[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 163 (Friday, October 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING CHRISTOPHER PUMFORD OF HOWELL FOR HIS WORK WITH AFGHAN 
                                REFUGEES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 14, 2022

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to give voice to the quiet 
heroism of a young man who has dedicated his time, talent, and treasure 
to the safekeeping and evacuation of refugee families from Afghanistan. 
Christopher Pumford of Howell has logged hundreds of volunteer hours 
with The Fletcher Afghanistan Evacuation & Resettlement Working Group, 
a grassroots organization that provides emergency support and 
resettlement assistance to Afghans.
  When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on August 15, 2021, the 
resulting humanitarian crisis gripped our hearts and souls. As we 
watched Afghans and foreign nationals seek refuge from assured 
atrocities and even death at the hands of the Taliban, a small group of 
advocates representing the very best among us stepped up to find ways 
to protect the allies that had once protected our own. Christopher 
Pumford was one of them.
  Mr. Pumford, a proud graduate of the University of Michigan and the 
Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, 
joined the evacuation effort in the fall of 2021. Since then, he has 
worked in both fundraising and finance, and serves as the lead 
volunteer responsible for dispersing funds to Afghans in hiding to 
cover the costs of safe houses. He also tracks and manages 
reimbursement for food drops for these same refugees. His faithful 
efforts are credited with sustaining the lives of 18 families 
throughout the most harrowing year. On top of that, he has personally 
registered more than 100 families for evacuation consideration with the 
United States Department of State. In less than one year's time, Mr. 
Pumford has devoted more than 800 hours of service to assisting these 
families with the enormous challenges of food, shelter, and security, 
and has done everything in his power to prepare them for a better 
future.
  Despite his young age, Mr. Pumford's resume is already quite 
impressive, having interned for the Senate of Canada, the International 
Center for Religion and Diplomacy, the delegation of the European Union 
to the United States, USAID, and the Middle East Institute. He is also 
a graduate of Harvard Law School's program on negotiation, and spent 
last summer on a Fulbright Scholarship to Morocco. But what stands out 
most to me is his dedication to humanity, his investment in the plight 
of strangers, and his commitment to use his skills and talents in the 
service of the most vulnerable.
  We know that evacuation efforts from Afghanistan will continue for 
years, and it's entirely possible that Mr. Pumford will never meet the 
families he is working so hard to protect and rescue from the clutches 
of the Taliban. But their hearts will forever carry the story of the 
stranger who cared enough to help. On behalf of those who have no 
voice, it is my honor to speak these words of tribute for Christopher 
Pumford of Howell, Michigan in the People's House.

                          ____________________