The Khwaja Family's Story Continues
Shared by Lois Herrmann
According to Judith Kozlowsky, one of a handful of St. Columbans who have been deeply supportive of the family: “They have done remarkably well – and are far ahead of where they might be.” Kerianne Peister who also has been closely involved with the family, says: “It’s great to see them build a sense of community through their kids’ soccer, their schools, the apartment complex and other places. They are building a life here.”
Their biggest initial challenge was learning English. Shakeba and Fridoon have attended classes at Montgomery College diligently, and the boys have had classes and English-immersion at school. Usman, who is a second-grader at Rosemary Hills Elementary School, is a sponge for English and new experiences. Omer, in the 8th grade at Westland Middle School, is smart, good at soccer and is loved by his teachers. Siddiq is doing extremely well academically in 10th grade at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School and wants to be a computer engineer.
Big challenges remain for this wonderful family. The parents are finding written English difficult to master. And procuring long term employment at a wage that supports living in this area – is a constant worry. St. C’s Refugee Response Committee has often had to act quickly to meet the changing needs of the family. It has had help from parishioners with all kinds of expertise –housing, medical, employment, IT, English teaching, and transportation. It also has advised other parishes considering refugee partnership.
The Committee now has its own challenges: transitioning the Khwaja’s into further self-sufficiency - and deciding where we go from here as a parish that has found great lovepartnering with a refugee family.
