WSJ updates staff on how it’s helping Afghan colleagues

Wall Street Journal editor in chief Matt Murray sent out the following to the staff on Wednesday:

Dear All:

We’d like to bring you up to date on our Afghan colleagues and their families who were evacuated from Kabul in August — and to extend our thanks for the generous concern people across Dow Jones have expressed for their well-being.

Our group is safe and in several locations. In all, Dow Jones is supporting the resettlement of 91 people. Our evacuation route wasn’t able to go direct to the U.S., so our evacuees, like those of many other media organizations, are safely in third countries — 77 temporarily in Mexico City, three in Dubai, three in Kiev, five in Tajikistan and two in New Delhi. One family member, unfortunately, was injured on her way to the Kabul airport and is recuperating in Afghanistan.

The majority of the group — 74 people in all — have asked to be resettled in Canada, where several families have relatives. The rest have opted for the U.S.

A team from Legal, People, Finance and News has been busy making that resettlement happen, with John Bussey steering the overall effort. The Canada application process is moving along relatively quickly. Our group likely will begin to be vetted in the next several weeks. The U.S. process — stretched by the volume of Afghan refugees applying for resettlement — is proving a bit slower. We’re confident we’ll get our colleagues into both countries. The timetable, though, will require patience.

Meanwhile, the families are active in their current locales. Dow Jones has sponsored four of the group for journalism fellowships at the University of Toronto, with which they’re currently engaged in online and which they will attend in person when visas are approved. DJ has also organized English lessons three times a week for the entire group in Mexico City. We’ve also gotten the group necessary vaccinations to enter the U.S. and Canada and have contracted with a local resettlement agency and hospital to supply medical and mental health needs. The families are staying in a residence hotel in Mexico City where they have cooking facilities. We’ve sourced halal food and the families have generously treated DJ staff to home-cooked meals. The resettlement agency has also arranged for excursions to museums and other locales in the city, including an Islamic center.

Supporting our colleagues and their families, and assuring their successful start of a new life, remains a top priority for The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. We are all incredibly grateful for the extraordinary, ongoing efforts across the company to help these valued colleagues and their families begin their new lives.

We look forward to bringing you updates on their progress.