On August 15, as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, Afghan journalist, researcher and producer Khwaga Ghani sat in stunned silence next to her family. The sound of gunfire pierced the darkness outside their Kabul home.

After years of dogged reporting and work for National Public Radio , The New York Times, National Geographic, Amnesty International and other organizations, Khwaga watched her dreams crumble around her. She worried she wouldn't be able to provide for or protect her family—or even leave her home.

For days, Khwaga called, emailed and texted everyone she knew. People around the world rallied to support their friend and colleague, a woman who has risked her life to expose truth and help improve the lives of Afghans.

Khwaga’s family packed whatever they could fit into a few small bags and left the rest behind. They said goodbye to their home, goodbye to her father's beloved rose garden outside. They hugged the family cat one last time before giving him to a neighbor. They shrouded themselves in black and made a run to safety.

On August 25, after what seemed like a miracle, Khwaga and her family narrowly made it into Kabul International Airport and onto an evacuation flight out of Kabul. “It felt like I [was] leaving my soul behind and just taking my body to a safe place,” Khwaga says. “My soul had already been wounded and I left it behind.”

They made their way to Qatar, then Germany, then DC, where they were granted humanitarian parole, and on to Wisconsin. On October 8, they boarded a flight to California, to reunite with family after decades apart.

Khwaga and her family are temporarily living with family in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Khwaga has secured a position as a visiting scholar at the Human Rights Center at Berkeley’s School of Law. There, she plans to continue her education and research and "serve [her] country in a new way," she says.

Friends and colleagues are raising funds to help Khwaga and her family build a new life in the United States. The costs are daunting and the system is bureaucratic and difficult to navigate. All funds will be given directly to Khwaga Ghani, her father, mother and sister to help cover immediate needs, which include:

Please reach out if you have questions or can offer specific support in the Bay area.

Welcome to America, Khwaga and family!