The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate rapidly as the country becomes more unstable. Already, around 550,000 people—80% of them women and children—have been displaced by conflict this year. Many Afghans say they fear for their lives. Aid funding is limited. They simply do not have the resources. While we may have our differences, we share a lot more in common. We all stand for a world that is free of terror and fear. We cannot turn our backs and together we do not have to accept what politicians tell us.
Here are five things you can do right now to help Afghanistan and Afghans in danger:
1. Email the Whitehouse
President Biden must act swiftly to protect Afghans in desperate need of safety. Most particularly those wh have risked their lives to help the US and UK. The lives of thousands of Afghanistan women, men and children depend on your time. You can email the Whitehouse through the International Rescue Committee. They provide a direct link to Biden here President Biden must act now to protect at-risk Afghans rescue.org
2. Donate to a charity helping people in Afghanistan
There are many expert organisations well-placed to provide support on the ground in Afghanistan, but they need cash to do it.
Afghanaid is running a crisis appeal to provide emergency support and supplies to families displaced by conflict in Afghanistan. That includes financial help to afford somewhere to stay and food to eat, hygiene kits and solar powered stoves.
Women For Afghan Women has a long history of opposing gender-based oppression in Afghanistan and is calling for financial support to keep operating through the crisis, with women in the country put in positions of danger overnight.
The UN Refugee Agency is also working to meet the immediate need for food, water and shelter, as well as lobbying neighbouring countries to make it easier for Afghan people to flee across their borders.
Islamic Relief has already distributed tens of thousands of food parcels to vulnerable families across Afghanistan, and is accepting donations through its emergency fund to continue supporting those displaced by the crisis.
The Baba Mazari Foundation, which provides scholarships for children and works to stamp out child labour, has partnered with a number of other organisations to set up an emergency fund for victims of the Taliban. It will provide food, supplies and cash support for families forced to flee their homes.
The International Rescue Committee has been in Afghanistan since 1988, providing work opportunities and education as well as aid, and is giving tents, food and financial help to displaced families.
3. Amplify Their Voice
Everyone has an opinion, but at the end of the day, it’s not about politics; it’s about people just like you or me. Stay away from the brutal uninformed commentary on the web. These are families’ women, men and children all desperate for safety. Let’s listen to those with their boots on the ground in Afghanistan – the teachers, journalists and activists. Let’s amplify their voices and make change together.
“Extraordinarily courageous women human rights defenders – who have been at the forefront of the fight – are now exposed, unprotected and at very high risk.
4. Attend a demonstration
You can join in a local demonstration to show solidarity with a larger group of the public on how you feel about the government’s handling of the situation in Afghanistan. Attending public events can visibly show the government how many people care about what’s going on.
5. Research What organisations in Afghanistan are doing
Womankind Worldwide recommend checking out some other women’s rights organisations they work with who are sharing important information:
•AWID
•GAPS
• Urgent Action Fund
•Global Fund for Women
•Musawah
They’ve also worked with a number of organisations on the ground in Afghanistan that are especially trying to help women include:
• Afghan Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC)
• Afghan Women’s Network (AWN)
• Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan (HAWCA)