Afghan Resettlement Project
In fall 2021, the Interfaith Center of Arkansas partnered with Catholic Charities to help resettle Afghans who arrived in the United States. After the fall of US supported government in Afghanistan, many of the residents had to flee from their homeland. We invite you to scroll below to learn more about our work and this project.
Afghan Family Holiday Party
The Interfaith Center of Arkansas hosted a Holiday Party in 2022 at a local church. Four of our board members attended and helped with the festivities. There were at least 100 people including many Afghan families. The holiday party was catered by a local restaurant and the food was delicious. On this cold day we also served hot chocolate with ice cream, all different kinds of tea and coffee. For the children we had a cotton candy machine, face painting, corn hole game and all the kids participated in a snowball (foam snowballs) fight. For many of our children, this was the first time getting to taste some of the goodies and play these game. The men got together for some much need catching up and the women did the same.
We thank everyone who helped with this event!
Afghan Families’ Picnic
After many months, we were finally able to get our Afghan families back together for a time of delicious food, games and just getting out of the house. Because a resurgence of Covid this winter, this was the first time all of our Afghan families were able to get together for fellowship since Thanksgiving. The picnic was held at beautiful local camp site with the help of our partner sponsors. We thank all the volunteers for making this happen!
Afghan Women and Girls
The Interfaith Center of Arkansas, in partnership with Dr. Tariq and Mrs. Porter, created a program for Afghan women and girls that helps them know and defend their rights, lead mentally and physically healthy lives, and influence decisions at home. We have reached out to Women for Women International who has developed a program that offers Afghan women a constructive, dignified way to discover their power.
Afghan Thanksgiving
In the fall of 2021, The Interfaith Center, Catholic Charities, and the families’ sponsors had lovely event that introduced our friends from Afghanistan to a special holiday here in America.
Rev. Smith hosted the Thanksgiving event at a local church. The sponsors provided transportation and helped guests find their way to the event on the campus. The food was provided by Catholic Charities and The Interfaith Center.
This was the first time for our families to get together for fun and getting to know each other and it was a huge success!
We thank everyone that helped with the event.
Afghan Family Arrival Begins
In the fall of 2021, Catholic Charities and The Interfaith Center welcomed the first Afghan families to Central Arkansas.
In September 2021, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette wrote a beautiful article about the families impending arrival.
In October 2021, the Northwest Arkansas version of The Arkansas Democrat Gazette published a wonderful article about their pending arrival.