BUILDING a women's football team in Afghanistan, a country where most men were against it, was "one of the toughest jobs ever", says Newcastle-based Afghan refugee Khorsand Yousofzai.
It took years and years to encourage women to participate in the football world, and they finally made the impossible a reality, and Khorsand became the manager and head coach of the Afghanistan Girls Premier League.
"Then, 15 August, when our country was taken over by the Taliban, everything stopped," the 29-year-old said. "Football stopped. Life stopped. We had no idea what to do, and we kind of lost our way.
"Everyone in Afghanistan wanted to flee and get out of the country and seek safety for themselves and their families. And I was one of them."
Khorsand said he was searching for a way out when Zali Steggall MP contacted his committee and told him to get himself and all of his players to the airport. When he got there, there were "many thousands" lined up trying to get in.
"We lined up there and were stuck in line for two nights without any food, only water," he said.
They made it onto a plane and fled to a Dubai refugee camp where they waited two weeks before coming to Australia. Starting a new life here felt like a rebirth, he said.
"I'm proud because most of our players have already registered themselves into clubs and started playing again," he said. "I also am working as a coach for Northern NSW Football for under 17s and volunteering as a coach in one of the local clubs in Newcastle."
His only concern, he said, was for the family he left behind in Afghanistan.
"I would love to bring them and hopefully reunite with them again," he said.
Khorsand told his story in Sydney on Thursday where he stood alongside the Minister for Multiculturalism and Seniors Mark Joseph Coure MP to mark the start of Refugee Week, at a celebration organised by Settlement Services International (SSI).
"The process for settlement is multi-faceted and requires ongoing partnerships, programs and support from government and community," Mr Coure said. "Together, we can create a stronger and more vibrant Australian community where everyone feels welcomed."
SSI, a federally-funded refugee support agency, assisted the first 1400 Afghans evacuated from Kabul, arriving in NSW on Friday, August 27, 2021. SSI chief executive officer, Violet Roumeliotis, described the challenges that the Afghans faced after the swift and violent fall of Kabul as unprecedented.
"The journey of the newly arrived Afghans has been heartbreaking," Ms Roumeliotis said. "Many arrived with only the clothes on their back and without personal identification. This required SSI to act swiftly, employing 17 additional bilingual workers to provide the best individual support needed.
"SSI has worked with many partners across the community who have generously donated goods and opened their homes and hearts. Community organisations including established Afghan community organisations have rallied around the newly arrived.
"The settlement journey is complex. It's ongoing, heavily involved and requires the whole community to play a role. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a central part of helping the Afghans make Australia their home and feel a sense of belonging."
Arriving during the peak of the global pandemic created many challenges for the new arrivals, including COVID quarantine, isolation measures and vaccinations.
However, 1393 people have been supported since August with essential registration services and identity confirmation, more than 740 food packages mobile phones for more than 370 families, through the Humanitarian Settlement Program.
Since November 2017, SSI has helped over 14,000 refugees from 32 countries to settle in NSW.
Newly-arrived refugees from Afghanistan participate in an orientation program which covers 10 topics essential to understanding the Australian way of life and systems, such as healthcare, housing assistance, cost of living, transport, law and education.
Children are enrolled in school, health referrals have been made for 1320 clients, and 590 people have been enrolled in Adult Migration English Programs.
