Today’s guest on Hometown is Karimullah Kamwar. Karim is an Afghan national who lives and works in Syracuse, New York.

Karim grew up in Mazar-e-Sharif, a city in northern Afghanistan. After college and graduate school, he began working in the nonprofit sector and started a family. 

However, in August 2021, when the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban took over, Karim and his family were in danger, due to the work he had done for many years. 

Fortunately, they were able to be evacuated, first to Qatar and then to the U.S. Along with many other Afghan evacuees, they were granted humanitarian parole.

After spending several weeks on a U.S. military base, Karim and his family were resettled in Syracuse. There, they received support through InterFaith Works of Central New York, which is one of Episcopal Migration Ministries’ affiliate organizations, and also from a legal organization that offers pro bono services to people in need of help applying for asylum and other immigration status changes.

Karim and his family saw right away how important it was for newcomers in the U.S. to have digital skills. As soon as he could, Karim began working as the Digital Empowerment Manager with a Syracuse-based community center. For his work, Karim was recognized in 2024 as a Digital Equity Champion and Emerging Leader by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. 

The story of the Kamwar family illustrates the challenges of entering the U.S. with humanitarian parole, which provides temporary permission to live in the U.S., but no guarantee of legal permanent residency. As you listen to our conversation with Karim, we invite you to imagine the hopes and the obstacles that many newcomers face, as under dire circumstances beyond their control, they seek a safe place to call home for themselves and their loved ones. We are grateful to Karim Kamwar for joining us today, and for the impact that he is already having on his new community.

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Join in the ministry of welcome by making a gift to Episcopal Migration Ministries. No gift is too small, and all gifts are used to sustain and expand our work resettling refugees, supporting asylum seekers, and creating welcoming communities for all of our immigrant siblings. Visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give or text HOMETOWN to 91999. 

Our theme song composer is Abraham Mwinda Ikando. Find his music at abrahammwinda.bandcamp.com .