Anwaruddin was playing in his yard with his little brother when his father came rushing into the house. His father’s words, “We have to leave right now, there is no time to waste!”, terrified him. Leaving everything he had known his whole life behind, the next few days of Anwaruddin’s life were filled with action and desperation.

 

As the country seemed to descend into chaos, the family fled in desperation joining tens of thousands of panic-stricken Afghans forced to flee for their lives as their patriotism was questioned and they were hunted down in their homes as retribution for their support for America.

 

Among the last to be evacuated, Anwaruddin and his family eventually made their way to the US. Their troubles were not over as they found a small 1-bedroom apartment in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Everything seemed a challenge, warm clothes, school supplies, starting school in America speaking only their native Pashto and without knowing a word of English.

 

CanDoAble helped by buying school supplies for Anwaruddin and his siblings. Recognizing the sheer number of children like Anwaruddin of a wide range of ages who had arrived in Michigan, we started an effort to create educational kits by age. In addition to age and grade-appropriate back-to-school supplies, we also found helpful English-Pashto dictionaries so that children could self-learn their first words of English to describe everyday things and feel more able to cope.

 

Help us help children like Anwaruddin through a donation for children’s school supplies.