Until January 8, around 170 Afghan interpreters and their family members who have been evacuated to Lithuania lived in a vocational school dormitory in the western Lithuanian town of Raseiniai. After the expiration of their lease, all evacuees have moved to major Lithuanian cities, where they hope to find work or enroll at universities.
Edrees Faizi was one of the last Afghan evacuees left living in a school dormitory. He came to Lithuania with his wife and child and will leave Raseiniai with a newborn baby.
“Friday (January 8) is the last day in this building. Then, we will move to an apartment in Kaunas,” Faizi told LRT TV.
There were 24 Afghans – four families and two single men – in Raseiniai on the last day of the lease. Two families did not manage to find another rental and will move to the Refugee Registration Centre in Vilnius.
“I couldn't find a place to live. I would like to live in Vilnius. I spent a lot of money on bus tickets to go and view rented apartments,” Reza Mohammad Zaki said.
“I called the landlords many times and they kept saying that 'you are Afghan, you have children, so the answer is no',” he added.
All Afghans have moved to either Vilnius, Kaunas, or Klaipėda – Lithuania’s three largest cities. Raseiniai Mayor Andrius Bautronis said he hoped that at least some foreigners would stay in the town.
“[But] they are of different culture, so it will certainly be much easier for them to melt into a larger crowd than to stay in a smaller town,” Bautronis added.
According to the Refugee Registration Centre, 92 Afghan evacuees are of working age, but 13 women cannot work because they are pregnant or have babies.
Only 11 foreigners have managed to find work so far. The situation is expected to improve because they only “recently moved to other municipalities”, said Neringa Gaučienė, Deputy Director of the Refugee Registration Centre.
Some Afghans are also planning to start studies in Lithuania. Eight of them have applied to Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) in Kaunas, where they are eligible to receive a scholarship.
“Two [Afghans] will study diplomacy and international relations, three will study business and logistics, one is still considering whether to choose business logistics or organisational psychology. One bachelor’s student will study informatics, and the only girl has chosen educational management,” said Vilma Bijeikienė, VDU spokesperson.
The families of Afghan translators who assisted Lithuanian soldiers were evacuated to Lithuania when the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. They were granted asylum in Lithuania.
Read more: In the words of Afghan translator in Lithuania: ‘The Taliban I know’
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