Our mission is to welcome and partner with those who have sought refuge, employing strengths-based educational approaches and community supports so they may thrive in our shared communities.
Statement from RIT Board Chair, Malaak Malikyar Sills:
August 19, 2021 - Dear RIT Community members, I write to you in a difficult time with a message of hope and solidarity.
My family and I fled Afghanistan when I was 5 years old and so my heart weighs heavily as I witness images of people attempting to flee the country right now. Even as an Afghan, it is difficult to comprehend what is happening and what I can and should be doing. Many caring people are reaching out to ask what they can do, and we are all asking one another for direction. As a survivor, the guilt of being on the safety raft while the ship is sinking tears me apart - I tend to see myself on the raft while others are drowning in these situations. I used to see that as a curse, but in doing this work and doing it with you, I am reminded of the collective strength of the Refugee & Immigrant Transitions (RIT) community. I can attest to the hope you have given me as the once helpless voice in my head now tells me that I can and must do something. I am reminded of our commitment to support one another and I feel our power.
As I write this, we are preparing for the arrival of hundreds of vulnerable Afghans as part of an emergency evacuation effort. At this moment, we are being called on to step up quickly at an unprecedented scale for our agency. We have developed strong systems, programs, and partners over the years and with multilingual and multicultural staff, teachers, and volunteers, we are preparing to quickly expand existing capacities. This means that we need to scale our operations in the days and weeks to come, along with our partners and resettlement agencies with whom we are working closely. If you are able, we ask that you consider donating to Refugee & Immigrant Transitions or to one of our partner organizations, such as Burma Refugee Families & Newcomers with whom we co-locate at our Newcomer Hub in Oakland. Your support helps ensure that we are ready to welcome and support newly-arriving Afghans and other newcomers seeking refuge, and continue to support local Afghans as they try to help their families evacuate.
RIT works with refugee and immigrant newcomers from 50 countries around the world. The Afghan community is the second-largest community we serve, the first being from Guatemala (future post about Guatemala forthcoming). One of the beautiful things about RIT is the partnership we form with communities who seek refuge. One of our programs, the Women’s Initiative, was developed in response to the growing number of Afghan women in the Bay Area experiencing language and social isolation. The Women’s Initiative has now grown to include women-only language/literacy classes with simultaneous childcare for young children, family support/case management, and a wellness program for women from a number of places of origin. And we will be ready to receive newly arriving Afghan women in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
The work ahead will be extensive and global. Here are other ways you can help right now:
If you are trying to get a family member out of Afghanistan, here are some helpful resources. Also, “U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell, who represents parts of the Bay Area, is offering assistance to Afghan families who want to check on their Special Immigrant Visa status” (Kron 4). More information from his office can be found here. Please call his office first to check for available times. Or register here for a virtual Afghan American Townhall with Congressman Eric Swallwell tomorrow, August 19 at 11:00AM.
Pathways out of Afghanistan currently are limited to a set of priority designations as defined by the U.S. Government. To advocate for more pathways out, especially for women and girls, please contact your members of congress.
To support women and girls in Afghanistan, consider supporting Afghan Institute of Learning (founded by human rights educator, Dr. Sakena Yacoobi’s), or Women for Afghan Women.
Welcoming and partnering with people seeking refuge is at the heart of what we do at RIT. The pain we feel in this moment is felt by many in our community and we are doing all that we can to support one another and ready ourselves for what is to come. As a former staff member at RIT, a refugee advocate, a former refugee, and now the Board Chair of RIT, I thank you for standing with the people of Afghanistan and ALL people seeking refuge.
In solidarity,
Malaak Malikyar Sills
Board Chair
