Looking Back: A First Generation Afghan-American’s Reflection on The Fall of Kabul

Ellys is a first-generation Afghan-American and a member of the Global Refuge Communications team. Here, he reflects on his experiences during the Afghan evacuation in 2021 and his commitment to the work of welcome in the years that followed. 

Four years. Looking back at the date and time on my computer, I glance over once, then a second time, and a third after that. There is absolutely no way it’s already been four years, has it?

When I think back to the fall of Kabul back in 2021, I remember the scenes of fear and chaos that gripped many Afghans on the ground. The scenes of people desperately gripping the final transport plane’s fuselage stays with me to this day. As a first-generation Afghan-American, I knew deep down I had to do what I could to help in any way I could once the chance presented itself.

When the first couple of flights landed at Philadelphia International Airport before the break of dawn, I had the privilege of meeting and translating for families no different than my own. Speaking and working with them, it was clear that after escaping one chaotic environment, they felt like they were being thrust headfirst into another. It was only the dedicated effort of each and every volunteer – people from all walks of life – that helped them realize there were people on their side and let their anxiety begin to transform into hope.

After finishing college, the knowledge that refugees and other immigrants from across the globe still needed help lingered with me. When I learned of Global Refuge’s history of welcoming newcomers and working to meet their needs as they adjust to a new country, I knew it was a perfect place to continue what I'd started.

Having been a part of Global Refuge’s mission since only the beginning of this year, it’s been nothing short of a whirlwind ride. When I talk to people who have been here much longer than I have and who helped the very first waves of Afghans that came over in 2021, I always hear stories of the unfathomable scope of support we provided—not only to Afghans, but to people from Ukraine, Haiti, Venezuela, and beyond. I’ve met Afghans who have been able to start their own businesses with Global Refuge’s support and become staples of their communities. I’ve met Afghans who were assisted by Global Refuge and then joined the organization to help pay it forward and assist others in their journeys to find hope and stability.

And yet, at the same time, I’ve seen massive upheavals in policy that have gotten in the way of our mission. I've seen the slow but steady constriction of pathways to permanency for the Afghans we promised to support. I always wonder how many people that have been left behind would have been the very same people who came to pay it forward.

In these moments, reflecting on everything that has happened leading up to today, I’m only reminded once again of the responsibility we all have: we must welcome the stranger in need when we have the means to. When opportunities for hope are stripped away from people who are promised it—people who dream of simply going to school, of starting a business, of giving their children a chance at life free from danger and insecurity—it's incumbent on us to step up and do the work needed, even when others won’t.