Help One Who's Been Left Behind

My name is Deborah Barrett, and this is the first time I’ve ever made an appeal for money, but I'll likely regret it if I don't do it now. So, here goes. My goal is to raise enough money to sustain a young man and his little family until they can be evacuated from Afghanistan.

 

In the years since I taught at the American University of Afghanistan, I’ve kept in touch with a few of my former students. After the US withdrawal last August, we were in almost daily contact till nearly all of them managed to escape or be evacuated. One, however, is still trapped in Kabul. For the last eight months, I’ve submitted dozens of requests on his behalf to evacuation organizations with little response—they’re beyond swamped. While his resources dwindle (he can’t work and can’t borrow money), the Taliban’s hunt for collaborators escalates.

 

I can only give his first name, Farhad, for security reasons, and though I’ll post other photos, I can’t show you his. But I’ll share what I can of his story.

 

Farhad is the kind of young man you don’t forget. He was an excellent student, eager for the new western-style education at AUAF. He aimed to prepare himself to help rebuild his country and better provide for his family after his father’s assassination. Farhad also had the sensitivity and courage to look out for clueless foreigners who might inadvertently break taboos. When I showed him an old manuscript I had discovered at the booksellers market, he grabbed it, wrapped it in his scarf, told me to hide it and show it to no one. It was an excerpt from the Quran and dangerous if it were found in a foreigner’s possession—checkpoints were often looking for more than passports. Even before the current situation, the consequences for this kind of mistake were not pretty and were not covered by the press.

 

After graduation, Farhad worked for State Department contractors, making him especially vulnerable. And now, as our national focus has shifted, more and more of these so-called collaborators are helplessly disappearing.

 

Plain and simple, Farhad is in trouble. He helped me, and now it’s my turn to do my best to help him. He was a protector, advisor, friend and colleague to Americans. His plight is so far removed from our lives that I know it’s almost impossible to imagine his situation. Sadly, it’s all true. He may still be stuck in Kabul, but we can keep him safe until we get him out. No matter what you donate, it means everything to him.

 

Funds will be transferred directly from my account via Western Union to Farhad in Kabul.

 

For up-close details copy these links:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/12/opinion/taliban-afghanistan-revenge.html

 

https://inkstickmedia.com/from-kabul-to-melbourne/

Kids at Orphanage

Dr. Smith and the late Dr. Fayaz

AUAF students.

Sunset at Babur Garden.