Waisuddin's Story: From Afghanistan to the United States

As US Together welcomes the highest number of refugees Ohio has seen in years, we wanted to highlight an extraordinary individual who has recently been resettled by our Cleveland office, Waisuddin.

Waisuddin traveled from Afghanistan to Cleveland on August 12th with his wife and two daughters, ages one and three. He came to the United States on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), after interpreting for the U.S. Military. While in Afghanistan, he worked with the Chief of Staff of a four star general.

Upon first arriving in Cleveland, Waisuddin faced many common challenges that come with moving to a new community. However, with the help of US Together staff and an old colleague from Afghanistan, him and his family received the support they needed to thrive. His new support system helped him in numerous ways from finding a proper home to shopping for groceries. Early on, Waisuddin realized that navigating the city would be a lot easier if he had a driver’s license and a car of his own. By September 20th, only six weeks after arriving in America, Waisuddin had a driver’s license and a car that he bought using the savings that he brought to America from Afghanistan.

After obtaining a car, license, and settling into his new home and community, Waisuddin was ready to work and support his family financially. With the help of US Together’s community partners, Waisuddin interviewed as a line-worker at Great Lakes Cheese. From the start, he had hopes of using his skills to move up in the company. After meeting Waisuddin and hearing more about his background and skillsets, Great Lakes Cheese decided they wanted to hire Waisuddin as Human Resources/Development Program Talent. He began working full-time at Great Lakes Cheese on October 18th, a little over two months after first arriving in the United States with his family.

While Waisuddin admits that it has been difficult for his wife and children to adjust to their new lives in America, due to linguistic and cultural barriers, he believes that over time they will thrive in their new community. In the meantime, Waisuddin and his family has been welcomed with open arms by Cleveland’s Turkish community. There are five Turkish families currently living in his apartment building, and they regularly invite the family to dinner and check in to see what they need, which has been a huge support for Waisuddin and his family.

US Together is so proud to have a helping hand in Waisuddin’s amazing story of resilience and perseverance. We look forward to welcoming many more evacuees from Afghanistan.