financial support for displaced Hazara family

I am immensely privileged to work as a hospital pharmacist in pediatric oncology. This has only been made possible because I was born & raised in Canada. My family was graciously sponsored through the work of my aunt, uncle & a Catholic church in Red Deer, Alberta. During the 1980s, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the violence that erupted left my grandmother's body perforated with over 30 pieces of shrapnel and broken hearted at the loss of her only daughter. Had my family not escaped as refugees, which is in and of itself an incredibly dangerous and demeaning struggle, I would not be here today to provide care for and to support my cherished patients. My mother now works in the same labour & delivery unit at the hospital where I was born - yet another impossible opportunity presented & achieved, and for which we are forever grateful.

Afghanistan is a country so foreign & far away for you as it is for me. Like many other displaced peoples, it has never been safe enough to return to my motherland, thus I reside in the diaspora, displaced from my people, culture and home. Time and time again, external invaders have tried to conquer my country and as I think of the current nightmarish situation in Afghanistan, I am left bereft of words. Afghanistan is lost once again, now in the hands of the Taliban, an extremely oppressive & misogynistic terrorist group funded by the opium trade and external nations with selfish, ulterior motives.

The Taliban are not our people - they are oppressors. They seek to destroy the many cultures of the land by targeting artisans & performers. They seek to disarm future generations by imprisoning young girls in forced marriages with their own soldiers. They deny our people, especially our children and women, the right to education and empowerment; thereby, crippling the country's only hope for a bright and prosperous future. The seek to dehumanize us, denying the LGBQT+ population the right to a safe and fulfilling life due to their own extreme contempt for individuality, freedom and expression. The Hazaras of Afghanistan, a marginalized and heavily persecuted ethnic group to which my family belongs, have most notably been targeted for our language, race and religion. As an empowered Hazara-Canadian Shia Muslim woman, I would be a prime target.

I call upon you today to donate to support a displaced Hazara family of eleven individuals, five of which are young women with hopes for a future of freedom and autonomy. Funds will be used to cover the cost of food, shelter, relocation, applications & professional services and much more. It is all too clear now that there is no hope for them in Afghanistan, but with your help, one of their daughters could grow up to become an educated and empowered woman, too. Should she dream to, she too could become a pharmacist to help save the lives of children and families battling cancer. But, first, we need to save the lives of her & her family members - please help as much as you can.