Help an Afghan family relocate to safety.

Hey!

My name is Drew Bienemann. Im a filmmaker and photographer in Los Angeles, and as many of you know I spent several months in Kabul between 2012 and 2013 shooting a short film (Buzkashi Boys) and a ton of photos. I really love that city and it’s people, and I consider myself really lucky to have been able to experience what I did there.

On one of my trips there i met a man who was one of our security team who was very warm and generous. His name was Ezatullah.

Ezatullah was a great guy, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending a month with him.

when the USA pulled out of Afghanistan a year ago, Ezatullah contacted me to try to get help with getting his family out of the country. Sadly the paperwork requirements to get Ezatullah and his family SIV visas were too strict for Ezatullah’s case.

For the past year we have been trying to find another way to get him and his family out of the country long term, but it’s a lengthy process. During that period, however, the Taliban has been searching for Ahmad, trying to kill him for helping the US and ISAF forces during the occupation.

His family has effectively been in hiding for an entire year, moving from safe house to safe house while the Taliban sends threatening messages to his friends and neighbors to forward along.

we are trying to raise some emergency funds so that Ezatullah, his wife, and their 5 children can take advantage of an emergency visa that will get them across the border and into Pakistan safely for a year while they figure out what to do next.

Your money will go to the visa costs ($1300/person) as well as some travel money and money to find a place to stay once in Pakistan.

I have been periodically sending the family money for the past year via Western Union, and will send any funds raised here that way as well.

thank you so much for chipping in. It really could mean life or death for this family.