We are fundraising to sponsor an Afghan refugee family to settle in Toronto, Canada. Shortly after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan two years ago, Dianne’s good friend fled with her two young girls and made it to the United States, but her family (two sisters, brother, and mother) remain in Pakistan where they are refugees. They have no prospect of returning to Afghanistan, and the situation in Pakistan has become untenable, with the government expelling undocumented Afghan refugees. We need to help get the family to safety in Canada before their refugee cards expire at the beginning of 2025.

We need to raise $57,800 to sponsor Dianne’s friend's family of four to come to Canada (following the Canadian government guidelines for refugee sponsorship). We have already mobilized $10,000! These funds will be placed in a dedicated trust and used to support the family for 12 months after they arrive in Canada.

Here is more of their story, in Dianne’s friend's sister's words. Both her and her sister are teachers, but will be out of work by December this year:

"I belong to the Hazara ethnic group and am originally from Afghanistan. I live together with my mom, my sister and my brother. I left Afghanistan when I was only 8 years old with my family in 1999 when the Taliban took over for the first time. We fled to Quetta, Pakistan. After the Taliban took over Kabul for the second time in August 2021, we lost our hope forever. We have been working hard to find a way to get to a safe place.

Being Shia and Hazara puts us at greater risk in both Afghanistan and in Pakistan, as Hazara people have been persecuted for over a hundred years. My brother was preparing for the university entrance exam in Kabul when the city fell. He had to give up his dream of earning his degree to escape back to Pakistan. We do not have the right to access education or work in Pakistan. Therefore, we do not have any durable solution here, nor can we return to Afghanistan.

The situation for Afghan refugees these days has deteriorated. The Pakistani government has told refugees to leave Pakistan. However, we are determined to find support - we strongly believe in humanity and the power of collective work for this cause. My family (my sister, my mom, my brother and I) are in urgent need of resettlement to Canada, and we need your financial support to make that happen."