Support a young humanitarian receive an MBA in the US

Meet Ahmad Bilal Niazi, a 24-year-old Afghan man who has lived three lifetimes in the past 5 years. He has saved hundreds of fellow Afghan refugees by facilitating their journeys to a free life away from the Taliban. Bilal was recently accepted at the University of Cincinnati’s Graduate School of Business and just received his student visa from the U.S. to attend. The purpose of this GoFundMe site is to raise enough money to pay for his tuition ($45,000) and subsistence ($25,000) during his 18-month course of study to achieve a master’s in business administration (MBA). His story follows.

Bilal fled Afghanistan following the collapse of the government in 2021. He traveled to Pakistan with his family who, within days, were evacuated to Germany, leaving Bilal behind and alone at the age of 21. Bilal, as a youth over the age of 18, was not eligible to evacuate to Germany with his parents and younger brothers. Since 2021, despite the severe hardships of survival as a refugee in Pakistan, Bilal dedicated himself to helping hundreds of other Afghan refugees.

I worked side-by-side with Bilal as his supervisor and colleague at two American non-profits providing education, emergency assistance and relocation support for Afghan families. Bilal worked around-the-clock for over two years, often encountering dangerous situations while helping individual women and children as well as entire families overcome the difficult challenges facing Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

Bilal led the relocation efforts of dozens of families to the U.S. and other countries. He also provided housing, education, and food assistance to hundreds of others. During this time, Bilal also opened a school, funded by local grants and donations, to educate Afghan refugee children in his neighborhood.

Aside from his exceptionally generous and honest character, Bilal is a talented and intelligent young man with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Khan-e-Noor University in Afghanistan. He has more than 5 years of professional experience and big dreams to continue working hard and giving back to his community. He is extremely excited to be accepted into the University of Cincinnati’s MBA program for the fall of 2024. He just received his student visa to travel to the U.S.

I along with a group of U.S. Navy veterans (all of us colleagues of Bilal) seek contributions to cover the cost of Bilal’s tuition, housing, and subsistence. We are confident an MBA will launch Bilal into a significant career of service. We could not be prouder of him. Given all the challenges he has overcome, we are thrilled that he has this opportunity to study in the U.S. We ask for your help in supporting this young man’s bright future.

Lastly, I am a U.S. citizen raising tuition and subsistence funding for Bilal, who is a close colleague with whom I have worked since 2022 (when I personally vetted and hired him in Pakistan).

A U.S. Navy volunteer veteran on our team will receive the donated funds from a Cincinnati-based bank and pay for Bilal’s tuition, travel, and subsistence.

All collected funds will be used exclusively for Bilal.

Thank you!