They Risked Everything for Justice. Now They Need Us to Save Them.

My name is Mirwais Arya, an Afghan Canadian entrepreneur and former media and civil society activist. I am the eldest son of a family that spent their lives standing up for truth, justice, and the future of Afghanistan. Today, I am asking for your help to save them.

My family and I led one of the largest citizen movements in Afghanistan’s history — the #WhereIsATRA – Atra Kojast campaign — a peaceful fight that exposed corruption in the telecom industry, held powerful companies accountable, and saved billions for everyday Afghans. They faced threats from every direction: corporate giants, extremist groups, and government-backed militias. But they didn’t stop supporting me and standing for justice and truth.

We built a chain of restaurants, Mazadar Burger, in Kabul that gave jobs to women when society wouldn’t. My sisters were running a secret sewing workshop for women and girls in Kabul during 2022 and early 2023, while the Taliban were in power. At our production company, Aynak Media, they produced popular PSAs that defended human rights and gave a voice to the voiceless. They believed in change. And they paid the price for it.

When the Taliban returned, the threats turned into real danger. My parents and siblings fled to Pakistan. But now, after over two years in hiding, they are being hunted again. Last month, my mother, father, and two sisters were arrested by police, sent to Haji Camp — a deportation center — where they spent three terrifying nights and were nearly deported to Afghanistan — a place where their lives would be at serious risk.

Thanks to a last-minute rescue effort, they were released. But they are not safe. Their visas are no longer valid. Pakistan has stopped renewing visas and permits for Afghan refugees. They live in fear every day.

After knocking every door in the past two years, we now have one chance: four sponsorship spots have been conditionally approved by Canadian organizations like JIAS. These can lead to protection letters and eventual resettlement. But we are required to raise $65,000 CAD in less than a month to secure the spots and process the sponsorship.

I have done everything I could not to turn to fundraising, as everybody struggles with their own lives and commitments. I used all our savings to relocate to Toronto, support my newly established business Canadera Watches, and already sponsored two of my siblings through the support of MCC. I’m building a startup showroom in Toronto that drains everything I have and is still months away from generating any real income. I did not want to ask for help. But now, I must.

We are a proud family who gave everything we had to others — to stand up for rights, for women, for change, for a better Afghanistan. But today, we are out of time, out of options, and out of money.

If we miss this deadline, we may lose them forever.

Please help us bring them to safety. Your donation will not just protect lives. It will protect a legacy of courage and resistance. This family has done everything they could for others. Now they need someone to stand for them.

From my heart to yours, thank you.

Mirwais Arya