On August 15, 2021, life changed overnight, bringing chaos and misery to many Afghans. From the crowds on the streets of Kabul to the throngs at the international airport, residents were unsure of what the future would hold.

Over the next month, emergency flights were able to evacuate many Afghans. Some of these evacuees settled in the United States.

“The only thing I remember from that time is depression, fear and tears. I had to hide for a long time to leave the country with nothing, just a backpack,” said Anoosha Farahmand. “And it was the hardest month of my life in my own country. I don’t know if anyone here has ever experienced not being safe in their own home.”

Farahmand is an Afghan refugee who escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan and started a new life in Nebraska. Farahmand flew from Kabul to New Jersey and then to Lincoln. She is now studying medicine at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She works as a lab assistant for the Bryan Health Center.

Back home, Farahmand studied medicine and said she has a year to finish her degree before the Taliban takes over. It has been more than 1,000 days since the Taliban banned girls from attending school in Afghanistan. She is grateful to be able to go to school in Lincoln.

“People respect me as a woman, they don’t see me as worthless,” she said. “I no longer feel like I’m not enough. They appreciate my hard work.”

Unfortunately, Farahmand’s story is not an isolated case. Morsal Shirzad is a 17-year-old Afghan refugee who moved to Lincoln from Kabul in 2021. She is a 12th grader at Lincoln High School.

She thinks back to the night her family fled.

“I was afraid for my father and imagined what would happen if they killed my father if we didn’t leave the country,” Shirzad said.

Shirzad sometimes talks to her friends back home and says that life under the Taliban is difficult for her.

“Sometimes we talk to each other and they are actually sad because they can’t go to school,” Shirzad said. “They don’t have jobs. The girls get married at a young age. I feel sorry for them. They have a hard time.”

In Lincoln, Shirzad can go to school and have a job. She works as a hostess in a downtown restaurant.

But even though she has gotten used to life in the USA, it is still difficult for refugees.

Shirzad said they cannot believe they left their homes empty-handed. They mourn the loss of their fellow Afghans back home. The Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions on women in Afghanistan since they seized power in August 2021.

Women are not allowed to travel without a male guardian. They are not allowed to visit a clinic or be in many public places. They have no right to work or education.

Shirzad said she is happy to be able to get these things in Lincoln and with her family.

“But the good thing is, I’m happy for my family. We are here, there are good schools and we are safe,” said Shirzad.

Shirzad encourages her fellow Afghans who moved to the United States after the Taliban took power to live life with passion and never give up. But she knows that starting a new life without anything takes time. That’s something Sadaqat Abdulrahimzai knows.

He served for five years in the Afghan National Army under the previous government and said he was still saddened by the losses suffered when the Taliban invaded overnight. He was deployed to Bala Hissar fortress in Kabul.

“When I looked down on the city, there was a dust storm and people were scared that day. I was deeply hurt,” said Abdulrahimzai. “You can’t believe I burst into tears several times.”

Abdulrahimzai fled to Lincoln in February 2022 to start a new life.

“It was almost midnight when I arrived in Lincoln,” said Abdulrahimzai. “I felt like I was entering a new environment. I had to start my life from scratch. I don’t speak English and I don’t know anyone here. What should I do first?”

Abdulrahimzai added that he was grateful for the opportunities here.

“It was a long journey. I learned a lot and it was an achievement for me as I had never had such an experience before,” said Abdulrahimzai.

Abdulrahimzai is optimistic about his life in Lincoln and is trying his best to give back to the community that helped him through his toughest times.

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The refugees said the language barrier was a big problem for them at first, but they were able to cope better with it thanks to the support of local community centers that offered English classes.

There are also volunteers who help the Afghan children with their homework and lessons.

Howard Faber, a retired Omaha teacher, helps Afghan refugee children in second grade through high school learn English.

“Reading and writing is difficult, so I have probably helped 50 Afghan children here,” he said.

According to Faber, the children are ambitious and excited about new experiences.

“If you sit with a little Afghan girl in second grade, she will tell you what is important to her,” he added.

Faber also helped three Afghan refugees graduate from Omaha Central High. These students came to the United States after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.

They will begin their studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha this fall and will receive a full scholarship.

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Cyrus Jaffery is an Afghan-American and CEO and founder of Jaffery Insurance and Financial Services Company in Omaha. Jaffery and his family moved to the United States in 2002.

Jaffery’s family fled the Taliban in the early 1990s during the first Taliban regime in 1996. He said their home in Kabul was bombed by the Taliban and he lost a brother while they were in Pakistan before they moved to the States.

“And back when I came here, it was just after 9/11, so obviously Afghanistan wasn’t exactly the best friend for a lot of people here, so it was definitely a very, very tough experience,” Jaffery said. “But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I guess, that’s how I look at it.”

Jaffery’s mother was on one of the emergency flights fleeing the Taliban during the second regime.

In his book “Triumph after Trauma,” Jaffery wrote about his experiences as a refugee and how he overcame adversity.

Challenges became not excuses but a reason to grow and make a difference. Triumph After Trauma is her story of resilience.

Because he has a connection to the young children, Jaffery says, he can better understand what concerns them as new refugees in the United States and the problems they face.

“Hey, listen, I was in your situation 20 years ago and we fought through it,” he said. “We made it. America gave us the greatest opportunity in the world and now we’ve made something of ourselves and created a better place for our children to grow up than we were used to.”

Jaffery helped new Afghan refugees transition into Omaha following the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021. He encourages new Afghan refugees to make the most of the opportunities they have in America, to push through the hardships and to ask for help when needed.

Jaffery was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Nebraska and Iowa in 2023.

All refugees’ stories reflect similar themes. The transition was a huge challenge, from culture shock to the language barrier, new types of food and living in a new place.

But they are happy to have found a home in Lincoln where they feel safe, have freedom of choice and, most importantly, the right to an education.