AUDIO: How one couple is helping former colleagues escape Afghanistan to middle America
Ihsanullah Patan, left, a horticulturist and refugee from Afghanistan, has lunch with Caroline Clarin, center, whom he worked with in Afghanistan, and her wife, Sheril Raymond, at his home in Fergus Falls, Minn., Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. Patan considers Clarin and her wife family. His three sons and daughter call them their “aunties.” In fact, he’s decided to live in nearby Fergus Falls, a town of 14,000, instead of moving to a larger city with an Afghan transplant community. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
A Minnesota woman who worked as an agricultural advisor in the hinterlands of Afghanistan has been using her own time and money to get the Afghans who worked for her program out of the country. So far, five of the men and their families have made it out with Caroline Clarin’s help.
The 12 agricultural specialists, all traditional Afghan men, formed a deep, unexpected bond with their boss. Her wife, Sheril Raymond, has been helping the families start their life in the remote town of Fergus Falls near the North Dakota border. The Afghans say they consider them family.
This audio report features the voices of Clarin and one of the men she helped escape. Associated Press journalist Julie Watson reports.