ST. LOUIS — Late last year, Sara Rahmati, a soccer player on Afghanistan’s national team, decided to leave her family behind for a better future. In just under a year, the 24-year-old has started a new life in St. Louis, thanks to the International Institute of St. Louis, but is still battling new challenges.
Rahmati has found herself a job in the Manchester area, lives in an apartment with a roommate, has a cellphone, and is learning how to drive. She is one of nearly 600 Afghan refugees who has made it to the Midwestern city so far. Another 750 refugees are expected later this year.
The International Institute of St. Louis is involved in all aspects of resettlement, from taking care of paperwork, finding housing, jobs and health benefits, to showing how U.S. grocery stores and public transportation work, and more. Upon arrival, the Institute will pay up to six months of rent and bills until refugees land on their feet.
After the U.S. military reduced its presence last year in Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of major cities. Rahmati says it began restricting women’s rights and freedoms. For a safe and better future for herself, Rahmati said she started the difficult journey to America. She said it was a struggle just to leave Afghanistan, especially after Taliban members bombed the Kabul International Airport in August, killing 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops.
Moji Sidiqi, who works for the institute, explained, “You really had to hustle,” when describing the efforts to leave the country.
There were several stops along Rahmati’s journey before arriving in St. Louis, including Qatar, Germany, Washington, and a military camp for three months in Wisconsin. The different climates of those countries did not make the trip easy, according to Sara.
After arriving at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, she was greeted by staff from the Institute, including her caseworker, Najibullah Azizi, who started getting her on the path to success right away.
Months after escaping a terrorist-controlled country, Rahmati is still adjusting to western culture and her new life, but not without some help from members of the Institute.
Sidiqi is the Afghan community development program manager for Institute’s Afghan Support Program, and has organized opportunities for Afghan children, teens and young adults to play soccer.
She is helping Rahmati, among other refugees, in her healing process and working to get her back to playing a sport she was once passionate about.
Although some of Rahmati's former soccer teammates have relocated to Australia, Azizi said he wished for the entire team to be St. Louis. Sidiqi agreed, saying she has been an advocate for more refugees coming to St. Louis, a city that celebrates them.
There are talks of Rahmati’s former soccer coach organizing tournaments and competitions in Australia, however Sidiqi said, “We’d rather create something for the team to come here and make this migration happen for the Afghans.”
A push for more Afghan refugees to resettle in St. Louis is not only supported by the Institute, but also the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, and other nonprofit groups. There is a St. Louis Afghan Resettlement Initiative that is backed by more than $1 million in donations and more than 800 volunteers.
In the meantime, Rahmati said she hopes her brother, who arrived in the U.S. two weeks before she did, will move from California to the St. Louis area.
For more information about the International Institute of St. Louis, click here.
The AP contributed to this story.