Greetings, good-hearted ones-

I am Jim Ross, Music Director of the Alexandria Symphony, and an American who cares very especially about the plight of the people of Afghanistan. Hamid Habib Zada and Negin Khpalwak arrived in D.C. two years ago on one of the harrowing flights out of Kabul as the Taliban rolled into their city. They brought only their daughter and the clothes on their back with them, and, with the help of a previous GoFundMe campaign on their behalf, have proceeded to slowly build a life for their beautiful family here in Alexandria. I have been lucky to get to know them, fabulous musicians both, to collaborate with them, and to be considered an unofficial brother/uncle.

Hamid comes from the city of Herat in southern Afghanistan which was struck by two major earthquakes over the past 5 days. Luckily, Hamid's mother Habiba, his sister Hamida, and his nephew Behzad escaped injury as the earth shook underneath them. But they have been living in a tent since last Saturday (see cover picture) because the wall on one side of his mother's apartment was destroyed. Food and water are scarce for Habiba and Hamida since, as women, neither is allowed to work under the Taliban regime.

Although Hamid, who is a proud and successful Lyft driver as well as a tremendous Tabla player, and some of his close friends here in the US are able to send some modest money to support his family in this time of challenge, we are looking to help Hamid's mother be able to repair and rebuild the damaged wall in her apartment and to help provide food and first aid for his relatives in Herat until the disastrous situation improves.

There are so many things wrong in our world right now...I am asking for your help for one specific Afghan family through a crisis for which no one can be blamed, but which leaves them exposed to the elements in a country where help may not be forthcoming.

Thank you for considering donating....And let's all be grateful we have walls around us and roofs over our heads.

This is Hamid's sister, nephew, and Mother who is praying.....