From Exclusion to Empowerment: The Yousofi Family’s Journey

Fleeing a country where women are excluded from society and denied the right to study and work, the Yousofi family arrived in the U.S. as refugees, seeking a future that millions take for granted but remains a distant dream for Afghan girls and women. Dublin City Schools offered the family’s 19- and 20-year-old daughters a chance to earn their diplomas, something they had been barred from completing in Kabul by the Taliban. Resettling was challenging as the family worked to rebuild their lives while caring for a member with acute cerebral palsy who required frequent medical appointments. To support the family, the father, brother, and two sisters work at a department store, but their shifts end at 11 p.m.— after buses stop running—leaving them without a safe way home.​

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Rides 4 Refugees Stepped In:​

Understanding their urgent need for safe and reliable transportation, Rides 4 Refugees was honored to provide them match grant funds, helping the family to purchase a well-maintained 2011 Honda Odyssey. We now have:

• Two young women on track to earn their high school diplomas.

• Four family members gainfully employed.

• A family member with medical needs receiving essential care.

• A family that is on a sustainable path forward.

This is the power of community support in Central Ohio. Your financial contributions make stories like this possible—stories of hope, empowerment, and opportunity.