A "hand up" for Fahim

Hello, my name is Kimberly and I am a USMC wife that has been involved in helping previous interpreters and their families leave Afghanistan after the US departure.

One of those interpreters is my friend, Fahim. Fahim worked with the US Army and was promised his SIV (special immigrant visa) years ago, but the process is very tedious and time consuming. His final interview was scheduled in Kabul for September 2021, which was his last step before being able to come to America legally.

When the US abruptly withdrew from the country in August, surrendering the embassy to the Taliban, it left thousands of our allies behind including Fahim and his family. With no embassy and our government scrambling, Fahim’s interview and future was in limbo.

Our government continued to promise to evacuate those like Fahim and he patiently waited for help, but that did not come. After the fall of Kabul, we worked around the clock for 10+ days to attempt to get them into the airport for evacuation but the bombings and Taliban’s control of the airport gates left us unsuccessful. There were many brave Marines and Soldiers willing to bring him and his family into back gates but the massive crowds and the Taliban continually blocked attempts. There was even a time I called Fahim in the middle of the night to put his children’s shoes on and physically run to the gates when we had word we would have a just few minutes to sneak in. Our attempts failed and eventually they were left to hide out in their apartment. The Kabul airport was then completely abandoned by the US and he watched the last US plane leave the airport from his apartment window.

During this time, the Taliban began to kidnap, imprison and execute any one who had previously worked for the US government. The things that have been done to these people are so horrific, it’s beyond our imagination here in America. Thousands have been executed, including innocent children & family members. The news barely reports these stories but they are real and for the people of Afghanistan it became everyday life. This meant Fahim had to move his family from their home in Kabul and leave behind everything they worked so hard for because it was life or death. At one point when the Taliban was doing raids in his area, Fahim wrote to me, “Dear, if you do not hear from me tonight, I am either in prison or I am dead.” 

With the fall of the Afghan government, everything that had been put in place the last 20+ years collapsed. Schools, healthcare, banks, stores, jobs, supply chains…almost everything closed or eventually came under Taliban rule, creating a massive humanitarian disaster. Even after he left Kabul, things got worse as his country fell further apart. Fahim lost his job, his life savings, his car but never lost hope that he could bring his wife and young daughters to a place where they could seek an education and be free. 

We continued to stay in contact almost daily over the course of the next 10 months. I had added Fahim and family to every flight manifest available, to every list for non profit doing evac flights, filed for Humanitarian Parolee, we worked on ideas to bring them through Mexico, I contacted every embassy in the Middle East on his behalf trying to transfer his SIV interview. In early spring, Fahim was able to make it to Pakistan where he completed his interview; he was then issued his SIV status and waited for a flight to the US. After almost 10 months of patiently waiting, he landed in Los Angeles and eventually made it to Portland. 

At one point when things seemed hopeless back in October 2021, Fahim and I started talking about where I lived in Oregon. I told him that someday we would get him here. That one-day we would spend a day together at a park. This past Monday, we did just that. It was a picture perfect day, our children played together despite the language barrier. We shared ice cream. The kids laughed and sang. That day, he said he wanted to stay in Oregon and move to Beaverton to start his new life. To care for people via social media during war is life changing but to see them in person when all hope was lost is something else. I know I cannot help them alone as this next step is much greater then what I can provide.

We have immense privilege here in America where it is easy to forget that people like Fahim would leave everything he has to come to a place where he has nothing. He is willing to be the poorest in America but richest in “hope.” Hope for his children, hope for his future. Places like America are where hope can be found. They know the road ahead is long and hard but he is willing to do the hard work.

We have had so many generous friends and family contribute to funding food and supplies for them in Afghanistan and helping them with necessities so far here. Our next step is to get him into a safe apartment, get him a car and find him a job. We would love any and all assistance, ideas, job leads etc. The goal of this specific fundraiser is to raise funds for Fahim to get his license, buy a basic car, register it, insure it and have some funds for gas. Fahim does not want to take things for free, he wants to work but he needs help to get started. Because he is not a “refugee”, government programs are short and limited, which means support from friends will make all the difference. Having a car will immediately allow him to work, support his family and become self-sufficient.

I know that Fahim and his family will return the blessings they have received in the future in some way. I assure him it’s not a debt to be paid, but a gift to be paid forward in the future to someone else in need. We hope this “hand up” will be the beginning of a beautiful new life for Fahim and his family.

If anyone has ideas for other ways to help, please email me. Thank you, friends for any support you can offer and pray for the people still suffering in Afghanistan and around the world.