Afghan Evacuees Resettlement
This is my first version of my GoFundMe fundraisers. The second version is for Afghans still stuck in Afghanistan and you can donate to that here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/afghans-left-behind
My name is Brandon. I spent nearly half-a-decade in Afghanistan in every year from 2011 to 2017. I have many Afghan friends, contacts and former employees. When the withdrawal from Afghanistan began, I began doing the one thing I know how to do best from my time as a manager - I opened a spreadsheet and began tracking my former employees. Name, status, etc. I did this out of habit just for my own comfort. Then it evolved.
It evolved to include tracking non-employees, family members of employees, former interpreters that were not my employees and even family members of Afghans I officially advised, in the Afghan Army. I then joined every group I could find that helped Afghans, across many platforms (Discord, Facebook, Slack, Signal, etc), and reached out to every contact I could using my entire network. All in all, I had 50+ Afghans in my tracker.
But tracking them was not enough. My mission began to change from tracking, to actively facilitating evacuation efforts through NGOs, emotional support while in camps abroad and stateside, and following up once they made it to their destination. Then I began focusing on how to help with resettlement. I was messaged from Kabul, California, Islamabad, UAE. They all needed help. They were starving and beaten up by the Taliban in Kabul. They were nearly homeless in America and struggling to find clothes in our transit immigration camps. They were in Pakistan, having fled Afghanistan unsure how to do their visas to America. They had no winter clothes.
To be clear, I have been tackling this problem set on on my personal time since 14AUG - I have given hundreds of hours to this problem-set.
My core successes to date are facilitating a family of 6 evacuated; reversing a Denial of a SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) to the USA for an Afghan female, to an approval. Roughly 20 Afghans have been evacuated that I fought for, yet I will never know if my efforts played a part. This is a very dynamic situation but I am confident the outcome will be positive.
As of now I have several Afghans I am tracking still stuck in Afghanistan, and several enroute to the USA under various statuses. I am also tracking several that have made it through the process and are now at their destinations in the USA, Australia and Italy. I am currently focused on raising funds to help those who made it to the USA.
GoFundMe initially rejected my campaign due to Financial Regulations of sending money to Afghanistan. I have reformatted this fundraiser for now to be only focused on Afghans who have made it to the USA. If this changes, I will update you promptly or create a secondary fundraiser - where I must provide detailed biographic information to GoFundMe for government regulations when sending money to Afghanistan or Pakistan. As of now, the funds raised will be to assist Afghans now in the USA. If you want your money to specifically go to Afghans in Afghanistan (which is so needed right now) please let me know. I have Afghans who badly need food and winter clothes.
I will personally monitor and assess the fund distribution and provide updates and any changes if need be. If you donate $50 or more, I will personally call, letter write or video chat you to thank you and ensure you know how your money is spent. If there are funds not disbursed to my Afghans in the end I will refund them.
Additionally, please visit www.tashakor.org for further options through charities to assist in-kind or for tax deduction purposes. I do not care who you donate to, or how you help, as long as you do something. These are real people with real stories and they or their family members risked their lives for America.
Leads for career assistance or any other form of assistance (Housing and Food in the USA) are also much appreciated. If I do not thank you immediately, rest assured, you are documented and I will in due time. If you have any questions please contact me at [email redacted].
#SaveOurSIVs
(Photo: Me with my Afghan Staff at the US Embassy in Kabul, 2017)
