Help Merza get settled in Philadelphia

As some of you may know, in 2011 I was offered the opportunity to work with Skateistan as a volunteer in Afghanistan. The first video I saw that hooked me to the program featured a young 15 year old Afghan boy named Merza Mohammadi. Merza is literally one of the first skateboarders ever from Afghanistan. When I arrived in Afghanistan I got to meet Merza, and over the next 7 years working with Skateistan developed a close friendship with him.

Now after the recent turmoil in Afghanistan, like many other Afghans escaping the new Taliban rule, Merza has managed to make his way to the US. I just got confirmation Merza will arrive in Philadelphia on Tuesday (oct, 19) and I have decided to take it upon myself to help Merza in a more concrete way. While Merza is an incredible young guy, I know the kind of support he is going to need to make a new life for himself in the US. I recently moved into a new 3 bedroom house in Philadelphia and I am going to offer him a room with me there. Thanks to the generosity of my boss Bill Minadeo at Hardcore Skateparks, I have also secured a job with me building skateparks as soon as Merza is eligible to work

It will be a few months however until Merza is able to work and start earning for himself, so I am starting a small fundraiser to help raise living expenses for his first 3-6 months here in the USA on his own. Merza is receiving assistance through HIAS in Philadelphia, which is a refugee resettlement program. This support is limited however and through this fundraiser we are hoping to raise funds for his immediate living costs for the first 3-6 months.

The funds from this drive will go directly to his immediate everyday basic living costs including: rent, clothing, food, cell phone costs, etc. to help him get on his feet in his new home. I will work closely with Merza to develop a budget and coach him on how to use these funds wisely to take care of himself until he starts to earn an income and is able to save for his future and his family in Afghanistan. Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions about how the funds will be used.

Merza has a difficult but exciting chapter ahead of him. We have been talking about the challenges he’ll face, and I am confident he is off to a great start. But he (and I) really appreciate any support his community can provide to help get him on his feet for the first few months. Thanks again everyone and please feel free to reach out to me for more info on Merza’s situation.

Here is a great link to an interview with Merza in Medium which goes a lot more in depth on his background and upbringing for those who want to learn more: https://medium.com/skateistan-10/skateistan10-of-the-past-merza-mohammadi-educator-at-skateistan-kabul-76946d57fc2e

Also here is the video from 11 years ago at Skateistan (the one I saw that got me hooked on Skateistan), which also gives a bit more background on Merza’s upbringing and early life in Afghanistan - https://vimeo.com/15841377

- If you’re in the area and interested in donating anything you think Merza may need (decent quality clothes, skateboard gear, etc) please let me know and I can try to arrange also.