All posts tagged: Afghans

After refugee aid cuts, faith groups help Afghan women connect through sewing

After refugee aid cuts, faith groups help Afghan women connect through sewing

DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — The Refugee Community Partnership, a mutual aid organization that supports immigrants, used to offer a sewing circle for Afghan women whose families had recently been resettled in the Triangle region of North Carolina. But the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to refugee admissions as well as refugee-support organizations meant the partnership no longer had the resources or staff to run the program, which included transportation for the women, many of whom do not drive, and daycare for their young kids. Now, two Durham-based congregations have stepped in to fill the gap. The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and Judea Reform Congregation raised money and sought volunteers to offer these new immigrants a place to improve their sewing skills, meet fellow Afghans and pick up some English skills. Volunteers from the congregations drove the women from their homes to the UU fellowship, where the class has been meeting; arranged for an Afghan class instructor and a translator; and looked after the children. The two congregations also arranged for donations of at least a …

Afghans sell their children in grim reality of life under Taliban | World | News

Afghans sell their children in grim reality of life under Taliban | World | News

Men in Afghanistan have been selling their children to survive poverty under the Taliban, a report from the country has revealed. The Taliban has taken over the country since the US withdrew its troops back in 2021. Since then, the Taliban offensive reestablished the Islamic Emirate, bringing Afghanistan back under their rule. The group intensified their crackdown on human rights, especially against females. The collapse of the economy almost entirely dependent on foreign aid pushed over 90% of the population into poverty and caused a near-total degradation of the local economy. The country is now facing record levels of hunger, with 4.7 million – more than a tenth of Afghanistan’s population – estimated to be one step away from famine. One resident of the badly-affected province Ghor, Abdul Rashid Azimi, told the BBC about his plans about his seven-year-old twins Roqia and Rohila. “I’m willing to sell my daughters,” he said. “I’m poor, in debt and helpless. I come home from work with parched lips, hungry, thirsty, distressed and confused. My children come to me …