Help 2 vulnerable Afghan families in dire need

My name is Victoria Clasen and I worked across the development sector for 5 years in Afghanistan. I am appealing for your help for two families that I know to be in need of assistance based on my regular contact with them: one in Kabul (family A) and the other in Kandahar (family B).

Family A consists of 8 members ranging in age from 8 to 75, and the head of household is a teenage girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. Her father worked with me on projects across the country, but died of a heart attack a few years ago, leaving the family with no means of income. His conservative background made him suspicious of me initially but he became a true friend (when my father died he arranged a ceremony in his honour). I first met his daughter when he brought her to my office and announced that he had changed his mind about women’s education and would be sending her to school: a memory I will not forget. She is now 17: her university is no longer teaching girls and she has not left the house in over 2 months because this requires a male guardian which she doesn't have. She is also at risk because of her father’s previous work for the international community, as well as at real risk of forced marriage, so I am sponsoring a Special Immigrant Visa application at her request.

Family B is an extended family of 15 and the head of household also worked with our project, and has applied for a US visa. He is in Kandahar and is moving frequently for fear of discovery by the Taliban who is actively looking for him.

In addition to the real security risks to both these families, this October, the World Food Program (WFP) warned that Afghanistan is facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis with food insecurity a real concern for 22.8 million people.

I am seeking your donations to fund the SIV visa process for both families, for associated travel if successful and to contribute to their living costs in the meantime. I do not know exactly how I will spend the funds, as this depends on the speed of the SIV process and what they report about managing without income in the winter, but I will provide a full account to donors on a regular basis (so please provide your contact details). If they are able to obtain visas for the USA, I will be in touch again to ask for help with settling them in.

I urge you to consider a donation of any size to show you are standing with vulnerable Afghans, I know that both families deserve help and I will ensure they get it directly.

[Photo taken at the inauguration of a road project in 2007]