How you can help the people of Afghanistan
A few of the organizations doing important work to support Afghans during these desperate and uncertain times...
Thank you for all your kind words and support, and for following the work of myself and photographer Jake Simkin as we attempt to bring to light the twilight days of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan. In times I feel guttered with helplessness, wishing that I could do more than merely bring words and visuals to the surface of those caught in the crossfire, I’m grateful for the many selfless humans doing extortionary work to assist those most in need.
(Side note: “Afghani” is the currency not the people.)
As many of you have been asking which organizations to support, and while there are many I have a few recommendations of ones I trust in directly aiding the Afghan people:
EMERGENCY:
As an honorary board member of EMERGENCY USA for the past four-and-a-half years, I can personally attest to the incredible work this organization has done and continues to do for Afghans in need. While much media attention in recent days has been focused on the calamity surrounding the Kabul airport, let’s not forget the embattled Afghans left behind with nowhere left to go and no prospect of leaving anytime soon.
EMERGENCY not only has a critical hospital to treat the war wounded in the heart of Kabul, but it also offers life-saving medical services across the country far from the media’s purview. Millions of Afghan lives have been saved since 1994. We must keep EMERGENCY’s doors open for the nation’s most vulnerable.
STRONGHOLD RESCUE AND RELIEF: My friend Ephraim Mattos, a former Navy SEAL founded this organization in 2019 as a means to support those in dire need around the world with as little overhead as possible. He personally calls each of the few Afghan interpreters on their assistance index each night, ensuring them in these uncertain times that their cases are being worked on and crafting the best of plan of action toward a safe and swift evacuation. This helps to keep families calm and hold the ethos of no person left behind – there are still many Americans who love and care for those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our troops.
The focus of Stronghold these past few weeks has been on creating land routes out of Afghanistan to smuggle out Afghan families who will inevitably be left behind. This underground railroad of sorts will be pivotal as the U.S. makes its final departure and Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) falls into Taliban grip, and there is nowhere left for allied Afghans to go.
(photo by @JakeSimkinPhoto)
WOMEN FOR AFGHAN WOMEN: As we all know, women and girls have the most to lose when it comes to the Taliban takeover, and many are deeply fearful for their lives and future. Thus, Women For Afghan Women serves as the “largest women’s organization in Afghanistan,” according to its website. At present, it is accepting donations to help provide “safe shelter, resources, and aid to the thousands of women, children, families, and staff.”
https://womenforafghanwomen.org/
REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS: As a journalist and writer myself, the pillars of free speech and shining the light in the darkest of places are the backbones to decision and policy initiatives. Afghan journalists are some of the most extraordinary in the profession, and the incredible press apparatus in the country is one of the slim successes of the past two decades. Sadly, Afghan journalists have lost that achievement in the blink of an eye and almost all are running for their lives.
RSF is working to advocate on behalf of journalism in Afghanistan, as well as support those who need safe passage out.
https://rsf.org/en/afghanistan
Lastly, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has set up a form in which we can all raise our voices to the White House and urge the Biden administration to take immediate action in guiding Afghans to safety.
https://help.rescue.org/donate/afghanistan
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