History of the Afghan Diaspora in the United States
In last few decades, the United States has been host to several large Afghan Diaspora communities. The communities, which range from the San Francisco Bay Area, California to Queens, New York, now have the momentous opportunity to contribute their skills and expertise to the rebuilding of their homeland.
In the mid 20th century, Afghans began migrating to the US for educational and professional purposes. However, in the late 20th century particularly with the onset of the soviet invasion, and subsequent instability, Afghans sought refuge in other nations around the world. A general estimate of the Afghan population in the US is over 300,000. While 20,000+ Afghans reside in Northern Virginia, approximately 40,000 Afghans comprise the Diaspora community based in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are also sporadic communities totaling 10,000 Afghans throughout Southern California. Furthermore, smaller communities are also flourishing in New York, Georgia, Oregon, and Texas. The Afghan population in the US is indeed diverse, representing a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, and religious affiliations. Tajik and Pashtun ethnicities are among the majority alongside minority communities of Uzbeks, Hazaras, Afghan Jews and Afghan Hindus.
The Importance of the Afghan Diaspora
Afghans living in Diaspora communities are central to the rebuilding of Afghanistan. Following the exodus of educated Afghans during the Soviet invasion of 1979, Afghanistan experienced a debilitating shortage of human resources. President Karzai himself has appealed to members of the Afghan Diaspora to come home and help reverse Afghanistan’s “brain drain.” In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the transitional government of Afghanistan in partnership with the United States established progressive reforms in order enhance socioeconomic development in the private and public sector. Members of the Afghan community have become the largest and most valuable contributors to these development efforts, with considerable time and money being used to harness their skills and knowledge.
Numerous scholars and Afghan government officials have emphasized the role of the Diaspora in strengthening Afghanistan's civil society and reconstruction efforts. Expatriate engineers, doctors, legal experts and architects are providing much needed expertise and training, while their familiarity with Afghanistan’s cultures, people and languages is indispensable. Beyond applying their personal skills, many members of the Diaspora have traveled to Afghanistan and established their own organizations, hoping to contribute to the process of improvement in their native country. These organizations have built schools, clinics and provided social services to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable citizens. The contribution of Afghans at all levels -- national, provincial, local, or grassroots – is an invaluable resource.
Achievements of the Diaspora
Civil society in most developing and post-conflict countries can play a significant role in the actualization of the principles of democracy, human rights, and gender equality. Civil society must be looked upon as an instrument of change – one that can promote the rule of law and achieve further progress in Afghanistan’s peace-building process.
The Afghan Diaspora has been central to the advancements achieved in Afghanistan. The education sector has received overwhelming support from the Diaspora. With investments in school construction and teaching, 6 million Afghan children were able to register for school, 34% of them being female. Also, the presence of Afghan-American entrepreneurs in Afghanistan has helped existing businesses flourish, while allowing for new businesses to emerge. The extent of foreign and domestic investments by these entrepreneurs has contributed significantly to the revival of the country’s economy. Moreover, the return of prominent Afghan intellectuals has actively promoted public and private institutional capacity building. By contributing their knowledge and insight, they have helped design the frameworks under which advancements in human rights, government, health care and justice can be achieved.
Ways the Diaspora Can Help: ARTF-ExS and IOM
Many programs, such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund Expatriate Services Program (ARTF-ExS) and the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Return of Qualified Afghans Program (EU-RQA), have been established to assist Afghans who wish to return and work for Afghanistan.
As a multi-donor fund administered by the World Bank, ARTF works through its ARTF-ExS to identify skilled Afghans that can effectively serve in government and development posts. ARTF works closely with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC) as well as International Organization for Migration (IOM) to implement the program. The project’s goal is to provide the IARCSC with support as they try to establish a merit-based recruitment system and place at least 60 highly-skilled expatriates into Afghanistan’s public administration. ARTF-ExS will also finance the compensation and other expenses of Afghan professionals living abroad, who would like to assist with the reconstruction process. ARTF also ensures transparency and equity in setting up merit-based recruitment procedures and compensation frameworks. For further information on the application requirements and procedures, please visit ARTF-ExS at http://www.artfexpat.gov.af/
The International Organization for Migrations (IOM) also pioneered programs for returning Afghans. Though now defunct, the IOM’s Return for Qualified Afghans program offered expatriate Afghans paid opportunities to return to Afghanistan and assist in the development and advancement of critical sectors, such as private businesses that provide goods and services, civil and social services, infrastructure and rural development. The program also offered grants of up to $6,000 as a self-employment option for Afghans who wished to start personal small businesses.
Afghan American professional associations can also help reconstruction in Afghanistan by encouraging members of the Diaspora to contribute their talents. Throughout the US, several organizations, such as the Afghan Society of Engineers, Afghan Coalition, and the Afghan Society of American Professionals are open to Afghans whose expertise and experience are an important resource in rebuilding Afghanistan. Afghans from the Diaspora have worked with these groups to create counterpart associations in Kabul, making advancements to numerous sectors in the process.
For more information, see Rebuilding Afghanistan: The Diaspora’s Role
For a comprehensive guide to opportunities for Afghan expatriates, please see the Embassy's Return of Qualified Expatriates Resource Guide
Women in the Diaspora
Afghan women in the Diaspora have been highly active since the collapse of the Taliban. Many have returned to Afghanistan to form their own organizations, such as micro-lending institutions aimed at helping Afghan women become successful entrepreneurs. These organizations play critical roles in providing the tools and the resources to support and strengthen the women in Afghanistan.
Afghan women are taking greater steps in society and are actively engaged in efforts to further women’s rights. Many women have begun pursuing careers in television and radio journalism. Through such mediums, they serve as spokeswomen for the general population of Afghan women. Other Afghan women have implemented educational institutions and sports programs that are designed to create a sense of confidence, self-esteem, and leadership for young women in Afghanistan.
One of the largest categories of refugees are “Women-At-Risk” – women who are widowed, single, or with small children and without male support. “Women-At-Risk” cases are often victims of human rights abuse. They represent approximately two-thirds of the 4,256 Afghan refugees granted asylum that fled from the Taliban take-over since 1999 and were granted asylum.
Among these women, urban professionals constitute more than half of the cases, with nearly a third of them having served as highly trained professionals, such as doctors, engineers and lawyers. The rest primarily worked as teachers as well as clerks, office administrators, skilled craftswomen, service workers (maids, beauticians, and cooks), technicians, academics, journalists, and artists.
For more information, please visit; www.globalfundforwomen.org.
