Friend —
My name is Sabira. I wrote to you last month, but wanted to personally reach out to you again this Giving Week to share my story and gratitude for how the IRC has helped me and other refugees resettle from Afghanistan, and to ask you to make a special gift today that will be 3X matched until midnight tonight. »
3X YOUR IMPACT NOW » [link removed]
Friend, people always ask me how I made the decision to leave Afghanistan. It was hard. I was especially worried about leaving my mother behind. But it was my mother who insisted that my sister and I find a way to leave the ongoing violent conflict. She wanted a better future for us.
I belong to the Hazara community — an ethnic group in Afghanistan. Historically, Hazaras have been systematically persecuted because of our ethnicity and religion. Just a couple of weeks ago there was a suicide bombing in the Hazara part of Kabul that killed 53 people and injured 120 — mostly girls and young women.
Being a woman in Afghanistan is hard. Being a Hazara woman is even harder.
Reaching the airport in Kabul last August was a harrowing experience. I was a bus leader for 23 young women, and at one point it felt like we might live... or we might die. But finally, me and my classmates — there were 148 of us — were able to get on a plane to the United States. After arriving, I spent 3 ½ months on a military base. There, IRC staff helped us navigate the paperwork that would let us live in the U.S.
3X YOUR IMPACT NOW » [link removed]
After leaving the base, I arrived at Arizona State University (ASU) along with 63 other women from Afghanistan taking part in an IRC partnership. Through it all, it's been so reassuring to know that the IRC team is there to help us, whenever we need it.
These resources are critical to ensuring that the IRC can help individuals in Afghanistan and all over the world. And today on Giving Tuesday, you have the opportunity to reach three times as many people with stories like mine. Every dollar the IRC receives will be TRIPLED up to $1,500,000.
Please, make a gift today so that the IRC can help even more refugees like myself from Afghanistan and crisis zones worldwide »
3X YOUR IMPACT NOW » [link removed]
When I was first traveling to Phoenix, I met Melanie, a Community Engagement and Advocacy Manager from the IRC. She was so supportive. I asked how I could volunteer to help other people like me. Now, I volunteer with the IRC to advocate for laws, policies, and programs that lead to justice and opportunity for refugees and immigrants like me.
So far I've been able to speak at meetings with government officials from the City of Phoenix, which have led to more funds being directed to IRC Arizona to help Afghan refugees.
I am one of 63 women from Afghanistan that are co-sponsored by the IRC and ASU. We met in Afghanistan, and now we are together in Arizona. It's hard to believe where we are now. Through it all, it’s been so reassuring to know that the IRC team is there to help us, whenever we need it.
The IRC's work is important to me because I know that there are so many more people still in Afghanistan and crisis zones around the world. With support from people like you, the IRC can help them to recover and rebuild their lives.
As a supporter, you've shown up in a big way to help the people of Afghanistan and so many others who are facing crises. This Giving Tuesday, please make a gift in support of the IRC's efforts in Afghanistan and other zones worldwide, and your support will be matched THREE TIMES up to $1,500,000.
3X YOUR IMPACT NOW » [link removed]
Thank you for your generosity,
— Sabira
International Rescue Committee
122 East 42nd Street, New York, New York 10168-1289 USA
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