LIRS This Week: The Afghan Crisis

A Special Welcome

Welcome to This Week at LIRS, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service's weekly e-newsletter. Every Friday, we catch you up on what's new at LIRS—from upcoming events to media appearances, important immigration updates, and more.

We know that many of you are new to the LIRS family after signing up to volunteer in support of our Afghan neighbors. We’ve had more than 25,000 volunteer applications and hundreds of offers for help since last Sunday, and we want to extend our sincerest gratitude for your care, compassion, and action. We hope that our weekly newsletter will keep you engaged with and informed about the work of LIRS while we work with our partners on the ground to place and train volunteers.

Thank you!

How can we help our Afghan allies?

Like so many across the world, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service team has been devastated to watch the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan unfold over the past week. We know that many of us may feel lost and helpless.

But we CAN make a difference.

Join LIRS on Tuesday, August 24 at 4 p.m. EDT for The Afghan Crisis: How to Help Our Neighbors, a webinar discussion about the situation on the ground in Kabul, evacuation advocacy efforts, and real, tangible ways to extend your support.

On Friday afternoon, President Biden held a press conference providing an update on the U.S. effort to evacuate American citizens, Afghan allies, and other vulnerable populations from Kabul. He estimated that nearly 14,000 people had been evacuated thus far, with thousands more expected in the coming days.

Learn more and read LIRS's response.

"The administration’s immediate priority must be a drastic increase in evacuation flights, whether they are military or commercial. There is no excuse for even a single empty seat when tens of thousands of lives are on the line. At the same time, it must leverage every possible means to secure safe passage for all those who wish to flee to reach the airport. At this juncture, one misstep in the streets of Kabul could be a literal death sentence."

Read the full statement from LIRS President and CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah.

Throughout the past week, LIRS has been adamant in our call for immediate evacuation for all vulnerable populations in Afghanistan. In so doing, we've spoken to countless major media outlets, including:

...and many others.

Follow along with us on Twitter.

More than 80,000 people are in danger in Afghanistan. Learn more about the most vulnerable populations and LIRS's months-long call for evacuation in our latest video. We encourage you to share on social media to spread the word!

Watch the video and share on Facebook.

URGENT! An increasing number of Afghan allies and their families are arriving to the United States. Your gift to Neighbors in Need: Afghan Allies will provide food, housing assistance, clothing, and other basic needs for our Afghan friends as they await the official services available to them.

Donate today.

TAKE ACTION TODAY! Make your voice heard and urge the administration to provide immediate humanitarian protection and evacuation for the thousands of Afghan allies still in Afghanistan who have put their lives on the line for our country.

Send a message to the White House and Congress.

COMING SOON: As we continue to act and cry out for justice, many of us are asking the same questions: “What needs to be done? And how can I help?”

This work is more than simply getting our allies out of Afghanistan. We must be prepared to provide the compassionate welcome, support, and community that our allies need once they arrive in the United States. With that in mind, we invite you to join us in sacred silence.

Stay tuned for the Sacred Silence For Our Afghan Allies toolkit.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel!

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