Help Afghans in Afghanistan

Currently the best way to help Afghans in Afghanistan:

1) Donate to organizations that provide aid and assistance to them.

2) Campaign on social media and to your elected officials to continue extracting Afghans.

Sending Money Note: People are having varied experiences sending money. Please see here for further information: Sending/Receiving Money

GoFundMe UPDATE 23SEP: Received the following from GFM:

For a period of time, U.S. and international laws did not allow GoFundMe to transfer money directly to an individual in Afghanistan – This was not a policy specific to GoFundMe – it was based on laws and global financial regulations.

Since these restrictions have now changed and personal remittances are once again allowed into Afghanistan, we are following up with you to see if you are still interested in continuing with your fundraiser. 

If you wish to proceed, please reply to the following email and we can review the fundraiser for reinstatement. If you do not wish to proceed with your fundraiser, no further action is needed. 

Please reply directly to this email with your answers to the questions below, and a member of our Compliance Team will review your account within 3-4 business days.

Please respond to us with the following information:

1) Your full legal name and the full legal name of the person who meets the withdrawal requirements.

2) What is the full legal name of the intended recipient(s)? This is the person the funds for, their legal guardian (if under the age of 18), or the person who will be distributing aid.*

3) What is the location of the intended recipient? Please indicate city and country.

4) What is the intended purpose of the donations? Please share a list of any goods and/or services you or the recipient of the funds will obtain.

5) After funds are withdrawn from GoFundMe, how will the funds be sent to the intended recipient(s)? Please include the names of any banks or money transfer service that will be used to send funds.

*Please note that we do not require the requested information to show publicly on your fundraiser. This information is only required for internal GoFundMe verification purposes and is always treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy: https://www.gofundme.com/privacy

In order to complete our review, we’ll need a direct response to this email. If you prefer this email in another language or have any additional questions or concerns, please let us know so that we can better assist you.

If Afghans are in the USA, GoFundMe stated this:

If funds will be for Afghans that are currently in the US, this is perfectly acceptable. If funds will be going to individuals that are located elsewhere, we will need to understand where they are located, as well as their full names, and how the funds will be sent to them, including the names of any money transfer services or banks that will be used to transfer funds. We appreciate your understanding and assistance whilst we work with you through our review.

Go Fund Me Note: As of now (08SEP) GoFundMe.com is reportedly rejecting fundraisers related to Afghanistan. I tried to create one to raise funds for specific Afghans I know who are in the US now and still in Afghanistan. It was rejected, and it seems I am not allowed to start a new campaign that focuses only on those arriving to the USA. GoFundMe immediately put my Fundraiser as “Pending Review” then rejected it and provided an email stating:

Thank you for your efforts to support those affected by the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. GoFundMe is monitoring ongoing events in the region and is reviewing all fundraisers to help ensure that funds are delivered safely and securely to the intended beneficiary.

Due to Taliban control and to ensure GoFundMe complies with all U.S. and international laws, we are writing to inform you that your fundraiser has been removed. Please know, this is not a policy specific to GoFundMe—it is based on laws and global financial regulations that we must abide by.

At this time, in order to help ensure funds are delivered safely and securely, we request that you deliver funds to a non-profit organization operating in the region since laws still allow them to receive donations.

We understand the frustration that this may cause but just like every fundraiser on GoFundMe, we are working hard to ensure that we can get donations to those intended. When that isn’t possible, as it isn’t at this time for individual fund transfers into Afghanistan, we are offering options to our users to either have their donors refunded or to direct amounts raised to vetted charities that can currently receive monies to assist those impacted.

If you are looking for ways to help by donating, we’ve launched a centralized hub populated with verified fundraisers to provide help to those in need through organizations directly aiding efforts on the ground.

If you would like to continue to support the people affected by the crisis in Afghanistan, we recommend starting a certified charity fundraiser for a verified organization on the GoFundMe platform that is already providing critical support to those affected, which include:

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders

UNICEF

Concern Worldwide

Keeping Our Promise

Once you find the charity of your choice’s listing, you can create a campaign for them by clicking or tapping the “Start” button next to the charity listing.
If you need assistance with creating a Charity Fundraiser please reply to this message and a member of our team will be able to assist you. Any donations made to your fundraiser that have not already been withdrawn have been refunded and will be returned to your donors within 3-7 business days.

Thank you for your understanding,

Marvel
Compliance Team

GoFundMe Trust & Safety – https://www.gofundme.com/c/safety
More questions? Check out our Help Center here – http://support.gofundme.com