BURLINGTON — The Vermont Afghan Alliance opened new offices in downtown Burlington on Thursday and announced that the organization has been awarded two key grants to fund its operations.
Gov. Phil Scott and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., joined staff members of the Burlington-based nonprofit and members of the Afghan refugee community for a ceremony at the new headquarters at 60 Main St.
The Vermont Afghan Alliance, which was launched in 2022 and until Thursday had been operating without offices, supports Afghan refugees who are resettling in Vermont. It provides the refugee community with a variety of services, including translation assistance and driving lessons geared toward women who were banned from driving in their home country. To date, approximately 300 Afghans have resettled in the Green Mountain State, officials said Thursday.
“The Vermont Afghan Alliance has had a passionate commitment to help Afghan refugees,” said Wazir Hashimi, cofounder and board president of the organization. “Our goal is to help every Afghan refugee to feel empowered to live a healthy, prosperous life here in the Green Mountain State.”
At the ceremony, interim executive director Molly Gray — a former lieutenant governor — announced that the nonprofit had obtained two key grants that will not only help fund the new offices, but will allow the organization to take on new staff.
In September, the alliance was awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, through which the organization will receive $250,000 a year for three years to fund its general operations.
The Vermont State Refugee Office also plans to provide the organization with $200,000 a year for two years, according to Gray. In addition to helping fund the new headquarters, the latter grant will help the nonprofit implement an Afghan employment program.
“As many here know, the needs for refugees remain tremendous, from housing and transportation to interpretation and immigration assistance,” Gray said at the gathering. “This work is not easy. It takes grit. It takes determination, patience, deep compassion and an endless desire to navigate crises.”
Scott, who has advocated for Vermont to accept more refugees, said he believed the state, and the U.S. in general, had a “moral obligation” to welcome people from around the globe.
“Once refugees arrive here, it’s critical that we support and welcome them with open arms,” the Republican governor said. “That’s why the opening of this new office and the founding of the Vermont Afghan Alliance are so important.”
Welch also applauded the organization’s work.
“In Vermont there has been a spirit of openness and welcoming toward refugees,” he said. “It’s not just a salutation. It requires effort, follow-through and work to help folks make a hard adjustment from a country that’s far away and a language that’s totally different.”
