By Tahera Rahmani on Sep 3, 2025

Part 6 – Raising Children & Hope for the Future

For Afghan parents, raising children in the U.S. brings both challenges and opportunities. Schools, friendships, and traditions shape a new generation growing up between two cultures. Through it all, families share a common hope: that their children will thrive and carry forward a bright future.

Between Two Worlds: Afghan Lives Rebuilding in Philadelphia

Face painting brings joy to an Afghan child at a community gathering. Photo by Tahera Rahmani

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This article is part of a six-part series on Afghan lives rebuilding in Philadelphia. To follow the full story, you can read the previous part here

For Tariq, it was his children’s resilience that gave him strength.

“In terms of my children getting used to this new environment and going to school here and getting proper education, they feel more at home here and they like it here,” said Tariq.

While raising his children between two worlds is a delicate balance, Tariq is happy about the education and security they have found here. Still, he remains intentional about preserving their roots.

Sayed Tareq Faryad, an Afghan father and community member in Philadelphia, working to build a new life for his family while staying connected to his cultural and religious roots. Photo by Chris Shaddock.

“I try to teach them about Afghan culture and the Islamic religion,” he said. “But in the meantime, I believe that they are receiving proper education, and with the freedom that they have, I believe they will be able to choose the right path for themselves finally.”

For Shahir, his young son, Kian, was able to begin school almost immediately.

“It was the end month of the school, but… our son was able to enroll in one of the private schools. He was very happy. And then he is enrolled in pre-K for September.”

Hope For The Future

Because Shahir has only been in the U.S. for a few months, resettling in the U.S. is starting from scratch.

“We lost everything that we gained in the last 20 years,” said Shahir. “We lost the education that we have, the work that we did in Afghanistan. So then, when we came to Europe, we had to start from zero… And the same thing in the United States as well.”

The issues that Afghans face in the U.S. feel endless and varying, but in these struggling times the Afghan community finds strength through their community, their family, their friends and their children.

By preserving their culture through food, song, poetry and public gathering, they’re building something that many refugee communities struggle to find: a sense of home without forgetting where home once was. In a time of displacement, that’s more than survival — it’s cultural resilience.

This concludes our six-part series on Afghan lives rebuilding in Philadelphia. We hope these stories inspire understanding and connection.