We are a sisterhood of American female service members and veterans from the Cultural Support Teams (CST) — military women who served alongside special operations units in Afghanistan — who during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan worked around the clock to evacuate the Afghan women who fought by our sides for the past decade. Because of their military service and gender, the lives of these women were in extreme jeopardy even before Kabul fell. As high priority targets for the Taliban, our Afghan sisters faced appalling hardships as they struggled to leave the country.
Thankfully, we were able to evacuate over 40 women and their families to the United States. But, our work is not finished. Together, we are working to empower these brave women and their families as they resettle and adjust to American culture and life. Sisters of Service (SOS) created an intimate mentorship program that pairs each Afghan sister with an American sister. Today through mentorship and community, we seek to maximize our Afghan sisters’ unlimited potential to recognize their courage, service, and sacrifice.
We are working towards becoming a Non Profit Organization.
SOS is a sisterhood that provides an enduring and trusted community for women committed to serving communities at the both the local and national level. We strive to offer female veterans and refugees pathways for continued meaningful acts of service, and opportunities to uplift, honor, and grow both individually and together.
We envision a world where every refugee woman with the aspiration to serve has the opportunity, support, and mentorship to fulfill her dreams, overcome challenges, and become a symbol of strength, diversity, and unity in service to her new homeland.
We will bridge the gap between past experiences and a promising future as proud members of the United States. We want to see remarkable women not only succeed but also thrive, making significant contributions to the security and prosperity of the United States, and in doing so, becoming beacons of hope for others seeking refuge and opportunity.
After arriving in the United States, each Afghan sister was paired with a volunteer American female mentor based on common interests, geographic location, or specific family needs. Mentors are required to undergo initial training, attend monthly meetings, spend 2-4 hours a week in direct communication with their Afghan sister, and plan/track goals for a minimum of 6 months. Mentors and their Afghan counterparts navigate the resettlement process together and form a trusted and reliable friendship. Our Afghan sisters participate in meetings and training to voice their resettlement needs to better help us shape our program.
Each mentor is required to attend initial training sessions to understand the roles, expectations, and boundaries of successful mentorship during the refugee resettlement process.
SOS leadership hosts monthly virtual meetings to connect with one another, share ideas, give advice, and review lessons learned.
Mentors meet and conduct training on a selected resettlement focus topic and set goals for the upcoming month.
Afghan sisters (along with mentors) meet with each other and Afghan female leaders to discuss resilience, personal and professional development, and resettlement.
Mentors are required to have a minimum of 2-4 hours a week of direct communication with their Afghan sisters. Mentors help their Afghan sisters understand resettlement benefits/expectations while also being a trusted and reliable friend.
SOS mentors are responsible for advocating that the Afghan women are receiving proper federal benefits, are connected to local resources, and any administrative (legal) issues are being reported to the SOS leadership team.
