Stories
Refugees and other newcomers to Minnesota are more than statistics. We want to highlight their stories and how we can help them further.
Sakhizada Family
Golam Mostafa Sakhizada came to Minnesota in March. His family fled to Sharjah, UAE, before making it to Qatar to receive their Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). The family had been waiting in Afghanistan for months to begin their journey to a new life, but only five of seven left; the eldest two children stayed in Kabul.
Upon arrival to Qatar, the Sakhizadas were told that no resources remained to fund their travel to the US. SIVs are issued to Afghan nationals who worked with the United States Government or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)/Resolute Support (RS). The visas allow for emergency placement in the United States with permanent immigration status (Green Cards). They were told they had to find their own funding for travel before their visas expired, something that had been previously provided for other SIV holders. The Sakhizadas were luckily able to raise the funds from friends and family to make their journey to the US in March of 2025.
“We’ve been through a tough time. Right now day by day we've been adjusting.”
Upon arriving in Minnesota they stayed with a relative, Mostafa, for a few months. Through the local Afghan community they met Ahmad Shah, the founder of Afghan Community of Minnesota (ACoM). ACoM and Refugee Housing MN helped them apply for SNAP and connect them to other benefits before finally we were able to find them their own home. When Shah and I met with with them, they had only moved in ten days before.
“People used to get a lot of benefits but right now everything is closed. So far we received support from the agency and we hope for the future that we get more support to… adjust and then to support ourselves.”
Shah and Refugee Housing MN are working to connect the family to further resources, more fully furnish their new home in Minnesota, and address the immediate needs for language learning and transportation. The family is continuing English courses and they all hope to learn to drive in Minnesota. while looking for jobs. Golam had worked as a ramp operator and wheelchair support worker at an airport in Kabul and hopes to find a similar job in the Twin Cities.
“We’ve been through a tough time. Right now day by day we've been adjusting. We didn’t have anything, this apartment was empty. Right now we have items to use and live, day by day we adjust, but our immediate priority is to get an apartment, to get a driver's license.” Golam explained. “This will help a lot because right now community people are helping us, taking us to the grocery store. But we want to support ourselves. My kids are trying to get a driving license, and then searching for a job, just a regular job to support our family. But we also want my children to do some kind of studying as well.”
The family plans to continue learning English, find employment, and get drivers licenses. Eventually, they hope to find their own car.
Newsletter #1
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