Afghan Family Needs Emergency Housing and Support

Hi Everyone,

 

As many of you know, Afghanistan has seen horrific consequences of the Taliban's ruling which overtook drastically this summer. The photo above is the living situation where a dear friend's family of 6 is now tent squatting in a public park in Kabul, and I'm hoping with some collective support, we can get them off the streets where they can live in dignity and safety.

 

Omar and Krishma are two dear friends - Krishma and her family fled Afghanistan in early 2016 when her brother was killed by the Taliban, and it took them more than 3 years of living in refugee camps and literally hiking through the hills of Europe with her two parents and five younger brothers to finally seek legal asylum in Berlin, Germany, where they now live. Krishma met Omar in a German class, who had arrived similarly in Berlin 3 years prior. Unfortunately, Omar's immediate family (elderly parents and 4 younger siblings) are all still living in Afghanistan. In early August of this year, Krishma and Omar were married, and I had the honor of attending their wedding. The day of the wedding, Omar's family held a small gathering in their home in Kunduz, Afghanistan, sending videos of them dancing and celebrating the wedding of their son joyously from thousands of miles away. The morning after, the Taliban took the city of Kunduz and there was nothing but radio silence from Omar's family for days, as all forms of communication were cut-off and destroyed. Omar was devastated.

 

A week later, Omar heard from his family. Their home had been burned to the ground and they had fled to Kabul, which was still safer at the time. That has changed, as the Taliban now controls the capital of Afghanistan as well. Omar's mother suffers from diabetes and his father and younger brother were injured in the airport blast that injured many several weeks ago. With no money and resources, they have been living in a public park in a tent with hundreds of other displaced families and individuals. Omar's sisters are in grave risk of being kidnapped by the Taliban and forced to become "wives", in more realistic terms, sex-trafficked. Omar's teenage brother risks forced military recruitment by the Taliban as well. As such, all four of his siblings have to stay hidden in the tent as much as possible to prevent being seen.

 

Omar and Krishma have been devastated to watch Omar's family endure this from abroad, with little financial resources to help them. Krishma is still not legally allowed to work in Germany, and they live off of Omar's small income. The timing could not have been worse, with their wedding taking place just before his family's displacement. They spent everything they had and borrowed extra to cover the cost of their small but beautiful wedding. There is nothing left to send back to his family that could make a significant difference in their quality of life and the danger they currently live in. To exacerbate an already awful situation, the cost of living (food/rent/etc.) in Kabul is inflated right now due to minimal resources and limited supply chains.

 

In order for the family to qualify for a small two-bedroom apartment, they need to provide 3 months rent and an additional deposit. Plus the cost of utilities and general living expenses. I've broken down the estimated costs after speaking with Krishma in order to better understand what the family needs for the next 6 months:

 

 

These are conservative estimates but would make a WORLD of difference to this family. Any additional funds raised would help them sustain longer. The plan would be for me to wire the funds to Krishma and Omar in Berlin. From there, they are able to use their regular Afghan wiring services in town to send the money to Omar's family, which charges a 6% service charge. As such, some of this fund would cover the cost of the fees. I know it sounds cliche, but any amount helps, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this and donate to make an immediate impact on this family's quality of life. This won't solve all of their problems, but this will certainly get them to a much safer, healthier place.

 

If you have any questions PLEASE feel free to reach out to me directly. THANK YOUUUUU!!!