Fleeing Afghanistan: Saving Saba Sahar
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SAVING SABA SAHAR: HEROINE, TARGET OF TALIBAN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, NOW REFUGEE
Having survived an assassination attempt, Saba and her family recently made the desperate attempt to save their lives by escaping Afghanistan. They have little money and face great uncertainty. They need help from caring and willing people. Please join us. #savingsabasahar
Read Saba’s story here:
Assassination Attempt
Colonel Saba Sahar Zaki was the highest-ranking female officer in the Special Forces of Afghan’s Ministry of Interior when, one morning in August 2020, with her 4-year-old daughter, driver, and bodyguard, she was brutally attacked by 3 gunmen. [ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/24/i-am-not-afraid-to-fight-the-female-afghan-colonel-who-survived-the-talibans-assassins ] Due to concerns for her security, she was taken to the hospital at Bagram Joint Airbase (controlled by the U.S.) where she was treated for 4 gunshots to her stomach. My nephew, a U.S. Air Force trauma nurse, was part of the team of medical specialists who treated Saba. This is how I came to know Saba, her husband, Emal, and their warm, gracious family.
Saba in hospital with her children after attack:
Trailblazer as a Taliban Target
Saba has always been a powerful voice and force for women’s rights. In the Special Forces, Saba recruited and trained other Afghan women for military service, becoming their role model and mentor. Saba has never been bashful. Her career began an actress after which she became Afghan’s first female film director. In an interview by the Guardian in 2012, Saba said passionately, “I want to show that Afghan women are capable of doing anything men can do”. Impressive, yes, but to the Taliban, it meant a death sentence. Saba has been a target for assassination ever since. A few weeks before the family escaped Afghanistan, Saba was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, a long-time dream, which only increased the threats.
Saba recovering at their home in Kabul after attack:
Move Toward an Uncertain Future as Refugees
Threats against Saba and her family did not fade after her attack. In fact, after a BBC interview with her was aired in January [https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-55850238 ], the threat level increased. Having resisted the idea of leaving the country she loves, she and her family, including their 5 children, made the difficult decision to flee Afghanistan for a safer country in March to seek asylum. Saba asked that I not mention the asylum country as even their safety there is not assured. They told me as they finalized their plans, “We are making the biggest decision of our lives when we leave our homeland and become refugees and move towards an uncertain future.”
Emal, Saba, and their 5 children:
They are not a wealthy family. I helped them purchase tickets for the flight from Kabul. They are starting their lives with whatever they could carry. They have applied for asylum and temporary refugee status. Life for refugees is quite difficult. Jobs are exceedingly difficult to find, housing is limited, and poverty is a mainstay. Together with a small group of friends and family, I have committed to provide them with a very modest monthly stipend for one year. But that will not be enough.
Their Goal is to Resettle in Canada
Now Saba needs our help. Their goal is to resettle in either Canada or the U.S. Although the U.S. may change its stance on refugees, the backlog of deserving refugees is daunting. Therefore, Saba and Emal are pinning their hopes on resettlement in Canada under its private sponsorship program. As welcoming as Canada is for refugees, the best estimate from experts to whom I have spoken is that it will take at least 2 years to apply for the program, find sponsors, and wade through the process with many other applicants.
Purpose of Fundraising for Saba and her Family
If we raise $57,000 in donations, we will be able to fund the required deposit of $31,000 for Saba, Emal and 5 children (computed by formula for a family of 7) which is intended by the Canadian government to cover the cost of the refugee’s first year. Another $26,000 will be needed to supplement the $10,000 I have ready raised through family & friends to provide for the family’s basic living expenses for up to 2.5 years ($1,200/month) while they wait in the host/asylum country for their eventual resettlement to Canada.
Fundraising summary:
Canadian private sponsorship fees: $ 31,000 (within 12 months)
Living Expenses in Asylum: $ 26,000 (within 10 months)
Total: $ 57,000
When I first met Saba through my nephew, I promised I would assist in any way I could. We need courageous women like Saba who hopes to one day continue her work for the rights of women in Afghanistan. We cannot do the things that Saba has done, but we can help her and her family when she needs us. And she needs us now.
Neither Saba nor Emal can believe that strangers would even consider helping them. I have told them donors like you will not be strangers when they hear their story.
