Help us bring the Daryabi Family to the US

Zaki Daryabi is our neighbor and friend. He's the founder and editor of EtilaatRoz, an investigative newspaper and website that was based in Kabul until the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. Speaking truth to power in Afghanistan since 2012, EtilaatRoz was awarded Transparency International’s 2020 Anti-Corruption Award. With its journalists regularly risking their lives, EtilaatRoz’s investigative journalism uncovered systemic corruption at the heart of the government while championing democratic values and freedom of press in Afghanistan.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/world/asia/afghanistan-newspaper.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/magazine/fall-of-kabul-afghanistan.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghanistan-journalists-taliban/2021/09/17/81b44d5a-1722-11ec-a019-cb193b28aa73_story.html

Zaki and his family were forced to flee Kabul in October 2021, after the Taliban sought to arrest him for his work. As fate would have it, Zaki and his wife, three children (twins aged 12 and a 4-year-old), and two of his brothers have settled in our neighborhood in Maryland. His sister is nearby in NYC.

Since arriving, Zaki has re-established EtilaatRoz and developed an English-language version of the newspaper, Kabul Now, in offices in downtown Silver Spring. The story of their last days in Afghanistan, and the final days of EtilaatRoz’s operation in Kabul, was captured in a documentary film, “EtilaatRoz: A Story About the Fall of Kabul.” Since coming to the U.S., Zaki has been working tirelessly to help his immediate family and the remaining news staff safely evacuate from Afghanistan.

His remaining family members have managed to find temporary refuge in Pakistan. However, the path to asylum in the U.S. is difficult.

Although Zaki’s family is eligible for consideration under the State Department’s Special Immigration Visa, there is currently a 3 to 5 year waiting list for processing.

In the face of this massive backlog, the U.S. started a program called the Welcome Corps — an innovative program where American citizens sponsor people seeking refugee status from specific countries, including Afghanistan. Just last month, the Department of State expanded the program to allow sponsor groups to select the specific families they would like to support.

This is amazing news and means it’s now time to help Zaki reunite his family here in the U.S.

Marshall and I have joined with two other families in the neighborhood to form a sponsor circle. Alongside Zaki, we will support the family as they settle in by working to raise money for them, find housing, navigate the various state and federal support systems (Social Security, benefits, Medicaid, etc.) and help them find jobs. This might seem like a heavy lift, but there are organizations in place to help us through every step. I have previously helped two other families navigate the system, so we know we can do this.

Time is of the essence. The Taliban are actively searching for the family and indications are that the police in Pakistan are assisting in the search.

To gain approval for Zaki’s family to travel to the U.S. via the Welcome Corps, we need to raise at least $12,000 ($1500 for each of the eight family members). It will take more for them to settle after they arrive, so every dollar we raise above that amount will make their transition all the smoother.

As soon as we have $12,000 in a bank account, the Welcome Corps will process their application. Families are being reunited within weeks after applying, so we are hopeful Zaki’s family could hear with him in the states very soon.

Thank you so much and please consider donating to our efforts to bring Zaki’s family home.