From Afghanistan to Safety: A New Beginning

NOTE: This fundraiser is for an existing Welcome Corps case for a family in need of resettlement. Potential donors in need of additional information may contact me directly.

I am Major Jason Hatch, a retired US Army officer living in Virginia.

I have spent over three years working on resettling refugees from Afghanistan. While I did not serve in Afghanistan (Iraq Veteran), I was compelled to assist other Americans in 2021 to evacuate our allies. Our efforts with Operation Snow Leopard helped to resettle over 1,800 Afghans on four continents and our mission has been documented by several outlets (Global Washington Operation Snow Leopard, 2024, BBC, Escape From The Taliban, 2022).

I am raising funds for a US Welcome Corps initiative to resettle an Afghan family in Virginia. I formed a sponsor group of five US citizens in my area and have applied for our family. Part of the requirement is to raise enough funds to sustain the family for the first 90 days upon arrival. As I have two Veterans in my sponsor group, we qualified for access to the Veteran Sponsor Fund, which reduces the amount we need to raise significantly. We are asking others to help us reach our goal so that we can resettle this family in the US.

I have previously sponsored an Afghan family and assisted them to resettle in Virginia.

Our Family: Meet the Qoraishis

My sponsor group feels it is an honor to support Abdul Basir Qoraishi and his family of five. He has gone far above and beyond to help other Afghans get critical medical care and be resettled from Afghanistan. He was instrumental in assisting the victims of the Kaaj Education Center suicide bombing to resettle in Europe. Working with the outstanding staff at Jewish Humanitarian Response (JHR), he selflessly volunteered to arrange for all the necessary appointments, medical care, transportation, and paperwork needed to get the female students to safety. Due to all the attention surrounding the tragedy, he was noticed by the Taliban and was placed under arrest. The leaders of JHR found it necessary to move him and his family to a neighboring country. He has continued to support vulnerable Afghans in this country by helping to get visas, lodging, and medical care.

After giving so much, it is now time to get him and his family out.

Having previously resettled an Afghan family to my city in Virginia, I am very familiar with everything it takes to prepare for their arrival and support them during their transition. We are lucky to have a Christian organization that specializes in assisting refugees and they are going to help my sponsor group with the Qoraishi family. While the Afghan community here is relatively small, it is very tight-knit and families help each other out. I have rarely seen such industrious people and can vouch for their ability to work and integrate into American society.

How the funds will be used:

The provisions of the Welcome Corps program require that the sponsor group raise enough funds to cover the costs of housing, food, clothing, furniture, a cell phone, and pocket money for the first 90 days. A detailed listing of the financial support requirements can be found on the Welcome Corps website HERE.

It is an honor to sponsor the Qoraishi family and we are looking forward to meeting them and helping them adjust to their new lives. We are grateful that the leaders of Jewish Humanitarian Response asked us to assist them with this case. On a personal level, having previously supported resettlement efforts, I believe that those who support this campaign will find it immensely fulfilling.

Note about the timeline:

These cases can take some time to complete and we do not expect the family to arrive immediately. We expect their arrival sometime between the first and fourth quarter of 2025. I will publish updates about their case progress on a routine basis for all the donors.

Thank you for considering supporting our mission.

Team Virginia

Operation Snow Leopard testimonial: