From left: First Lady Laura Bush, President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with President George H. W. Bush (below).Photo: Paul Morse/getty
A group of former presidents and first ladies is working together to give a warm welcome to new neighbors arriving fromTaliban-controlled Afghanistan.
George W. BushandLaura Bush,Bill ClintonandHillary ClintonandBarack ObamaandMichelle Obamaare serving as honorary co-chairs of a new national initiative calledWelcome.US, whose mission is welcome and support refugees relocating to the U.S., starting with individuals and familieswho recently left their homes behindin Afghanistan.
Accordingto the State Department, more than 23,000 refugees have arrived in the country since the U.S. began large-scale evacuations from Afghanistan in August before ending the war there after 20 years.
“At the heart of so many faiths is the idea that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” the Obamas said in a joint statement.
People wait to board a plane at Kabul International Airport in August, 2021.MSgt Donald R Allen/AP/Shutterstock
Welcome.US has set up theWelcome Fund, which is collecting donations to provide grants to nonprofits whose efforts include helping support refugees starting new lives in America. Those looking to help can alsodonate time or resourcesdirectly to dozens of affiliated organizations.
There’s also acall for sponsorsto lend a hand in the communities where refugees are settling. Sponsors might act as a guide to help newcomers find a home, seek medical care, enroll kids in schools, pick up groceries, find work and other tasks involved in relocating to another country.
“Thousands of Afghans stood with us on the front lines to push for a safer world, and now they need our help,” the Bushes said in their own statement. “We are proud to support Welcome.US and the work to help Afghan families get settled and build new lives. We stand ready to show our new Afghan neighbors and the rest of the world how a welcoming and generous spirit forms the backbone of what makes our country so great.”
The scene at Kabul International Airport in August, 2021.WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty
Some big backers are already on board.
At launch, Welcome.US announced that Instacart will partner with the International Rescue Committee to donate 25,000 culturally appropriate grocery meals to Afghan refugees, while Walmart announced a $500,000 grant for the Welcome Fund and the Starbucks Foundation will give $350,000 to nonprofit organizations supporting Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and refugee resettlement.
“This is the right way for all of us to fulfill our responsibility to our Afghan partners and give these new neighbors the support they need,” the Clintons said. “No country should ever take lightly the moral obligation to protect its allies who unite for freedom. Welcome.US shows us and the world what’s best about America—and why we are so hopeful about its future.”
source: people.com
