I am fundraising for a family I know personally and care about deeply and really need your help. Mukhtar Shirzad and his brother Mohsin are now in France, waiting for the right to work and hoping for the stability they have been denied for so long.

Their story is heartbreaking and unfair, yet they face each new challenge with dignity and courage.

Their father was killed by the Taliban in 2015. Since then, Mukhtar, Mohsin, their sister, and their mother have been trying to escape persecution and rebuild their lives. Sarah Rhodes and I helped them flee Afghanistan a few years ago after the Americans pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of their country. I have remained closely in touch with them ever since. Everything I am sharing here comes from knowing them personally.

They were first granted asylum in Italy but received almost no support and no real possibility to work or build a future. Refusing to give up, they moved to Germany because they believed in hard work and integration and heard opportunities were better there. And they proved themselves. Mukhtar and his younger brother Mohsin learned German to B1 level, worked, and began training as nurses. The family was integrating successfully and contributing to their community.

Then everything collapsed again. In May, Germany halted refugee resettlement under its new government. Thousands of vulnerable people were left in limbo, including Afghans like Mukhtar and Mohsin who had already been promised safety. Despite all their efforts, Germany refused their request to stay. When they were forced back to Italy, they were told their asylum status was no longer valid.

Mukhtar and Mohsin are now in France seeking asylum and their mother and sister are stuck in Germany, too ill to travel.

Thanks to my professional network, I already have job offers lined up for Mukhtar and Mohsin as soon as they are granted the right to work. They are ready and eager to support themselves and to help their mother and sister as soon as they can be reunited.

This is a hardworking, honest, intelligent family. Mukhtar is a natural linguist, he speaks excellent English and German. He will learn French quickly and contribute fully to his new community. They do not want charity for the long term. They want safety, stability, and the chance to work.

Right now, however, they have nothing. While they wait for France to examine their asylum request, they need help simply to survive. They need food, safe accommodation, transport to appointments, and the basic essentials that every human being deserves.

Any donation, no matter the amount, will go directly towards helping Mukhtar and Mohsin stay safe in France until they are hopefully granted the right to work, and to supporting their mum and sister in Germany during this difficult and uncertain time.

Thank you for taking the time to read their story. Your support will genuinely make the difference between fear and safety, between despair and hope, between merely surviving and finally having the chance to build a future again.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them. This family means the world to me and I am grateful for every bit of help offered on their behalf.