he's a cook at Shandiz in Lake Oswego which allows him to be close to home and the kids' school if needed, he's taking ESL classes at PCC, and he's hoping that he can work toward a nursing degree next.

And if you want to just buy them a house, that'd be great too--just let me know and we can make that happen! But if that's out of reach, I hope you can help keep Jawed and his family as a part of our community. We are so lucky to have them here and my daughters are so thankful for the friendship of his daughters.

Here is an article about Jawed from our neighborhood paper which was written soon after the family arrived in Portland.