Rotary Club of Conifer Meeting, March 14, 2023

Program

Homayoon Milad Presentation on IRC and his personal story:

Milad worked for US Institute for Peace and US Bureau of Narcotics, on alternative agricultural based project. He graduated from Kabul University in 2003 and was born the year of the Soviet invasion. He pioneered the One Village One project in Afghanistan.

The Doha agreement with the Taliban was actually intended to be a long-term project. On August 15, 2021, it fell apart.

On August 26, Milad evacuated from Kabul with his wife and three kids, leaving behind everything built institutionally and all hope. They were among 470 refugees on one cargo plane, no seating room. They went to Kuwait, then Spain for processing, and on to Holloman AFB in New Mexico for 19 days, to do biometrics and process work permit. These refugee centers were called Safe Havens. They voluntarily checked out and ended up in Denver with only one backpack, but he is thankful for a welcoming commmunity in Denver, starting with IRC and then the community members.

IRC hired him, and he started to build networks in the communities. After 1.5 years with IRC he has found Colorado communities very welcoming, starting from airport pickup, to housing and money from peoples pockets.

He holds the Community Sponsorship Coordinator position, to more involve community members in the welcoming process. He is also a Colorado Refugees Speaker Network (bureau) member.

There are increasing numbers of refugees. It’s a long process—one man from Iraq waited 18 years to achieve refugee status in the U.S.

United for Ukraine is a different model, using a private sponsorships program.

Milad wants to make it easier for everyone to be involved in the process. He advocated to ease the previous requirement of $5000 to sponsor a refugee, and that has changed to $3000 in money or in-kind contribution.

IRC Community Engagement program: Financial requirement is now $3000 (to sponsor one family) including inkind, with over 2-6 months average of 2-4 hours a week helping the family, more at the beginning as the refugees settle in—first 90 days is more work. Long term goal is a friendship between refugees and communities that they feel Denver is home.

Do they prefer Kabul or Denver? They say whichever is safer for me, where they feel emotional support. They are invited to events to meet community members, giving confidence and ownership in the community, feeling a part of the community.

This also gives the community a sense of pride in welcoming refugees until they are on their feet.

IRC has established tiers of community sponsorship:

Premium: the group sponsors a refugee family.

Advanced: Sponsors with a partner such as a church.

Starter: IRC facilitates formation of a co-sponsor group

Milad welcomes our Rotary group being involved.

Note:  Milad came with a recent Afghan refugee, who IRC is helping but not through the U.S. Government refugee resettlement program.  He also fled with his wife and two teenage children, in September 2021, overland to Iran and UEA, and finally to Japan for awhile.   An engineer, he had worked for the Japanese development assistance agency, JICA, in Afghanistan. But Japan gave no support or pathway to stay in Japan, so they flew to Mexico and crossed the border at an opening, turning themselves immediately to ICE agents.  Since then, the U.S. has been trying to deport them (who knows to where), but IRC has helped to stop the proceedings.  He needs a livelihood and free immigration legal help.  He speaks excellent English.