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Help Resettle Afghan Refugees to PEI

As Canadians, it can be easy to take our safety and security for granted. But imagine being so desperate to protect your family that you risk everything to board a plane and leave behind the only life you know. It’s been a reality for thousands of Afghans recently. It’s a story that hits closer to home than you might think. And you have the power to help.

Tom and Makis Donahoe along with members of the Miri and VandenBroek families are looking for your support with re-settling 10 Afghan family members to Canada. Makis now lives in Montague, but was born in Afghanistan and moved to the Maritimes as a child. Many of her extended family members remained in Afghanistan, and after the return of the Taliban, she is now trying to get some of them to safety.

They include a husband and wife with their 15-year-old and 21-year-old daughters, their son-in-law and the husband’s stepmother. The other four members include a widow of one of Makis’ second cousins, and her three children aged 7 to 12. Below is the families story of escape from Afghanistan.
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In recent years, life has become increasingly difficult for many in Afghanistan. Makis’ second-cousin tragically passed away in a suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul in 2019 and the widower is left to care for three children. All ten family members are Shia’ Muslim which is a religious minority in Afghanistan. As a result of recent Shia’ mosque suicide bombings, their lives were in danger if they remained in Kabul.

Makis’ family have been on a long journey over the last few months. Shortly after the fall of Kabul in August the family packed their belongings and traveled North to the Tajikistan border where they spent a couple of weeks while Makis tirelessly tried to find safe passage out of the country.

During their time at the Northern Afghan border they were interrogated by the Taliban for hours. They feared for their lives, so they traveled back 10 hours to Kabul and sought to find another safe route out of the country. During their time back in Kabul they rented out most of their house and sold most of their belongings. Makis and the family focused their attention on obtaining visas for entry into Pakistan.

In early October they received their visas and the day they were planning to travel to the Pakistan border, Pakistan and Taliban relations deteriorated and Pakistan closed all land borders.

Options to leave the country safely were becoming very limited. There were no flights available for months. A few weeks later Makis contacted a small not- for-profit organization in the US. With intense correspondence back and forth, Makis was eventually able to secure airline tickets for the 10 individuals to fly out of Kabul two days later.

With such short notice the family left family, friends and community members behind without the chance to say goodbye to many of them, the ten individuals traveled to the airport through Taliban checkpoints and finally arrived in Pakistan on October 14. Two hours after they landed, Pakistan airways announced that there will no longer be any flights out of Afghanistan as the Taliban were too disruptive. They literally got the last flight out of the country. They are safely in Pakistan now and we are seeking assistance with getting funds together to eventually re-settle the 10 individuals in Canada.

Makis and I, the Vandenbroek and Miri families are seeking your support to assist us in raising $25,000 dollars in this go-fund-me campaign. It will be a good starting point to help us in supporting Makis’ family to begin the next leg of their journey to eventually re-settle in Canada. We do not know at this point how long it will take to secure their safe entry to Canada. We just know it was no longer safe for them to remain in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The flights out of the country for the 10 Afghans cost $18500; due to inflated insurance costs for Pakistan airways to fly into an active war zone. Through the UN located in Pakistan, they will begin the process of securing refugee or resettlement status to Canada. We do not know how long this immigration process will take. In the interim they are safe in Pakistan, however, they will need support for rent, food, and necessities as they try to secure employment while they wait. In the future we may also need to raise upwards of $70,000 for private sponsorship, if they are not accepted into the Canadian Afghan refugee-assisted program/humanitarian program.

Thank you in advance, for making such a big impact on the lives of 10 family members with your donations. If you want to support these individuals but cannot use this platform you can message Tom directly or send e-transfers to [email redacted]. Bringing Makis’ family to Canada will be a great relief for Makis and her family, who have endured several long months worrying about their safety. The young individuals in the family are extremely excited to get back to their studies and to immigrate to Canada.

These Afghan children and girls deserve a second chance. Thank-you again for your support.

Fundraising team (2)

Thomas Donahoe
Organizer
Raised $2,905 from 16 donations
Montague, PE
Makis Donahoe
Team member
Raised $1,440 from 13 donations

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