Afghan Refugee Resettlement

Our church adopted 5 Afghan families in February 2022 and as part of this commitment, several church members volunteered to undergo training through Catholic Charities (the coordinating agency) to support our families. In addition, our church members very generously made monetary donations to assist our families with resettlement here in Columbia, MO. After our families were evacuated from Afghanistan, they were placed in military bases in the US, where they underwent rigorous vetting and received Employment Authorization Documents, social security cards, immunizations, etc. They were then resettled to places around the country, including our community. As volunteers, we initially helped our families move into apartments/duplexes around Columbia and we have continued to support them as the Afghan men found work and as the older children enrolled in our public schools.

 

We have supported 10+ adults, 25 children (including 7 born here since they arrived). The men are all employed and many of them work evening or all-night shifts.

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Over time our families have become much more self-sufficient, and they find Columbia to be a safe and welcoming place to live. They continue to need less and less support, especially with communication, transportation, technology and medical services assistance. However, they do still face some financial obstacles, such as increased rent and food costs and medical services that are not covered by Medicaid, i.e. dental work. Due to these ongoing concerns, we continue to seek ongoing FPC donations to support these wonderful families.