Hazara Refugee Family Rescue & Resettlement
Australia
Donations are 100% tax deductible
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, since foreign troops withdrew in July this year, has plunged the country into chaos and left millions facing famine & disease. The Hazara people, a religious & ethnic minority, face the added threat of targeted attack & persecution by the Taliban and now also ISIL. Even under the previous government, Hazaras were ostracised and left largely unprotected against extremist religious & political groups who want to rid the region of them and other minorities.
The Hazaras are originally from the central mountainous region of Hazarajat, but for many decades have been scattered into fringe areas of Afghanistan and other nations, due to persistent persecution. While many Hazara continue to live a simple life, engaging in agriculture and trades, they have also long-been a very progressive people, especially concerning women’s rights to education and public participation.
Through my online refugee support outreach & English teaching work, I’ve come to know several Hazara refugees who’ve each been waiting over 7 years in Indonesia since fleeing persecution in their home country, under the previous Afghan government.
Two of these refugees, Sara* & Sorosh* have begged me to do what I can to help get their families out of danger in Afghanistan and to Australia. To this end, I have given them clerical & language support to complete Australian 842 humanitarian visa applications for their families and since then also, myself, completed 681 proposer forms in the hope of improving their chances of being granted an emergency resettlement visa.
The aim of this fund, as the title suggests, is to help get Sara* & Sorosh’s* two extended families out of Afghanistan and away from the daily threat of direct attack by the Taliban or ISIL that they face just by being in the country.
Hazaras in Afghanistan can no longer safely work or engage openly with essential services that require them to show their ID, as this would identify them to the Taliban. Furthermore, they are also at risk if stopped in the street and questioned, as the dialectical Farsi they speak readily distinguishes them from the general population. My friends, Sara* & Sorosh*, report that their families have seen relatives & fellow villagers beaten and even killed in broad daylight on the street since the Taliban took over. Reports of women & young girls being raped & kidnapped, also abound.
The men in Sara’s family have had to abandon an incredibly successful tailor-making & embroidery business and the women, their jobs as primary & high school teachers. Sorosh’s family have likewise had to abandon their once-thriving bakery – all because of direct threats from the Taliban. The children, of which there are 10 in total, have had to forgo their current & future education and career opportunities.
We are hoping to be able to rescue & resettle 12 members of Sara’s* family and 8 of Sorosh’s* to our beautiful corner of Australia or nearby. At this stage, there is no guarantee that Australian Immigration will grant these families a visa. However, if they do, the onus will be on me, as their proposer, to pay for their travel to Australia and any costs involved with airport pickups, finding jobs & accommodation, language study & re-training, where necessary.
I am extremely grateful not only to those in the community who have pledged to help me in this regard – but also for the support of the Ballina Region for Refugees, a registered charity, who have agreed to back this campaign and pledged to help in any way they can to resettle the families, on arrival in the region. To this end, BR4R have set up a dedicated bank account for receiving donations from this crowdfund and will work with me to ensure that funds raised will be used only as specified here.
With 20 people to fly or otherwise get out of Afghanistan, I’m hoping to raise $2000 per person for travel & initial start-up costs here in Australia.
Many of us have longed for an end to travel restrictions so we can go on a much-needed holiday or visit loved ones. I’m sure few of us would hesitate to spend on such a trip for ourselves – and quite rightly! What I’m hoping is that many will also find it in their hearts to spend on seeing that my friends’ families too, can find respite from the persecution & dangers they’ve faced for decades, which are now more extreme & immediate than ever.
Please note: In the event that Australian Immigration do not grant these families visas, funds raised will be sent to the families to use as they need – either to get across the border into a neighbouring nation, such as Pakistan – or to rebuild their lives in Afghanistan should the Taliban & ISIL threat, let’s all hope, disappear. Life for refugees stuck in countries that do not offer resettlement visas & rights can be a life-sentence of its own and the families will need all the help they can get, should they find themselves in this situation.
[*Names changed for privacy & security.]
