Kia ora,
We will be extending this fundraiser for a few more months as the family is still in hiding in Afghanistan. The political situation is worsening there, but some leads have opened up.
Today marks two years since the Taliban retook Kabul. This family remains in hiding. Although they received a promising message from the US in July, there is no timeline for their relocation. The fastest way to get them to safety will be through raising funds rather than waiting for a foreign government to follow up.
These past two years have shown us how slowly things can move when actual lives are at risk, especially the lives of people who hold the weakest passport on earth. (https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index/ranking) We've seen in painful close-up how everything can grind to a halt when borders are prioritised over safety, even as world leaders profess to care about the people of Afghanistan.
It's unfathomable that two years on, the situation has not moved forward. We urge you to donate and/or to share this fundraiser with others who care. Any excess of donations will be channelled to other Afghans in search of safety.
Kia ora,
I've just heard some great news from the donee family. They have received an email from the US on their asylum case, and checked if they would be willing to relocate to a third country (Pakistan) to start processing the case. This should mean they will need to spend less time in Pakistan.
Unfortunately we still haven't reached our fundraising target. I realise the housing crisis is hitting us all hard, but if you could share the fundraiser with anyone it would be much appreciated.
"Recently, I received a warning from Taliban Intelligence that we face possible arrest — we immediately moved, for the third time, to another hiding place. My wife is particularly fearful. For our safety and ongoing protection, we need to travel to Pakistan as soon as possible. However, the costs to secure our travel are far outside our ability to afford, especially as we have been unemployed for almost 1.5 years. We are jobless and have been dependent on the charity of our friends and strangers. Like millions of other Afghans, we have struggled to access food.
We need financial support to protect our lives, as well as the lives and futures of our children from the brutal Taliban. They are not trustworthy, and we must escape as soon as possible.
Once in Pakistan, we expect further difficulties as we wait for our case to be processed. Through this fundraiser we also hope to raise enough for us to survive there for two months."
"I’m an Afghan citizen, and have 3 daughters, aged between 2-7 years.
Before the Taliban took over the country, I worked with various governments in different roles. I have worked as a translator with the US and Canadian governments, and as an English teacher with the UK government. My wife also worked as an English teacher for the Afghan National Army Air Corps, as well as a gender mainstreaming senior officer with one of the national NGOs. Through this work, my wife defended the rights of women and girls across the country.
After the Taliban took over the country, we both applied for the UK, Canada and US’s relocation schemes which were developed for the Afghans who have assisted them in the course of the last two decades. Unfortunately, our applications have not been successful and we have been left behind with all our employment records.
We have two pending applications for relocation to other countries, but these cannot be processed until we have left Afghanistan. We need to go to Pakistan first where the process can begin, and we anticipate fresh challenges there while we wait.
We live in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, where we face immense risks due to the nature of our work with the UK, US and Canadian governments. We have already been internally displaced twice from our homes in the city."
