Community Initiatives
Afghan Refugees Deck the Halls at Authority ' s Airports
Afghan refugees who arrived in the United States during the 2021 evacuations have found work this holiday season installing decorations at the Authority ’ s airports .
Jam Art Group , a small business based in Arlington , has been hanging the decorations at Dulles International and Reagan National Airports for the last six years . Usually , the company hires seasonal employees to supplement its internal staff . This year was difficult because of labor shortages and the company ’ s inability to recruit laborers .
However , Jam Art Group ’ s lead designer , Aziza Ibrahimi , is a board member for the Muslim Association of Virginia and program manager for Afghan refugee arrival processing and assistance . She was able to recruit 21 resettled Afghan refugees for the holiday installation . The November 20 pre-staging at Reagan National Airport went smoothly . On the day of the installation , November 27 , everyone assigned to duty at either airport showed up early , ready and eager to work . The installation was completed on time with no issues .
Of the 21 refugees , 11 arrived during last year ' s mass evacuations from Afghanistan and entered the United States through Washington Dulles International Airport . They all are in a training program , acclimating well to life here .
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