Help Elham's Family Leave Afghanistan

I share this appeal on behalf of a young Afghani man, now at Concordia College in Minnesota, who believes in democracy and in the power of people to support each other.  

Elham's family of 11 is in danger because both of his older sisters (who we will call "Fahima" and "Aliah '' to protect their safety) have husbands who worked with US forces and the Afghan government to fight for democracy. When the Taliban assumed power in August 2021, anyone who assisted the US or worked with the Afghan government became a target. After receiving death threats for not just the men, but also their families, they decided they must find a way to leave.   

“Their safety is our greatest concern, but it’s also more than just their lives that are in danger. My youngest sister is brilliant – she has smashed all the academic records in our family and she wants to be a doctor – but now she is 14 and is no longer allowed to study in Afghanistan,” Elham explains. 

“Farah” is one of very few Afghan girls whose father supported her pursuing an education, but that came to an abrupt end when the Taliban assumed power. Six of the minors are Elham’s young nieces and nephews. 

Elham’s family has had to make strategic decisions to separate from one another to protect their most vulnerable. With no specific threats of retaliation looming, his parents and his brother’s families will remain in Afghanistan and try to rebuild their lives there. Those in danger have been in hiding while they pursue a path as refugees to Canada, the US, or Europe; but the road is long, and each day they remain in Afghanistan they are in danger.

In the interim they have secured safe passage to Isalamabad, Pakistan, but will not have permits to work while they wait, which is what prompted Elham to begin fundraising for the family’s basic needs. The budget to provide for all 11 family members is roughly $1500 a month. This budget includes “Farah’s” school fees and books to continue her education. 

Elham aims to raise enough to last them for 20 months – US$ 30,000 – while pursuing every possible refugee route. The decision to base the budget on 20 months takes into consideration that war in Ukraine means some of the most refugee-friendly countries are waiving many of the visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees, but not for Afghanis. This is expected to increase their wait time.

My personal connection Elham. 

 

I first met Elham just after he arrived at United World College Thailand on a scholarship for his last two years of high school. It was the first time he had been on a plane, the first time he had left Afghanistan, and the first time he had lived somewhere unsegregated – and where women could study freely. Just 17-years-old, Elham was bright, kind, curious, and filled with hope. His passion for the environment made him a perfect fit for a school that believes in creating peace and sustainability.

 

Over his two years with us, Elham became a member of our extended family, spending holidays and occasional weekends with us and celebrating family milestones. It was clear that he missed his sisters dearly, and my two daughters quickly became his Canadian sisters. Likewise, he became their Afghani brother. The cover photo is of my girls and Elham at Christmas dinner. Just this weekend, my 12-year-old made everyone okra “Elham-style," exactly how he would make it for us at Christmas.

 

 

Along the way, Elham also became a powerful voice in the fight for climate change in developing nations. He was selected from a global pool of thousands to attend the first-ever UN Youth Climate summit in New York, but as an Afghani, his visa was denied. Frustrated and angry, Elham and I worked to find other ways he could share his message for change. That once disheartening denial resulted in Elham’s story being covered by Al Jazeera , Insider , local Thai media , South African radio, and even on a live broadcast for Democracy Now . Recently, his writing on climate change was published in The London Magazine . It is all pretty remarkable for a young man from a remote Afghan village.

 

 

But then Elham is a remarkable young man.

 

When he left UWC Thailand, where we worked at the time, Elham had two “requests” he asked for permission to share with us about the boarding house he had called home. We had no idea what to expect, but whatever we would have guessed, it wasn’t this: The first was that a fellow student, a young Thai woman, be formally recognized for her tremendous impact on keeping spirits high during the COVID lockdown. The second was that we install a dedicated air conditioning unit in the break room where the cleaning staff (mostly women) rested to make them more comfortable.

 

Of all of his public achievements, these two humble, selfless and private requests are the things I think of when I reflect on Elham’s character and growth. He is precisely the kind of person the world needs more of, and it’s an honour for us to know him and watch him grow into a young man who fights for peace, sustainability, and those who would otherwise be silenced.

 

Elham went on to earn a full scholarship to study at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he is currently flourishing … and freezing :). His dream of returning to build a free and peaceful Afghanistan after completing his studies was shattered on 30 August 2021 when the world watched in horror at the fallout resulting from the US leaving Afghanistan.

We are trying to do what we can to help Elham and his family now that they have a way out. Will you help too?