by Kelly Kandra Hughes

The end of August 2021 saw the United States’ final withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. During the withdrawal, over 75,000 Afghan refugees were evacuated through Operation Allies Welcome. Although many have now been resettled throughout the United States, there are still approximately 23,000 refugees living on six US military bases. Thanks to the efforts of the Northwest Hills Refugee Resettlement Coalition (NWHRRC), which includes several residents in Norfolk and Colebrook, the possibility of resettling an Afghan refugee family in Torrington may soon become a reality. 

One Norfolk resident involved in these efforts, Hope Childs, believes that refugees have not always been welcome in the United States and that this resettlement is an opportunity to make a difference. “We are a country that has taken in refugees from its beginning with an uneven level of welcome depending on the group. Now it is our turn to welcome Afghans who need a new home. We have so much to share and so much to gain.”

The Torrington refugee family would be cosponsored by the NWHRCC and the nonprofit organization Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), based in New Haven. Shared sponsorship with IRIS requires the following: a financial commitment of $10,000 to $20,000 to provide three to six months of assistance, including rent; willingness to work with a refugee family to enable them to become independent; and a dedicated group of volunteers, including a team leader and coleaders, to work with with IRIS and assist the refugee family with services such as transportation, healthcare, education and childcare.

According to the NWHRCC, the most pressing need they have right now is for volunteers, especially in the areas of education, healthcare, childcare and transportation. Without more support from local volunteers, NWHRCC cannot proceed with their cosponsorship application.

The Rev. Erick Olsen, the pastor of the Norfolk Church of Christ Congregational and a NWHRCC volunteer, hopes that more people from Norfolk will rise to the challenge. “I am pleased that about a dozen church members and friends have seized upon this initiative as a means of living our faith, but I am also glad to see that this project is open to all who are willing to do this important work. At the end of the day, offering ourselves in support of these refugees gives us all a chance to live into our better natures, to live as our more generous and compassionate selves.”

Once the NWHRCC has a strong and well-organized team of volunteers in place, they are optimistic they can meet IRIS’s other requirements. “We’ve been working on cosponsorship since early September,” says Mark Rose of Torrington, who cochairs the NWHRCC group, “and we’re up to $9,000 in fund-raising. That’s really good for a short time frame, and our fund-raising will continue for the foreseeable future.” 

Once the requirements are met and NWHRCC’s application is complete, a refugee family could be resettled with only 48 hours’ notice. The refugee situation is described by IRIS as a “fluid,” with the US government still working on their own policies. Each family is fully vetted by the State Department, with additional financial assistance provided by the federal government and, hopefully, the state of Connecticut. According to the NWHRCC, little is known about how much education or English-language instruction the refugees have had, or whether they’ve received all their inoculations. But whatever the particular family’s situation turns out to be, NWHRCC is confident it can handle it. Some members have experience resettling a Syrian family in 2016 and an Iraqi family in 2014. 

“Seeing everything that’s going on in the news, it feels so good to be able to help bring peace to a family who is starting a new chapter in their life,” says Colebrook resident and volunteer Alesia Maltz. “It is so heartening to know that people in Colebrook and Norfolk have already stepped forward to volunteer. We will be helping the family with transportation, childcare, education, health care, furnishings, and all the things needed to get the family settled into their new home.”

If you or your organization would like to be involved, please contact the Norfolk UCC Missions and Social Justice Committee at 860-542-5721 of Mark Rose at mrandcr@sbcglobal.net.