Calgary Family Supports Afghan Boys Separated From Parents During Chaos in 2021

The images are now ingrained in history. Frantic crowds of people chasing after aircraft, trying to flee Afghanistan as American forces pulled out in 2021.

In the middle of that chaotic scene that August were two little boys, whose lives, unbeknownst to them, were about to be altered forever.

They were at the Kabul airstrip to say goodbye to their father. He, like so many crammed onto the tarmac that day, worked for the previous government and was scared for his life as the Taliban quickly resumed power.

But the father never made it on board. Instead, his children got caught up in the fray.

"There was an explosion. What happened in that chaos, the dad was locked outside the fence and the kids were inside. Nobody really knows what happened, but they were pushed with the crowd and ended up on the plane," said Calgary's Mahdi Adreshy.

The brothers were just eight and 13 years of age.

"It was the first time either of them had been on a plane. They didn't know where they were going or what was to come," said Adreshy.

The boys ended up in Calgary and in the care of Child and Family Services. A family friend reached out to Mahdi Adreshy and his wife Noushin Ghasempour, originally from Iran, to see if they could help.

"We understand each other. They didn't know any English at the time -- they started from ABCs -- but we could communicate," said Adreshy.

"We are so happy to help them but honestly it was not planned at all," added Ghasempour.

Just six months before meeting the boys, the couple unexpectedly lost their 19-year-old son.

"It's just hell," said Ghasempour.

But in the fog of their grief, they found love and compassion and directed their energy to supporting the two boys from Afghanistan separated from their family.

"It was really hard, especially for the young one. He was scared about everything. Now they are more comfortable but as they get older, they can understand more...and more problems, scared about future," said Ghasempour.

The couple along with their son have made the boys part of their family, having taken them on ski trips and camping adventures, enrolled them in soccer and helped guide them through school and navigate an entirely new world. The three months turned into three years together. But it has not always been easy.

"We do whatever we can do, but still, they are far from family too long," said Adreshy.

"It is difficult on their mental health," added Ghasempour.

The couple is in regular contact with the boy's parents, who are now hunkered down in Pakistan. But they are constantly at risk of being deported back to Afghanistan.

"The police came and took my husband and son and threatened to deport us and I didn't know if I would see them again," said Frozan, the mother of the boys, through a translator on a video chat.

"It's too hard to be away from my kids. We want to come there and start a better chapter with our children," she said, dabbing the tears from her eyes. She said the shock of that day has not left them, but they are grateful their boys found themselves in the arms of such loving people.

The Calgarians have set up a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the family's visas in Pakistan. They are hoping the Canadian government can help reunite the family who has been waiting for nearly four years.

Despite the mounting uncertainty that grows with each passing day, Adreshy and Ghasempour are urging the boys and their parents to not give up hope.

"I know what losing your own kid, what it means. I have a feeling they will see them in the airport one day soon," said Ghasempour.

Global News reached out to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, but has yet to hear back.