ZZ's Story
Zamzama Safi came to St, Louis from Kabul in August of 2021. She worked as a translator for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. When ZZ was 15 years old, she was captured by the Taliban because she wanted to attend school. Now living in St. Louis, she has written a book and is a frequent public speaker, telling her story of survival to organizations and universities.
Nawabi's Story
Nawabi and his family spent eight months at refugee camp in the United Arab Emirates before arriving in St. Louis. He and his young family were helped by the International Institute of St. Louis as part of the Afghan Support Program. Now Nawabi and his wife have both found professional positions in St. Louis and their children are thriving in their new schools.
Haseeb's and Hugh's Stories
Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Hugh Tychsen and Haseeb Ahmadi became close friends during the war in Afghanistan. Haseeb was part of Hugh’s platoon tasked with setting up combat operations centers for the U.S. military. Now they work tirelessly to bring to the United States all of the Afghans who worked under Hugh’s command. Haseeb is now a citizen of the United States and Hugh is a corporate executive. They both live in St. Louis and remain good friends.
