MADISON, Wis.–An update has been offered on what the new lives in America are like for the former head of Afghanistan’s credit unions and his family.
CUToday.info has been documenting the journey of Bashir Khan both prior to his departure from Pakistan—where he had fled after his life was threatened in Afghanistan—and after the family’s long-awaited trip to the United States, where they settled in Madison, Wis.
Now, Brian Branch, the former president and CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions who has been instrumental in helping Khan to come to America and then get settled, has shared an update on what life has been like in the early weeks.
As CUToday.info also reported, WOCCU, former employees and the Wisconsin league, which covered the airfares for the family, have also been providing support.
Welcome to the Agencies
“Friends and former employees drove them to a confusing series of federal, state and county agency meetings: Social Security, family and child services, public health,” said Branch. “The Madison schools were very welcoming; the children were in school and doing homework within three-four days.”
Others donated coats for the children as temperatures began falling, while the River Food Pantry provided a “generous weekly allotment of grains, meats, vegetables, breads, pizzas and pastries,” Branch said.
English Lessons Every Night
“The children’s schools were exciting and family English lessons every night became the core of family bonding,” Branch continued in an email he sent to supporters. “Although they had legal entry visas, the family was limited in what they could do in terms of formal integration via work or housing.”
After three weeks, the family finally received what Branch dubbed the “keys to their new country: their Social Security cards.”
Joining a Credit Union
And one of the first things they did after receiving those cards was join a credit union, Branch related. Bashir and his wife, Bibi, each opened accounts.
“I want a card with a badger on it,” Bashir Khan joked after learning Wisconsin is the “badger state.”
One great joy for the parents, according to Branch, is watching his children attend school. In an earlier interview with CUToday.info, Khan had expressed regret his daughters were not able to be educated in Afghanistan, something that had caused both his daughters, 11 and 13, to cry.
“The girls brightened at descriptions of their music, language and gym classes,” said Branch. “They exclaimed upon seeing the playground equipment and green space. They peered through doors at active classrooms, the cafeteria and the gym. Their eyes widened as the hall came alive with students moving from one class to another when the bells rang.”
A First-Time Smile
Branch said seeing the girls in school was the first time he and others had seen Bibi Khan smile since arriving in the U.S. Bashir Khan acted as translator for the teachers and counselors.
The Khans also have another daughter, Adeel, who is six, as well as two sons.
“They were very anxious and depressed before we came,” Khan said. “They were always afraid. They stayed in the house. They were afraid I would be taken away. They could hear gunfire and explosions. They do not hear that here. They sleep through the night.”
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