Annette Culley
-
$40,000.00
Funding Goal -
$0.00
Funds Raised -
0
Days to go -
Campaign Never Ends
Campaign End Method
Product Description
Australia
Donations are 100% tax deductible
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, since foreign troops withdrew in July this year, has plunged the country into chaos and left millions facing famine & disease. The Hazara people, a religious & ethnic minority, face the added threat of targeted attack & persecution by the Taliban and now also ISIL. Even under the previous government, Hazaras were ostracised and left largely unprotected against extremist religious & political groups who want to rid the region of them and other minorities.
The Hazaras are originally from the central mountainous region of Hazarajat, but for many decades have been scattered into fringe areas of Afghanistan and other nations, due to persistent persecution. While many Hazara continue to live a simple life, engaging in agriculture and trades, they have also long-been a very progressive people, especially concerning women’s rights to education and public participation.
Through my online refugee support outreach & English teaching work, I’ve come to know several Hazara refugees who’ve each been waiting over 7 years in Indonesia since fleeing persecution in their home country, under the previous Afghan government.
Two of these refugees, Sara* & Sorosh* have begged me to do what I can to help get their families out of danger in Afghanistan and to Australia. To this end, I have given them clerical & language support to complete Australian 842 humanitarian visa applications for their families and since then also, myself, completed 681 proposer forms in the hope of improving their chances of being granted an emergency resettlement visa.
The aim of this fund, as the title suggests, is to help get Sara* & Sorosh’s* two extended families out of Afghanistan and away from the daily threat of direct attack by the Taliban or ISIL that they face just by being in the country.
Hazaras in Afghanistan can no longer safely work or engage openly with essential services that require them to show their ID, as this would identify them to the Taliban. Furthermore, they are also at risk if stopped in the street and questioned, as the dialectical Farsi they speak readily distinguishes them from the general population. My friends, Sara* & Sorosh*, report that their families have seen relatives & fellow villagers beaten and even killed in broad daylight on the street since the Taliban took over. Reports of women & young girls being raped & kidnapped, also abound.
The men in Sara’s family have had to abandon an incredibly successful tailor-making & embroidery business and the women, their jobs as primary & high school teachers. Sorosh’s family have likewise had to abandon their once-thriving bakery – all because of direct threats from the Taliban. The children, of which there are 10 in total, have had to forgo their current & future education and career opportunities.
We are hoping to be able to rescue & resettle 12 members of Sara’s* family and 8 of Sorosh’s* to our beautiful corner of Australia or nearby. At this stage, there is no guarantee that Australian Immigration will grant these families a visa. However, if they do, the onus will be on me, as their proposer, to pay for their travel to Australia and any costs involved with airport pickups, finding jobs & accommodation, language study & re-training, where necessary.
I am extremely grateful not only to those in the community who have pledged to help me in this regard – but also for the support of the Ballina Region for Refugees, a registered charity, who have agreed to back this campaign and pledged to help in any way they can to resettle the families, on arrival in the region. To this end, BR4R have set up a dedicated bank account for receiving donations from this crowdfund and will work with me to ensure that funds raised will be used only as specified here.
With 20 people to fly or otherwise get out of Afghanistan, I’m hoping to raise $2000 per person for travel & initial start-up costs here in Australia.
Many of us have longed for an end to travel restrictions so we can go on a much-needed holiday or visit loved ones. I’m sure few of us would hesitate to spend on such a trip for ourselves – and quite rightly! What I’m hoping is that many will also find it in their hearts to spend on seeing that my friends’ families too, can find respite from the persecution & dangers they’ve faced for decades, which are now more extreme & immediate than ever.
Please note: In the event that Australian Immigration do not grant these families visas, funds raised will be sent to the families to use as they need – either to get across the border into a neighbouring nation, such as Pakistan – or to rebuild their lives in Afghanistan should the Taliban & ISIL threat, let’s all hope, disappear. Life for refugees stuck in countries that do not offer resettlement visas & rights can be a life-sentence of its own and the families will need all the help they can get, should they find themselves in this situation.
[*Names changed for privacy & security.]
Annette Culley
| ID | Name | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1244 | Listing Agent | [email protected] | |
| 1215 | Listing Agent | [email protected] |
