Opinion: Vietnamese refugees are doing their part to help resettle Afghan refugees
In 1975, when United States forces withdrew from Vietnam, many Vietnamese feared for their lives in our war-torn country. Thousands were airlifted out by the U.S. military, and waves of refugees soon followed. My mother was among those who fled.
When American troops pulled out of Afghanistan in August 2021, I didn’t immediately think of my own family’s journey, but I did feel immense sadness. And I wanted to help. Resettlement agencies were quickly overwhelmed by the sudden influx of some 70,000 Afghan evacuees brought here by the American government. But the situation was so overwhelming. What could I really do?
The need for civilian support is crucial, because formal resettlement agencies are at capacity. Resources are so limited that one social worker might be assigned 10 or 20 families. When I connected with Viets for Afghans, they assigned me to a sponsor circle, a small volunteer team tasked with helping a single family. In our case, this was a family whose father had worked for the American government. The parents were in their mid-twenties and the three children, aged 20 months, 3 and 5.
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