It was August 19th 2021, three days after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. I received a startling email from Rahmat, one of our editors:
Dear Michael,
Hope you are doing well. Now I got to Poland. Warsaw airport. This is the contact number of a polish woman who was responsible to assemble us to travel to Poland. Hope you and Basir can find a solution to evacuate all members here.
A year ago today three Afghan families that worked with Community Supported Film (CSFilm) went through a horrific experience at the Kabul airport....
From mass deportation to unkept relocation pledges, both neighboring and Western countries have turned their backs on at-risk and displaced Afghans.
The day Kabul fell to the Taliban, August 15, 2021, Basir and his family made their first attempt to get into the airport and onto a plane. It would be nearly a month before they escaped into Pakistan. Over the next weeks they would be beaten at Taliban checkpoints, endure crushing crowds and be threatened and sworn at by soldiers from around the world.
Night after night (daytime in Afghanistan) I used real-time on-the-ground intelligence information provided by vets and other organizations also working to evacuate people, to try and help guide families around the violent Taliban checkpoints, through the crushing crowds to the 20’ high walls of cement and barbed wire.
From the Soviet invasion to the Taliban regime, a new series narrated by ‘The Kite Runner’ author @khaledhosseini explores Afghanistan’s complex past, present & future. Watch ‘#Afghanistan: The Wounded Land’ on Sundays starting 7/10 on #DocWorld. https://worldchannel.org/show/doc-world/ #AfghanistanWoundedLand
Afghans you have generously helped continue to need assistance. None of the assistance we have been able to provide would have been possible without your generous support. I hope that I can continue to count on your generosity as we continue to help our Afghan colleagues reach safety and rebuild their lives.
$44,375 dollars spent on legal and living expenses for Afghans. We need your continued generous support for the Fund for Afghan Evacuation and Resettlement as well as for our new online training program in documentary filmmaking.
The pressure has been on for 8 months – submitting names and documentation – contacting numerous foreign governments and international organizations – filing Parole and Referral applications – contributing to advocacy efforts – launching the Fund for Afghan Evacuation & Resettlement – soliciting lawyers and family sponsors…
Hopelessly and in tears, I spend the entire day in a corner of the house hoping that God may hear my voice and help me out of Afghanistan so that I can get back to school.
We can not thank you enough for your generosity. There is still a lot to do to bring families to safe and permanent homes. We can only do it with your support.
Your support is needed to help families, both those in and out of Afghanistan, to survive without work and income. In Afghanistan they face a humanitarian crisis with skyrocketing prices for basic necessities. Those out of the country are just beginning a multi year process of filing for asylum and have left everything behind in Afghanistan. All face expensive US government fees to file for emergency visas and other legal options.