An Angel to the Rescue “Sews” Hope for Mother of Three from Afghanistan

When Farashta fled to the United States from Afghanistan with her husband and children in 2017, she was forced to leave behind her large extended family, and to learn to live in a new country with a new language and new people.

Welcome to the United States

Sr. Marie tells us the story of how Farashta and her husband, Sayeed came to the United States four years ago with their two young sons, through the agency of Lutheran International Relief Services under the auspices of the U.S. government SIV Program- (SIV- Special Immigrant Status). Sayeed had worked on the US Army base from the age of 14, was fluent in spoken English- though he can neither read nor write English - and was a valued worker on one of the Army bases, along with his father and brothers. He was regularly commended in writing for his service, his translation skills, his position as a master mechanic, his hard work in whatever job they assigned him. These written commendations were valuable when he sought to relocate to the United States under the SIV program due to threats to his life.

Farashta

“One can only imagine what that was like for both Sayeed and Farashta who both come from large, loving families who reside in family compounds. Farashta and her sisters had been schooled. In Afghanistan they studied English in what we would consider middle school. She had wanted to be a teacher, but marriage and childbirth determined otherwise. By nature, Farashta is introverted and shy, and so one can only imagine what it took for her to leave all that was familiar to set out for the US.” explains Sr. Marie. “All was new- the extensive travel, flying for the first time, language issues, going to an apartment complex, navigating systems of social services, medical needs, school enrollment, mega stores, US currency and being surrounded by so many people and so much traffic wherever she turned.”

“As a devout Muslim, Farashta prays five times a day and I am learning from her the richness of Muslim life and their commitment to those in need.” Sr. Marie recently asked Farashta to write about herself. In her writing, Farashta expresses her strong love for her family. “My name is Farashta. I am Mom three cute children. I live with my lovely family,” she wrote. “When I sad, I read Qur’an and I feel good. I want spend time with my family. I am quiet person. I want to speak with people more.”

Angel to the Rescue

At home with her small children while her husband worked long hours as a mechanic, she sewed clothes for her children, and for neighbors, to earn much-needed supplemental income for the family.

“Early on I was impressed with the beautiful drapes and clothes that Farashta had. She told me she made them, and she did alterations for neighbors, as well as designed and sewed beautiful garments for them and their children. For this she was paid - though I had to encourage her to charge more for her work,” writes Sr. Marie. When Farashta’s daughter Safiyah was born, she delighted in making her lovely dresses, as well as making culturally appropriate clothes for Sayeed and the boys. This helps them maintain pride in their cultural values and way of dressing when they are at home, at the Mosque, having celebrations with other Afghan families.

When Farashta's sewing machine recently broke down, and was unfixable, she worried but she did not despair. She did not ask for help. It was only in the course of their weekly conversations that Sr. Marie learned that she was no longer sewing and the reason why. Sr. Marie quickly intervened by sending an email to the Daughters of Wisdom community, asking if anyone had an old sewing machine that they could possibly provide to replace Farashta’s broken one. The appeal for help was answered when one of our Sophia Sisters anonymously offered to send a check for the purchase of a new sewing machine. Thanks to this “Angel to the Rescue,” Farashta was able to replace her sewing machine, and continue sewing beautiful clothes for her family and neighbors. This has been a wonderful experience of “Ask and you shall receive!”

Learning Language and Culture of her New Country.

Farashta has been working hard to learn English with Sr. Marie’s help. Through a church friend, Sr. Marie learned of the Muslim Community Center Refugee English Program (MCCREP). It is a tutoring program for Afghan women sponsored by the local Mosque in conjunction with Montgomery County in Maryland. While the Afghan men spoke English because of their work on the Army bases, the women had neither opportunity nor reason to learn or speak English. So, Sr. Marie volunteered and soon was teaching two women. She went to their apartments weekly, working on language and US culture with them.

Everything changed with the pandemic. Fortunately, the MCCREP arranged for computers for the women so that lessons could continue through ZOOM. That provided another challenge. Farashta had a basic familiarity with the computer, but it was her young son, Khalid who helped fine tune her computer skills. “Farashta is a really bright student. She has a discipline for learning that serves her well,” writes Sr. Marie. While they used an ESOL book to start, Farashta already knew the basics. So, they focus on increasing her vocabulary, pronunciation and exposing her to language regarding the external world. Farashta wants to learn to drive, so they are using the Maryland driver's manual. This provides an opportunity for new vocabulary as well as driving knowledge. “In December we managed to enroll her in the Prince Georges Community College classes for English for Refugees. She has ZOOM classes three mornings a week for 3 hours and then another hour with me. Her dedication to learning is so inspiring,” Sr. Marie added.

Our Mission

The Daughters of Wisdom are committed to helping the most vulnerable people of our world, especially women and children. We reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with the most vulnerable, especially women and children who are the innocent victims of violent conflicts around the world, or who are fleeing violence. We continue to pray for peace in our world, and for God’s comfort upon all who are in need.

(Pictured in the image are Farashta’s three young children.)