Welcoming Afghans Initiative (WAI)
ABOUT
Our mission is to promote bridge-building efforts through education and service at the intersection of culture and faith
We are a community who enjoys friendships with people from different ethnic and national backgrounds, valuing each person with dignity and respect. We promote opportunities to learn and share among each other, deepening understanding and strengthening relationships. Some of these ways include helping one another, especially those who are new to the United States. It is our desire that the programs we offer will help to serve the well-being of each individual involved.
Programs
Our Welcoming Afghans Initiative (WAI) is a series of programs and efforts designed to welcome and care for recently displaced Afghan individuals and families. Please see the blog below for ongoing information about these programs.
Make a Difference
Ready to impact someone’s life?
We are currently seeking to serve newly arriving Afghans through our weekly programs: Women’s Sewing Class, Women’s Driving Class, Men’s English Class, and Learning Bridge, our after-school tutoring program.
We are thankful for the many volunteers who give of their time and energy to welcoming these newcomers and building friendships. Our volunteers come from many different churches and denominations. Since we are not a government supported agency, we rely solely on the generosity of churches, God’s people, and other non-profits for support.
When you support Bridge Builders Network’s Welcoming Afghans Initiative, you are helping these newcomers overcome many challenges while building genuine friendships, providing hope for the future, and facilitating healing from the trauma of war and forced displacement.
Matthew 5:9 Message
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”
Immigration Legal Resources
We are thankful to be now partnering with the local non-profit Pathways to Citizenship, a caring and dedicated team of attorneys and Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited Representatives who are authorized to practice immigration law, and dedicated to helping immigrants navigate the complex legal and cultural pathways to citizenship.
Bridge Builders Network has in the past offered in-person citizenship classes as a part of our Syrian Wellbeing Initiative to those who qualify for applying for the citizenship in 2021. We are now turning towards working to provide help to newly arriving Afghan families with immigration questions, and helping families already living here to apply for visas for their family members still in Afghanistan who are feeling very vulnerable and afraid of the new government, often fearing just going outside of their homes.