An local organization prepares to help incoming Afghan refugees

As thousands try to flee Afghanistan, a Nebraskan organization is preparing to help incoming refugees.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — As thousands try to flee Afghanistan, a Nebraskan organization is preparing to help incoming refugees.

The Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska has helped refugees from all over the world. Their focus now is on Afghanistan as Afghan special immigrant visa holders try to escape.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska is gearing up to help incoming refugees. As the Taliban takes over Afghanistan pushing many to flee.

“Oftentimes when refugees arrive, they come with a little more than the clothes on their back and so LFS stands ready to help them establish new lives in our communities,” said Donna Magnuson, chief program officer. “Everything from trying to locate first time housing are locating jobs, helping them get their kids in school.”

Magnuson expects people from Afghanistan to come in the fourth quarter of this year but they often have short notices, sometimes two weeks, of when or how many will come.

She says the program is preparing by making sure they have enough staff and volunteers to meet the needs of refugees. Like providing the basic needs like housing, clothing, employment, and having bilingual persons to communicate.

“Without the situation in Afghanistan, it’s really a matter of us building that capacity and making sure that we’re building up both by culturally and by bilingually with the staff that we have so that we’re able to better serve those that are coming in,” said Magnuson. “It’s beginning to have those conversations with volunteer groups that may have gone absent from our list in the past few years because the numbers were so drastically low.”

Because they help refugees who are fleeing from persecution. Donna says Haiti refugees leaving after that recent earthquake, most likely will not come through their program.

Want to help? The program is always looking for volunteers, donations, or full sponsorship of families.

“ I talked to a gentleman the other day, whose family is still within inside Afghanistan and he said he was able to get one out Uzbekistan, ‘But I’m not sure what’s going to happen to the rest of my family’,” said Magnuson. “I personally can’t imagine what that was feel like, and I’ve worked in this line of work for a long time.”

Donna says this is a fluid situation for everyone as she and other leaders are actively planning for Afghan refugees. She adds prayers are needed from every heart that people escape.
If you want to help, visit here.