The Lived Experience of Afghan Women Refugees in Three Metropolitan Areas of the Southeastern US: A Phenomenological Study

The global refugee crisis has reached epic proportions. Statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, 2016) reported that in 2015 a record 65.3 million people worldwide, or 39,976 people per day, were displaced, either within their native countries or as asylees and refugees. Afghanistan, from 1980-2014, was the country with the largest number of outgoing refugees and it now ranks third in the world. At the opposite end of the continuum the United States remains the primary host country for refugees, asylees, and resettled refugees from all countries, including Afghanistan. The refugee experience is fraught with challenges from life in the native country to the decision to leave to the resettlement process in the US. The author has had a longstanding interest in Afghanistan and the Afghan refugees. Understanding the lived experience of the women refugees is important for nurses and other healthcare professionals who will eventually care for the women. This study used a phenomenological approach to make sense of and find meaning in this experience. The study also used the intersectionality feminist theory to explore ways in which the Afghan women refugees may be marginalized in the US. The women have demonstrated resilience and strength in coping with this traumatic life event and their stories deserve to be heard