|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Etimad family has been through much since losing their patriarch in a car crash a year and a half ago but things are finally looking up after recently moving into their new home in Mountain House, which was paid for using more than six figures in community donations.
After serving as a translator with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, Waheed Etimad and his family came to the States in 2016. Eventually settling in the Bay Area, he started driving for Uber while taking computer science courses at Diablo Valley College.
But in February 2019, Waheed was killed by a wrong-way driver on Highway 101, leaving behind his wife and seven children. As the sole breadwinner, Waheed’s death also dealt a harsh blow to the family’s finances and presented other challenges.
For one, because Uber drivers are classified as contractors, Waheed was not covered by worker’s compensation, which would have given the Etimads some financial support and covered the funeral costs.
In addition to supporting the entire family, Waheed filled a critical need by translating for his wife who only speaks Pashto, one of the main languages spoken in Afghanistan, and does not drive or work outside the home, as is common for Afghani families.
Though his children speak English, community members who have been helping the Etimads since last year like Pleasanton immigration attorney Spojmie Nasiri said an adult who could translate for their mother for important matters such as applying for public benefits was needed.
Nasiri, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan as a refugee in the early 1980s, also speaks Pashto. Though originally unacquainted with the family, Nasiri attended Waheed’s funeral at the Muslim Community Center in Pleasanton, where she also attends regular faith services.
“I went to the mosque just to give my condolences,” Nasiri told the Weekly. “To be honest, that was the first I’d been to a service for people I didn’t know. I saw it on the news, I was working that day and finished, and decided ‘It’s just good to go to give your condolences.'”
Struck by “their sadness, the gravity of the family situation,” Nasiri connected with a group of people from Concord by chance after the funeral. They decided to pool their resources and do what they could to help the Etimads.
Nasiri then expressed her desire to MCC “to help the family in whatever way I could.”
“I spoke Pashtun, I was the link between everything that was going on. I felt like I had to help, not just as a member of the mosque but as a member of the community,” she added.
A GoFundMe page set up at the time raised more than $327,000 for the family. Nasiri eventually ended up working with an estate attorney, who in turn set up a trust for the family to ensure donations were used accordingly.
The big ticket item, of course, is the Etimads’ new home in Mountain House, which they moved into just two months ago and was paid for using the contributions. With more room than their old two-bedroom apartment, oldest son Yahya Etimad said he and his siblings “are adjusting to life and learning how to do school online.”
“The best part about our new home is that there is a lot of space for my siblings and I, and the neighborhood is really quiet,” Yahya said. “There are a lot of parks nearby, and our school is also near our park, and we go bike riding in the afternoon and play at the park.”
Yahya also said “there is a lot different between the new house and the old house” — mainly that “the new house has a good neighborhood and we like all of our neighbors.”
Yahya’s sister, Khatera, concurred about the friendliness of their new community and said, “My favorite place and my siblings’ is the backyard. We play games and soccer. We spend most of our time in the backyard.”
Another bonus of their new home: “Each of us have their own bedrooms and closets,” Khatera added.
The Etimads also received donated furniture and appliances for their new home.
The siblings said moving during the pandemic was hard, but “all the community people that helped us from MCC and the Tri-Valley area were very kind and supportive and they made our move a lot easier.”
Community Briefs: Tango and Jazz at City Center | Alamo and Danville road closuresApril 3, 2026 9:31 am
