Help Najib and Heyde leave Afghanistan

Hello Everyone,

 

Many of you know Najib, a former Water Resources Policy and Management graduate student at Oregon State. He graduated in 2021 through the Water Cooperation and Diplomacy Joint Master's program at OSU, IHE-Delft, and the University for Peace. Najib is Afghani and is currently residing in Afghanistan. Following the recent Taliban takeover of the country, he has been facing increasing religious and political persecution. He has recently lost his job based on his beliefs. Because of this increasing persecution, his wife, Heyde, and he are seeking assistance in relocating to the United States.

 

Najib has been working hard to find a number of ways out of the country and has recently been accepted into a PhD program at Texas A&M, which provides him a good chance of getting out.

 

Unfortunately, there are high costs associated, namely getting into and staying in Pakistan to process the student visa (there is no US embassy in Afghanistan, so this process must happen in a 3rd country). We are confident though, that his visa will be processed if he can get to Pakistan.

 

We are reaching out to the wider community to help Najib cover some of these expenses and help him to get out of Afghanistan and into the United States.

 

Below is an estimate of the money which will be needed.

 

Estimated cost of traveling to Pakistan and then to the US:

 

1. 490 USD visa costs (For two people)

 

2. 1600 USD Flights from Kabul to Islamabad(For two people)

 

3. 650 USD for one month accommodation in Islamabad

 

4. 500 USD for food for one month of stay in Islamabad

 

5. 160 USD DS-160 visa form

 

6. 200 USD for medical tests and checks needed for visa processing, e.g., Corona test and etc.

 

7. Approximately 1500 USD for flight tickets from Islamabad to Texas

 

In total: Approximately 5100 USD

**This money will be collected by Matthew Tippett-Vannini, a colleague and friend of Najib, who will send the money directly to Najib, most likely via Western Union (due to the current difficulty of using bank transfers in Afghanistan). **

 

After arriving in the US, Najib's PhD program is funded; he and Heyde just require assistance in getting to the US.

 

Please give what you are able and pass this along. If you are not in a position to give and would still like to help, please write your senator or congress person and mention Najib's name - every bit helps.

 

Thank you!