The influx of refugees from Afghanistan has prompted different women’s groups in San Diego to come together to help men, women and children fleeing the Taliban start a new life in America.

Those helping include both individuals like Mary Danaher of Coronado and organizations like Welcome Home and Helping El Cajon Refugees.

Laurie Spiegler is the co-founder and co-president of Welcome Home, which helps refugees by giving them “micro-grants” to pay for their education and vocational training. In addition, they help refugees who have made a career in their country to transition into related jobs here, such as a position as a pharmacy technician for an Afghan pharmacist.

Welcome Home works with other nonprofit organizations to collect and fill backpacks for Afghan children living in various extended-stay hotels so they feel welcome and ready to start school in America. They also coordinate with school districts for buses to meet children.

Jennifer Einbinder is in charge of collecting, sorting and storing donations that arrive at Welcome Home. If one of the families needs clothes, shampoo or a teapot, Einbinder can provide it.

Two other local women helping Afghan refugees are Cheri Cooper Robertson and Tracey Good Edwards, both volunteers with Helping El Cajon Refugees. This large group works with resettlement agencies like the Jewish Family Service of San Diego and the International Rescue Committee.

In partnership with the organization Second Families, the El Cajon group provides furniture for the apartments, clothing, shoes, toiletries, filled backpacks for the children and food to help the refugees. They make refugees feel welcome. They try to be culturally sensitive to their needs.

The group is organized with “leaders” for different areas of need. For example, Edwards is the food manager and Robertson is the cover manager.

Edwards became involved with refugees through her book club, whose members wanted to find a way to help their community and sponsored a refugee family with ten children. The family’s needs were all basics that Edwards took for granted. So she decided to get more involved.

As a food manager, she learned how to polish an exotic grocery list and buy food from local Middle Eastern stores as well as big box stores. Her kindness and warmth were greatly appreciated by families and other volunteers.

Robertson got involved in December 2020. At the time, her 94-year-old father was living with her and she felt that collecting and storing needed supplies was something she could do at home while also being helpful to the others. After the death of his father, he was asked to become the leader of the band El Cajon.

She said she wanted to follow her parents’ example in helping those in need and learned that “better than nothing” is not enough. The El Cajon Group makes a point of accepting only new or like-new items. And they make sure everything is clean.

Among those helping Afghan refugees is Mary Danaher, who hosted Sayed Ahmad Sadat, an Afghan journalist who helped women in his country and spoke out against the Taliban. Danaher met him eight years ago while exploring film festivals and online grants while working on a documentary about children in Afghanistan. At the time, Danaher was president and CEO of the Coronado Film Festival.

Sadat wrote to him and they started an online conversation ranging from religion and literature to movies, family and his country’s history. Danaher taught her how to write grant proposals and network for mentors.

A true friendship was born as they got to know each other and their families better. Danaher recalls a Whatsapp call with Sadat and his sister late at night when their neighborhood was under Taliban fire. She wanted them to hang up and hide, but he asked her to stay on the line and she realized their conversation was a lifeline out of madness and danger.

Sadat fled Afghanistan in August, and during his long journey he constantly texted Danaher to let him know he was fine. She felt great relief when he finally landed at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington.

He arrived in San Diego in December and lives in a casita in the back of Danaher’s house. She considers him her Afghan grandson and taught him about life in America, from washing dishes and laundry to starting a career.

Danaher is the grandson of Irish immigrants who arrived in this country with nothing. They were poor, uneducated and struggling. They lost two daughters to whooping cough and the flu epidemic. But their two surviving sons went on to earn doctorates. degrees and have a successful life.

She feels that her grandparents inspired them all. She earned an MBA, attended Harvard Law School, and had a successful career in business. She was living her grandparents’ dream and never forgot it.

Danaher thinks helping Sadat is a way to honor his grandparents. In fact, all of the women in San Diego showed great compassion and big hearts in helping Afghan refugees understand just how welcoming this land of immigrants can be.