Dear friends,

 

Many of us have followed the recent tragic events that transpired in Afghanistan: the Taliban takeover of the country, chaotic and deadly evacuation, the desperate attempts to escape and survive. We can’t even begin to imagine how it must have felt like to be in that situation: to face the threat of being killed by the Taliban, to take the dangerous journey to the airport, to have to leave everything behind – home, belongings, friends, relatives, everything that was so close to the heart.

 

While many of us have followed these tragic events on the news, our dear friend, colleague, Lehigh University Alumni, a Fulbright scholar – Fayaz Amiri had lived through that experience.

 

For those of you who know Fayaz, he needs no further introduction, however, for those of you who don’t know him personally, here is what we would like you to know. He is a bright scholar, who is passionate about education and social issues. He is a Fulbright Fellow, Lehigh University alumnus with a MA degree in Comparative and International Education. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver. He faced many challenges in life, but he never gave up hope. He is famous for his contagious smile and his constant efforts to cheer everyone around him.

 

 

 

Fayaz was in Afghanistan, when it all started, and we feared for his life. At some point, we lost any line of communication with him, and we did not know what was happening. Fortunately, a couple of days ago he was able to contact us and inform us that he was able to escape. He is currently in the United States, living in the military camp. He is with his family – his wife and four children. It is still largely uncertain as to what awaits them in the future, and they are living one day at a time, waiting for their documents to be processed. The U.S. government will be able to provide food stamps and housing for 90 days after Fayaz and his family will be released from the camp. 

 

We know that Fayaz and his family have left everything behind and lost almost everything. However, what they have not lost is us – the community of people. So, we kindly invite you to join our efforts and support the cause.

We would like to raise funds that would cover the first couple of months of living expenses, to help his family settle in a new place, get kids to school, buy clothing, as well as help with daily essentials.  However, there are other ways to help too.

 

Here are the three things you can do:

 

1. If you have an opportunity, please consider a financial contribution to this campaign. Every bit counts.

 

2. Please share this campaign among your network of friends so more people know about it.

 

3. Please send a message of love and support to Fayaz and his family, it will mean a lot to them.

 

Thank you very much for your support and participation! It truly means a lot!

 

Sincerely,

Lehigh Friends