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We Stand with Humanitarians in Afghanistan
August 20, 2021
Here at WBD, our thoughts are with the men, women, and children of Afghanistan. We stand in solidarity with all those who will be continuing to work towards peace in the country.
Many of us have colleagues, friends, and family who have been involved in the country in one manner or another for the last two decades. Amid the chaos over the last few days, thousands of Afghans have fled the country.
The United Nations estimates as many as 18 million Afghans—nearly half of the country’s population—will need urgent humanitarian aid, including food and housing.
We are aware of several organizations and volunteer groups that are springing up to help Afghans – especially women, activists, writers, and LGBTQ people – escape a wave of retributions by the Taliban against people who cooperated with the international community.
“Governments, international organizations, relief agencies, and civil society must continue to work together to support women and girls in Afghanistan.”
– Scott Caldwell, WBD President and Co-founder
Here are some ways you can support people in Afghanistan – from helping with the SIV and P2 Refugee process to donating to relief funds and assisting women refugees:
Resources for our allies under threat
The State Department’s Afghanistan Coordination Task Force (ACTF) is the primary point of contact for American citizens, SIV applicants, and others in Afghanistan seeking evacuation guidance or support.
- Primary: 1-888-407-4747 (From US/US Phone)
- Alternate: 1-202-501-4444 (Overseas)
- Email: ACTF@state.gov
If you’re not eligible for SIV or P2 status, humanitarian parole could be an option. Humanitarian parole can be applied for because of an urgent humanitarian situation, and can get you legally into the United States for a temporary time period.
If you want to apply for humanitarian parole, fill out the necessary forms via the State Department here.
We understand navigating the 14-steps needed to apply for the SIV program is a challenge and collated a list of advocacy organizations that can help.
No One Left Behind. The mission of this nonprofit organization is two-fold: They hope to revamp the State Department’s 14-step process for SIVs and to help ease the transition for those who have been resettled in the U.S. They are currently focusing their efforts on helping Afghans in the process of getting an SIV, if they have a case number. The group has resources to help people navigate the process and recommendations for other groups that can assist. They are accepting donations where $0.76 of every dollar goes directly to the SIV families. They can be reached at info@nooneleft.org.
Evacuate Our Allies. EOA is a coalition of groups working together to evacuate and resettle Afghan allies in the Special Immigrant Visa process and other vulnerable Afghans. They state one issue they are having is housing Afghan refugees that have made it to the United States, so if you would like to volunteer in any way to include housing families, you can fill out this form or send an email to list@evacuateourallies.org and somebody will contact you.
International Rescue Committee. The organization has called for “much-needed funds to ensure our teams can continue to deliver lifesaving aid in conflict areas,” in addition to providing emergency assistance, “protection services for internally displaced people in Kabul” and more.
World Help. The group is working with Afghan partners whose “main priority now is getting food and water to refugees who are temporarily settled out in the open with no shelter until they can be relocated to camps.”
Additionally, this crowdsourced Google Doc provides far more resources and avenues for people to show their support in responding to a humanitarian crisis. It includes petitions and social media callouts for people to share their views on helping Afghan refugees, other ways people can help friends and family members in Afghanistan, and ways to help refugees as they resettle in a foreign land.