Having survived an assassination attempt, Saba and her family recently made the desperate attempt to save their lives by escaping Afghanistan. They have little money and face great uncertainty. They need help from caring and willing people. Please join us. #savingsabasahar
Read Saba’s story here:
Assassination Attempt
Colonel Saba Sahar Zaki was the highest-ranking female officer in the Special Forces of Afghan’s Ministry of Interior when, one morning in August 2020, with her 4-year-old daughter, driver, and bodyguard, she was brutally attacked by 3 gunmen. [ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/24/i-am-not-afraid-to-fight-the-female-afghan-colonel-who-survived-the-talibans-assassins ] Due to concerns for her security, she was taken to the hospital at Bagram Joint Airbase (controlled by the U.S.) where she was treated for 4 gunshots to her stomach. My nephew, a U.S. Air Force trauma nurse, was part of the team of medical specialists who treated Saba. This is how I came to know Saba, her husband, Emal, and their warm, gracious family.
Saba in hospital with her children after attack:
Trailblazer as a Taliban Target
Saba has always been a powerful voice and force for women’s rights. In the Special Forces, Saba recruited and trained other Afghan women for military service, becoming their role model and mentor. Saba has never been bashful. Her career began an actress after which she became Afghan’s first female film director. In an interview by the Guardian in 2012, Saba said passionately, “I want to show that Afghan women are capable of doing anything men can do”. Impressive, yes, but to the Taliban, it meant a death sentence. Saba has been a target for assassination ever since. A few weeks before the family escaped Afghanistan, Saba was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, a long-time dream, which only increased the threats.
Saba recovering at their home in Kabul after attack:
Move Toward an Uncertain Future as Refugees
Threats against Saba and her family did not fade after her attack. In fact, after a BBC interview with her was aired in January [https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-55850238 ], the threat level increased. Having resisted the idea of leaving the country she loves, she and her family, including their 5 children, made the difficult decision to flee Afghanistan for a safer country in March to seek asylum. Saba asked that I not mention the asylum country as even their safety there is not assured. They told me as they finalized their plans, “We are making the biggest decision of our lives when we leave our homeland and become refugees and move towards an uncertain future.”
Emal, Saba, and their 5 children:
They are not a wealthy family. I helped them purchase tickets for the flight from Kabul. They are starting their lives with whatever they could carry. They have applied for asylum and temporary refugee status. Life for refugees is quite difficult. Jobs are exceedingly difficult to find, housing is limited, and poverty is a mainstay. Together with a small group of friends and family, I have committed to provide them with a very modest monthly stipend for one year. But that will not be enough.
Their Goal is to Resettle in Canada
Now Saba needs our help. Their goal is to resettle in either Canada or the U.S. Although the U.S. may change its stance on refugees, the backlog of deserving refugees is daunting. Therefore, Saba and Emal are pinning their hopes on resettlement in Canada under its private sponsorship program. As welcoming as Canada is for refugees, the best estimate from experts to whom I have spoken is that it will take at least 2 years to apply for the program, find sponsors, and wade through the process with many other applicants.
Purpose of Fundraising for Saba and her Family
If we raise $57,000 in donations, we will be able to fund the required deposit of $31,000 for Saba, Emal and 5 children (computed by formula for a family of 7) which is intended by the Canadian government to cover the cost of the refugee’s first year. Another $26,000 will be needed to supplement the $10,000 I have ready raised through family & friends to provide for the family’s basic living expenses for up to 2.5 years ($1,200/month) while they wait in the host/asylum country for their eventual resettlement to Canada.
Fundraising summary:
Canadian private sponsorship fees: $ 31,000 (within 12 months)
Living Expenses in Asylum: $ 26,000 (within 10 months)
Total: $ 57,000
When I first met Saba through my nephew, I promised I would assist in any way I could. We need courageous women like Saba who hopes to one day continue her work for the rights of women in Afghanistan. We cannot do the things that Saba has done, but we can help her and her family when she needs us. And she needs us now.
Neither Saba nor Emal can believe that strangers would even consider helping them. I have told them donors like you will not be strangers when they hear their story.
Organizer
Sue Nelson
Organizer
Tucson, AZ