Second Harvest of Silicon Valley’s Post

In January, we met Najla, a political refugee from Afghanistan. Initially, Najla, her husband Aaqil, and their two-year-old son Armin were staying at an extended-stay hotel near our food distribution. Six months later, we learned that they moved into their new apartment on the west side of San Jose. Najla shared she misses the community that she had among other Afghans who were living back at the extended stay hotel. Aaqil works a lot, and Najla is home alone most days entertaining Armin. In her loneliness, she says she has stopped pursuing her online education in computer sciences because she lost the motivation. Instead, Najla explains, “I want to work,” to contribute to household expenses, but it has been tough finding in-person employment opportunities that fit her husband’s work schedule. In Afghanistan, Najla dreamed of driving, which women couldn't do under the Taliban. Now, she has her driver’s permit and practices in empty parking lots. Aaqil proudly mentioned she recently drove them to a nearby grocery store. They have been buying food because they did not realize that free food from Second Harvest was available at distributions all over San Jose. They have been connected to our Food Connection team for support. #RefugeeStories

  • No alternative text description for this image

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore topics