Hi all,

My name is Roshni and I am fundraising to support a friend & community member named Madina and her family.

As many of you know, Afghanistan has been in turmoil ever since the chaotic withdrawal of the US last year. Many people have fled and forced to become refugees in neighboring countries, or wherever they could travel in the world. Women, ethnic/religious minorities are especially being targeted by the Taliban, unable to go to school, work or enjoy basic freedoms.

Madina (name changed to protect privacy) comes from a Hazara family (an ethnic minority in Afghanistan) and is just one of the many young Afghan women doing her best to survive these difficult times and support her family with very few resources and assistance.

Madina has 9 siblings (6 brothers and 3 sisters), 5 of who are in Afghanistan still and 4 who have immigrated to Pakistan. They are facing many challenges with finding reliable + stable work, due to various circumstances including language barriers. Their family is also incurring challenges due to medical conditions in the family (with one individual having sight loss and another family member facing treatment for cancer).

The hope is also for Madina to restart higher education and pursue work opportunities to support her family in the long run based on funds we can collect here together. Madina aspires to be a doctor and join a University in Pakistan, subject to admission, to pursue higher education.

Madina's sister is a journalist in Afghanistan who wrote about various issues such as the right to education and work for women in Afghanistan and received threats from Taliban and now living in constant danger in Kabul. She is just 21 but says she'd rather die than not speak and write the truth as a journalist. She was also denied a visa to Pakistan due to her honest reporting against the Taliban.

We are looking to fundraise $8,000 to cover living and education costs for 14 family members for at least 6 months to a year, as the family figures out more stable and long term solutions.

Here’s a breakdown of their basic monthly costs:

$200 to educate 5 children

$200 for Madina's university fees

$100 for rent

$200 for electricity, internet, phone bill, food, medicine

For this new year, we really hope people can contribute even if it’s just $5, $20, $100 or $500!

These funds will go a long way, to provide life-saving support and helping build a future for Madina and her family.

Here is a message from Madina as well

I will collect the funds from this fundraiser, and wire them directly through Western Union in Pakistan where Madina is living with her and her family over the next several months. For anyone who needs, you can request receipts of the western union transactions my contacting me through gofundme. Thank you so much!