Afghan refugee pilot program at Belmont's NDNU a success

Hakim grew up in a time without Taliban rule and spent the last six months in Afghanistan when the Taliban were in charge, a difficult time for her family. After the Taliban took over, many girls couldn’t continue education due to Taliban laws and faced further restrictions on their everyday lives. Hakim said many people in Afghanistan, especially girls, remain in danger and need help.

“We lost our freedom, our flag and country, and our identity,” Hakim said.

Hakim had trouble leaving Afghanistan because of the Taliban, with her flights canceled three times before she could leave with her mother, Mohsina Hakim. Her father passed away when she was 3, making it difficult to move freely in the country due to laws around leaving home without a man. Despite the problems, they persevered and left for Qatar for a month before coming to America May 16. Hakim stayed with a cousin for a week and in a hotel for two more before coming to Belmont on June 6. She and her mother lived in Belmont for two months before resettling in Hayward.

“This was a very good experience for us,” Hakim said. “Belmont, and this area, is very beautiful.”

NDNU worked with nonprofit Every Campus A Refuge and the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid organization, to make the program a success, and was the first university on the West Coast to do so. Mizgon Darby, communications and development manager of IRC Northern California, has worked to ensure the IRC provides food, employment, educational and transportation support for refugees.

IRC partnerships with colleges helps ensure refugees don’t become homeless and provide any support it can as they adjust. She noted many refugees are educated and left because their safety was compromised.

“Individuals like Marmar, who did not live under the Taliban rule previously, found it immensely difficult and could not stay,” Darby said. “It was a matter of survival for them to leave Afghanistan and come to the United States.

Leaving Afghanistan made it challenging for Hakim to complete her education and fulfill her dreams of becoming a dentist. Her goal is to get back into school and work toward her career.

“I don’t have any education plans, but I want to continue my education, and that is the first step of my life and future,” Hakim said.

NDNU started its program to create opportunities for refugees and live up to its original values and mission from the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. NDNU wants to continue the program and has already had five families stay at the university since the program started. NDNU President Beth Martin said the university plans to continue the program and encouraged other universities to get involved, with NDNU the first university on the west coast to participate. The University of Maryland, the University of Tulsa, Colorado State University, Indiana University and Virginia Commonwealth University also participate. The university has refugees stay in its renovated graduate student housing apartments. Up to 36 Afghan refugees came through the Operation Allies Welcome program created by the Biden administration last year. The families can live on the NDNU campus for up to three months as they transition into permanent housing.

“Our goal is to not only support these refugees as individuals but to set an example for our peer institutions to follow our lead,” Martin said.

Belmont Councilmember Davina Hurt, the council liaison to NDNU, praised Hakim for her bravery and determination in the face of a drastic and immediate life transition. She said Belmont would not turn inward and would instead welcome the refugees with open arms as they begin their lives.

“I’d like to thank NDNU for opening their doors to these incredibly resilient families so they can have a better life in the U.S. and California,” Hurt said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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