HENRICO: COUNTY OF REFUGE – Afghan native uses art to express emotional lows and highs of her journey to Virginia

Editor's note: This is the third in a special series of articles, produced in partnership with The Chronicle of Philanthropy, examining the nonprofit organizations that are key to helping refugees in Henrico find employment, learn a new language, acclimate to a new community and thrive.

Nazira Mohammedi’s face lights up when she speaks about her art. And it’s important to Mohammedi, 20, that people here see her paintings and drawings that are extensions of her homeland and identity, as well as her feelings and emotions.

“I love doing art and I love writing, but of course in my own language,” said Mohammedi, who is from Afghanistan’s Ghazi province and is ethnic Hazara. “It's a bit tricky to write it down in English, but I love doing poetry in my language and, I love writing, those artistic stuffs.”

One of her paintings is currently displayed at the Commonwealth Catholic Charities hallway gallery show: “Through the Eyes of a Foster Child,” at their offices at 1601 Rolling Hills Drive.

As an unaccompanied minor who was placed as a foster child with a family in Williamsburg at age 17 in 2021 after fleeing Afghanistan, through the Operation Allies Welcome airlift, Mohammedi gained a chance to complete her high school education and continue making art.

She chose to come to Virginia from a shelter for unaccompanied minors in Michigan because she heard that people in this state were kind and were helping refugees, especially youth who were by themselves.

Her thoughts go back often to her female classmates she left behind whose education and professional opportunities have been halted by the ruling Taliban. Many have been killed in targeted attacks as they have tried to advance their education.

'It was scary. It was tough.'

During the Operation Allies Welcome evacuation process that resettled almost 80,000 Afghan people to the U.S., Mohammedi was in particular danger as a minor and female traveling alone. She was separated from her teen brother and aunt who was on her way to Australia.

“Becoming a refugee is special for a girl that grows up in a country like ours,” Mohammedi said. “It is scary. It's tricky. It is very stressful and has a lot of a lot of risk. I was lucky that I was underage. And I had people helping me. But for those girls that they were by themselves, and they were not underage… they never teach the girls how to survive by their selves, how to work, how to stand in front of a man and take care of themselves.

"It was scary. It was tough, but it's also like a sweet freedom, but at the same time, it's sad, because you're not used to it and you're changing.”

As a former foster child, Mohammedi benefits from a support counselor until she is 21. That helps her work through her sadness and stress from her traumatic experiences and from thoughts that her former classmates in her homeland are being harmed and limited under the Taliban rule. She reunited with her parents and siblings last year, and the family resides, studies and works in Henrico County. Vetted by the U.S. government before journeying to the U.S., the Mohammedi family’s resettlement was supported by a Commonwealth Catholic Charities case worker.

Mohammedi’s foster mother made sure she continued to work on her art.

“I've learned a lot from my foster mom, just being independent,” Mohammedi said. “I love chatting with her. She was always there for me to listen to me. And I loved listening to her, things that she was telling me – to be more myself and have the courage. She helped me a lot.”

Her foster family invested energy into helping Mohammedi’s family reunite with her and getting them financial and immigration support until they could stand on their own.

As a teen foster child, participating in the Narratio Fellowship was an exhilarating experience where Mohammedi could express her feelings and ideas through visual arts and poetry and connect with people going through similar experiences. Narratio was a creative training program for refugee youth, facilitated through the ReEstablish Richmond nonprofit that helps refugees after the 90-day settlement process ends.

Mohammedi’s newer works on paper and canvas, using acrylics, oil paints, watercolor, charcoal, and pastels explore a variety of subject matter both abstract and figurative.

“I like being me and being able to decide for myself and continuing my life in here, as myself, doing whatever I want. I feel free with myself in my chest and my mind.”
-Nazira Mohammedi

When dreams come true

About a dozen of Mohammedi’s paintings and drawings were on display at the Cultural Art Center of Glen Allen last year in her own one-woman show called “Dreams Come True,” referring to her aspirations as a teenager – to drive a car and leave her country where she knew her future would be bleak.

“All of them happened to me,” said Mohammedi who reflected that the title also refers to her hopes for improved conditions for those suffering back in Afghanistan.

Her turbulent, jarring journey and then the re-acclimation process to live with her siblings and parents, as well as her awareness about what girls and women, including her former classmates are experiencing in Afghanistan, led to emotional and challenging times.

Now, she works alongside her father, who has a background managing businesses, at a fast-food Chinese restaurant. The family hopes to open its own Afghan food stall at farmers markets, which Mohammedi developed a love for in Williamsburg. Another hope is to keep developing and displaying her art including poetry.

“I love to be in a quiet, peaceful place and think about things and write about it,” Mohammedi said.

With the help of CCC caseworkers and social services, Mohammedi and her family were settled in a Henrico County home and are advancing. Their arrival was a busy time for the caseworkers, with many other families from Afghanistan being reunited and needing help with housing, transportation and basic needs like groceries. Her siblings are adjusting and thriving in their education.

“I like being me and being able to decide for myself and continuing my life in here, as myself, doing whatever I want,” said Mohammedi while acknowledging that the experience of being a refugee can be both overwhelming and expanding. “I feel free with myself in my chest and my mind. It was tricky for me to adjust and meet my own self and my mind.

“My mental health went through a lot. I got anxiety, I like to wake up and having my family here with me. I'm so happy. I'm very grateful to be able to have such a life.”

This article was reported through a fellowship supported by the Lilly Endowment and administered by the Chronicle of Philanthropy to expand coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The Henrico Citizen is solely responsible for all content.