Rockingham Times

As a result of the swift withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, a wave of refugees are headed towards the U.S. to be resettled into various states around the country.

This month, about 1,000 Afghan refugees will be arriving in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, according to NBC10 Boston.

Tim Horgan of the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire Tweeted Sept. 10: "Glad to hear that New Hampshire will be welcoming Afghan refugees in the near future. Let's all do what we can to make these people feel welcome in our communities and support them in the way they supported our efforts in their country."

Before arriving and being resettled, the refugees will be screened at military bases. Multiple agencies will be collaborating to provide the refugees with the necessities for survival, and volunteer organizations -- such as Save the Children -- around the nation are soliciting donations from people for supplies as well.

The program “Operation Allies Welcome” is expected to help around 50,000 Afghans who helped the U.S. military during the 20-year war to be admitted to the U.S., according to AP News.

All refugees who are 12 years old and older will be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of their arrival. 

Residents of Massachusetts and New Hampshire are certainly doing their part. The Greater Lowell Community Foundation has established an Afghan Resettlement Fund that will help the refugees with housing, transportation and food costs. Massachusetts is expected to receive about 900 refugees while New Hampshire will be home to an additional 100.