On Thursday, a new community center catering specifically to the needs of Afghan refugees will open in Alexandria, VA. The Virginia Community Center (VACC) is the second in the country to be established by the advocacy organization Women for Afghan Women (WAW), and will provide Afghan refugees new to the region with services like mental health counseling, legal support, and educational programming.

“We have been constantly asked by the community to come and have an office [in Alexandria] because there isn’t any Afghan-led nonprofit that provides social services or direct services to the community,” says Naheed Samadi Bahram, U.S. country director of WAW.

With offices in New York and Afghanistan, the organization is expanding to address a growing need from families and individuals resettling in Virginia. Since 2021, more than 6,000 Afghans have arrived, with many refugees having experienced challenges with assimilating, such as finding jobs, housing, and learning english.

“We are there to fill in the gap that is between the services that are provided by refugee resettlement and the government, and the services that the community needs,” says Bahram.

According to WAW, the Commonwealth is now home to more than 23,000 Afghans, making it the second largest population of Afghans in the country. Bahram says that’s largely due to recently arrived people wanting to connect with the already established communities in Virginia.

“They have either relatives, family members, or friends who are in that state,” says Bahram, who was born in Afghanistan but has lived in the U.S. for the past 17 years.

Among those who are resettling in this region are Jamshed Ahmadzai. He recently moved to Alexandria, and lives in temporary housing with his cousin, Idris.

“That makes me very happy to see [Afghan] people from my community,” said Ahmadzai, 23, who spoke through a translator. “There are a lot of resources and I am very hopeful those ones will help me to get there and start a good life.”

Like many Afghans who left when the Taliban took control, Ahmadzai says he bounced from Qatar to a military base in New Mexico before being placed in a New Jersey apartment. There, he found work at a local McDonald’s while his cousin, who was 17 years-old at the time, stayed home.

“We were fine,” says Ahmadzai. “We thought, ‘Okay, that’s my life.’”

But one day, Ahmadzai says he came home and found his cousin Idris bloodied after being stabbed multiple times by strangers who had forced their way into their apartment earlier in the day. Idris survived the attack after being rushed to an emergency room. According to Ahmadzai, that’s when the pair sought out WAW to relocate and receive support services.

“I think the most important thing for these people is safety, security, peace, and being able to do what they want to do,” says Bahram. “I’m very hopeful for people who have gotten out of Afghanistan… but we also know that the first few years are not easy. There will be a lot of bumpy roads and they have to make sure to be ready for that.”

Since March, the two cousins have been living in Alexandria thanks to a partnership between the organization and Airbnb. They’re also getting help from WAW’s legal team to file for asylum to stay in the country.

Although WAW started out as an organization that offered services specifically to Afghan women and girls, Bahram says their mission expanded in recent years so they could provide assistance to men and families like Ahmadzai and his cousin.

“This was really the time that the community needed us to be there,” says Bahram. “Everything can’t be done by the government alone.”

The organization is also helping Ahmadzai pursue an education. Before leaving Afghanistan, he says he was attending medical school. While he hasn’t been able to resume his medical studies, he’s excited at the potential of being able to enroll at a nearby community college.

“I just want to go back to school and finish my studying and just help people in the way of healthcare,” says Ahmadzai. “Whenever I [pass by] NOVA college. I am wishing [that] I can start going over there.”

He’s also excited to make new friends and do things like go to the beach or visit nearby parks.

“I love the nature here,” says Ahmadzai. “I think I can start my life here.”