Anchorage schools adapt to accommodating Afghan refugees

On August 30, 2021, the United States ended its longest war when the last military planes flew out of Afghanistan’s collapsing capital, Kabul. Some of those planes were carrying Afghan refugees, about 130,000 in total, making it one of the largest mass evacuations in the history of American engagement abroad. Of those 130,000 refugees, about 76,000 were given permission to live in the US, and subsequently moved here. Of those, about 100 have been relocated to Alaska with the help of the Anchorage School District, Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services, and Catholic Social Services.

In the months before the refugees’ arrival, ASD, RAIS, and CSS made several preparations to make sure it went as smoothly as possible. Some of these accommodations included instructing ASD teachers about Afghan culture, as well as what conditions for the refugees had been like in Afghanistan. In addition, they prepared a meal plan that took any cultural or religious restrictions the students might have into account. RAIS also prepared a welcome center for the refugees that was meant to get the refugees in touch with ASD and CSS as soon as they arrived.

RAIS prepared houses or apartments with furniture already set up ahead of time, so when the refugees arrived, RAIS met them at the airport and brought them to their new homes right away. CSS is mainly in charge of supplying RAIS with furniture and supplies, but they don’t always have the means to get those supplies. In those cases, Christine Garbe, the supervisor of the ASD English Language Learners department, says the community has stepped up. “Watching how the community has come together and offered support for the refugees has really warmed my heart,” Garbe said. “We could probably welcome refugees for the next several years on the donations we’ve received.”

Once the families had settled in, RAIS gave them English courses, information on how to find jobs, and generally, Garbe says, “the means to succeed.” The kids were also immediately enrolled in school to try to minimize the impact on their education.

”We’ve had volunteers who’ve been really excited to go out and support the students on their first day of school,” Garbe says. “Businesses have also been highly supportive. They’ll donate leftover backpacks and lunchboxes to the refugees.”

ASD’s priority above all else is to make sure that the students feel safe and comfortable at school. They have been trying to make this happen through encouraging connections with teachers and peers, finding ways to decrease the amount of English the kids need to know to participate in activities, and initially focusing less on academic work.

Trying to integrate the kids into the school system has also come with a slew of other challenges. Schools in Afghanistan don’t usually have earthquake, fire, or shooter drills, so Garbe says a drill with no explanation could be a “very traumatic experience for kids.”

Before their first day of school, staff went over the various drills with the kids to make sure they understood that the drills were nothing to be scared of. In addition, the needs of every student can be slightly different. There are wide wealth gaps in Afghanistan, so some students come in highly educated and relatively well prepared to handle the academics at ASD, whereas others come in with no education at all, meaning that every one of them needs different academic accommodations. In addition, Afghans also don’t all speak the same language. While the most prominent languages are Dari and Pashtun, a minority also speak languages such as Uzbek. This makes finding interpreters extremely difficult. Garbe says ASD currently relies on over-the-phone interpreters, but may be able to hire some in-person interpreters in the near future.

Garbe also says that the refugees arriving in winter has made things particularly challenging. “Winter is a hard time,” she said. “Afghans aren’t used to a climate as cold as Alaska’s. Families haven’t brought snow gear, and they don’t have cars, making it difficult to do much outside the house.”

In turn, this makes it harder for them to meet new people and make new friends. However, Garbe sees signs that things could be looking up, and that the refugees could ultimately have a positive, significant impact on Alaska.

She’s heard multiple families talking about starting their own restaurants and other businesses, and she believes many of them will join the workforce in Alaska, particularly in healthcare and education, which is something our economy needs.

“We want to empower these families and help them become part of our community,” Garbe said.

If you are interested in helping the cause of the refugees, you can contact Catholic Social Services at cssalaska.org. They prefer donations to be furniture, clothes, or gift cards.