Together, Fati and Malalai are figuring out how to navigate life in the U.S. together:
Fati, 19, is a student from Afghanistan whose ability to speak English got her on a U.S. plane out of the country in August 2021.
“Every day that passes, it bothers me,” Malalai said, in Dari. “If I lose my children, what can I do then?”In November, the two women were placed together in temporary housing in Chicopee. Their lives are connected by chance, but their fears remain the same. They haven’t been able to stop thinking about their family members who are stuck back home.Malalai’s sons are in hiding. They were in a special militia that targeted and killed Taliban leaders. She worries they’ll be killed.
“I should be strong, I should be powerful, I should figure out myself,” Fati said. “After that, I can help anyone else, because first you should take care of yourself. And after that, you can help the others. So for supporting my family, I should support first myself.”In December, the resettlement agency Catholic Charities found the two women an apartment in Northampton. It’s a one-year lease covered by the nonprofit to help Fati and Malalai toward independence.
“During the night and the day [it's] really cold,” Fati said. “We don't have any warm blankets. Do you see? No.” "Circle of care, they were helping. These things that we have, they did," Fati said."For example, they brought this chair."Catholic Charities is one of several agencies helping to relocate evacuees to western Massachusetts. They have four full-time staff members to 80 evacuees, and count on 450 volunteers to help connect the evacuees to grocery stores in their area, transportation and health care.On a brisk Saturday in January, Fati sat near the window of a café.
"It was at 10 p.m. at night and my phone rang," Fati said, recounting her call with the manager."He said, 'Are you interested to start working here?' I said, 'Yeah, of course.' Back home, I said to Malalai, 'I got the job,' and she said, 'Wow, it was so fast.'""You meet every day, new person or maybe a regular customer. I'm working here and I'm very happy with this. I have a job [and] money is coming," she said.