The story of B., an Afghan refugee woman.

Story written Refugee Services, a local resettlement agency in Columbia, MO. The agency was planning a baby shower for Afghan Moms.

    If you’re a Mom you know what I mean. Bad pregnancy symptoms. Taking care of children while carrying another. Wondering what tomorrow will bring.

Now picture running for your life at the same time. This Mom’s name cannot be disclosed because she fears for her family back home so I’ll call her B. She spent several weeks of her pregnancy fleeing for her life, at one time sleeping in a waterlogged tent.

B. is an Afghan Mom who is pregnant with a boy. She doesn’t know exactly how many months pregnant she is because she’s been away from home so long her sense of time is uncertain. When she was two months pregnant B. and her family, her husband and their eleven children, fled Afghanistan when the Talibans took over. He husband worked as a trainer in the Special Forces with the U.S. military and that put the entire family at risk of being killed. Her husband’s father died shortly after they left.

The fist camp B. and her family lived in was in Qatar, and it was only for three days and three nights. “It was so hot those three nights felt like three months,” she said. Somebody stole her shoes so she went barefoot. The family were then transferred to another camp, in Germany, where it was several days before sleeping cots were brought in. When it rained the tent would flood and they would all sleep in water. The third camp was on a military base in the U.S. and living conditions were much better, as was healthcare. B. got screened and checked.

In Afghanistan all her children were born at home, with her mother-in-law assisting. “It was hard for me. Back home when you struggle with pregnancy symptoms you just have to put up with it,” B. said. Here in the U.S. she has had monthly checkups and feels better. Still there is the worrying about family back home and not being able to anything about it, and there is the displacement and the challenges of cultural adaptation to life in this utterly foreign place. 

B’s story is not unique. Catholic Charities Refugee Services have resettled more than 270 Afghan evacuees in the past three months, and among them many mothers and pregnant women. Eleven women among our clients are either pregnant or have recently given birth. We are proud of our clients’ resilience, so we would like to do something special for them and we hope you join us.