John,

I know you — like all of us here at the IRC — are very worried about what's happening in Afghanistan. I've been thinking so much about the families who've been displaced, and the fear and uncertainty they're feeling as they think of the future. My heart is heavy especially for women and girls who, as in every disaster, bear the brunt of the crisis.

But in this moment, when there are so many unknowns, I feel heartened and hopeful because of your support, John.

Over the last few weeks, more than 38,000 donors stepped up with emergency gifts to help meet the tremendous humanitarian needs stemming from this crisis and others around the world. Thank you, so very much.

These gifts will help many people, including Afghans — both those who remain in the country and refugees resettling in new homes — to access safety, health care, and other essential services.

Please read below — a memo that I’ve copied to share with you — for more important updates from our staff in Afghanistan, the U.S., and around the world, who are working tirelessly to ensure that families in crisis can access the resources they need to survive and recover.

Thank you for your continued support and compassion.

David Miliband
President and CEO
International Rescue Committee

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AFGHANISTAN

Important updates from IRC staff:

As you all know, the situation in Afghanistan is rapidly changing. The country is enduring a triple threat of climate change, conflict and Covid-19.

Before the most recent events, Afghanistan was already facing an overwhelming need for humanitarian assistance. Over 18 million Afghans required urgent aid, and 1 in 3 people faced food insecurity.

In the past few weeks, more than 550,000 people have fled the country, and an equal number have been internally displaced. As the U.S. and other western nations have completed their evacuation missions, our greatest concern is the collapse of social services.

As one of the largest — and few remaining — humanitarian aid organizations in the country, the IRC bears the unique responsibility of stepping up to help the millions of Afghan men, women and children in need.

The good news is that we have sufficient capacity to respond to this crisis. Our 1,700 staff members in Afghanistan are working hard to resume and build out our programs on the ground.

In country:

Though governmental evacuations have ended, there are many who are still trying to seek ways to leave the country. We are working to deliver critical information on asylum pathways through our online portal, SignPost. Our team of moderators, fluent in both Dari and Pashto, will be able to help people understand their options and navigate asylum processes in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and other countries.

For those who remain in country, we expect our programs to shift to meet the changing needs of displaced children and families. We are currently preparing to launch health programs to support over 100 local clinics across the south and southeast of the country, many of which relied heavily on foreign aid.

We are also preparing to launch education programs to keep displaced children from lapsing in their schooling and offer trauma-informed care to process all they have been through.

And finally, we are preparing programs to help farmers in Afghanistan harvest and replant their land. The goal of this initiative will be combating both widespread food insecurity and livelihood insecurity.

Worldwide:

In the U.S., the IRC is providing emergency reception and processing support for families who have fled Afghanistan. Our staff and volunteers have welcomed over 750 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients and are preparing to receive thousands more.

We are also working with governments around the world to help resettle the millions of civilians seeking asylum outside the U.S. IRC teams have helped welcome 51 Afghan evacuees to Uganda and more than 200 evacuees to Mexico. We are partnering with local governments to welcome and provide continuing support to evacuees worldwide.

Rest assured our local IRC teams in Afghanistan, resettlement teams in the U.S., and support teams around the world are doing all they can to meet the needs of this humanitarian crisis. We will be in touch with more information soon.

Thank you all.


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