A gem of resources here for several ways to help by @RiannaStarheim:
1. Text “go advocate4afg” to 50409. Then visit, for example, this excellent Google Doc to find opportunities to volunteer near you: https://bit.ly/38Y6w4n.
Afgdiasporahub.com has a list of upcoming regional events.
2. If you’d like to help journalists, women, human rights defenders, artists, photographers or Afghan friends I’m in touch with and supporting, Venmo @RiannaStarheim. I promise every cent will go to direct money transfers, flights or other assistance. I do understand that it’s a little sketchy to ask you to Venmo my personal account. If you’d rather donate to an organization, consider Emergency Hospital, an NGO with branches across Afghanistan that treats civilian casualties of war. Emergency is the single best and most heroic organization I know. Here’s a link to their donation page: https://en.emergency.it/donate/. For the next few days, you can also get a photo print out of the deal via Ishkar’s photo print fundraiser on behalf of Emergency Hospital: https://www.ishkar.com/collections/emergency-print-fundraiser.
3. Message me if you’d consider sponsoring an individual for humanitarian parole, or providing long-term support to an Afghan individual or family regardless of visa status. It’s a big commitment, but desperately needed and would transform the beneficiary’s life. More info here: https://bit.ly/3npokOj.
Here’s a living twitter thread of additional ways to help: https://twitter.com/RiannaStarheim/status/1429560762910101510. Please do add to the comments.
Also, here is a list of Organizations noted by Washington Post that you can help via: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/21/how-to-help-afghan-refugees/
Ways to help by Evacuate Our Allies: https://www.evacuateourallies.org/act-now
Resources for specific transit/screening camp locations:
New Jersey: Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
The thousands of Afghans arrived with little more than they could carry and are in need of nearly every conceivable personal hygiene item. Gift cards to major retailers are also suitable donations. High demand items: men’s shoes (size 7-9), women’s shoes (size 7, 9), new blankets, jackets, shampoo, green tea, basketballs and soccer balls, shampoos, prayer rugs and Holy Korans.
For those without DoD access: drop off points for donations include American Legion Post 372 in Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel Fire Fighters Local 4408, Catholic Charities of south NJ, and the American Red Cross.
For those with DoD access: MDL Bldg 5601 off Texas Ave is also a collection point.
Camp Atterbury, Indiana
Camp Atterbury Public Affairs Office: 812-526-1499, Ext.61386
Wisconsin: Fort McCoy
Fort McCoy Facebook Page – Has updates and information.
Urgent call for NEW women’s underwear/bras for Afghan refugees in Wisconsin:
The NGO running the Fort McCoy, WI site is in need of NEW Women’s Underwear and Bras for female refugees. Please try to buy nude colors, cotton/easily washable in laundry machines. You can order online and ship them to:
Team Rubicon c/o Nat’l Guard Center 602 Division St, Sparta, WI 54656
If you can, also flag the upcoming shipment to them via their google doc: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZJ91cW5FPvtbu87hiG2ji1hbOHTteT9_zYqj8376DfFI5_A/viewform
They are triaging to first ensure all 10K refugees have 1-2 pairs of clean clothes before they move to winter clothes. Other items (new or gently used) needed are: hijabs/headscarves, sneakers/shoes, the special South Asian socks for flip flops, and fall clothing for men/women/kids in general (ie, full pants, full-sleeved shirts).
If you know of any South Asians in the WI/Chicago area, pls ask for their help- they have the right clothes.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of La Crosse (https://cclse.org/afghanistan-refugee-assistance/)
Washington, DC Metropolitan Area
Adams Center: https://www.adamscenter.org/afghanevacuees
Afghanistan Youth Relief Foundation (AYRF)
AU Veterans (American University Chapter of Student Veterans of America) is helping via AYRF and you can sign up to assist here. AU Vets relief effort is excepting all donations and also need weekend volunteer help to sort and pack donations for the resettlement effort. There’s a volunteer sign-up link in our linktree. For more information the local POC’s are: Noor: (571) 225-3121
And Baseem: (571) 606-3955
The Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area is looking for volunteers to assist Afghan refugees in Washington. According to its website, the organization has aided 68 families and 294 individuals — it is anticipating another 150 people. In Virginia, two locations are seeking Pashto and Dari interpreters to assist Afghan refugees: Dulles International Airport and Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale. Interested people are asked to email hdmrc@fairfaxcounty.gov with subject line “Afghan Interpreters.”
California
In California, Fremont — home to an Afghan diaspora enclave — is collecting donations to support local charities providing essential items to incoming refugees. In East Bay, Jewish Family and Community Services created an Afghan evacuation effort to help families moving to the community.
Arizona
The International Rescue Committee’s Phoenix office is looking for volunteers to set up apartments for refugees.
Germany – Ramstein Air Force Base
From a personal source: “They no longer need any donations but the Red Cross and USO could probably use cash donations. Well not probably but always! Germany is only allowing the evacuees to stay in country for 10 days. They pretty much have things going smoothly now. There have been 15 babies born since the evacuees arrived!“
Colorado & Montana
Denver and Missoula, Mont., offices are seeking people to mentor families by assisting with appointments and helping them acclimate to the United States
Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, the Nationalities Service Center, a refugee resettlement agency, has volunteer opportunities for people welcoming Afghan families into their communities. The agency also established an Amazon Wish List for items to help stock refugees’ homes and is accepting donations. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
Texas
Refugee Services of Texas is seeking volunteers to help Afghan refugees with apartment setup, orientation and transportation.
National Organizations
Airbnb – “You can go to airbnb.org/refugees. On that page, you’ll find out you can do two things to get involved. First, you can become a host. Anyone can share their space with a refugee. You don’t have to be an Airbnb host. All you need to have is a space available to share. And second, if you don’t have a space to share, you can donate to the effort there as well.” (Source: https://kcby.com/news/local/airbnb-providing-temporary-housing-to-20000-afghan-refugees)
Regarding Airbnb support. I have reached out to them on Twitter. They told me to DM them my email associated with my account. I then got this useless message in my Airbnb inbox:
Then they responded to my Twitter DM and this was their response:
Thank you for sending the message Brandon! We understand your situation, here’s all the information regarding how they can apply.
For refugees or asylum seeker inquiring about a stay on http://Airbnb.org, only guests can only be referred to the program by http://Airbnb.org‘s resettlement partners.
In addition, we are not able to evaluate or process individual cases, housing requests or documents. There are also resources available here: https://rcusa.org/afghanistan/for-afghans/… and https://find.usahello.org/#/list for individuals already in the US.
If you have further questions regarding the Refugee Hosting for Afghanistan, please feel free to send us another message.
I then clicked on their Airbnb.org link to look for these “resettlement partners” and it is just a long list of NGOs. I picked on – Rescue.org – whom I have donated to twice before. Their website was essentially useless but I found a phone number for a NYC office, but it listed the hours, and today is a Sunday so they are not open. I guess everyone assumes Refugees have ample time with a great internet connection, great tech savvy English skills, and have Sundays off.
Team Rubicon – We’re assisting displaced people from Afghanistan in Quantico, VA. Teams will be supporting the management of donated goods and setting up the logistics at each donation point for collections and distribution in multiple locations. (https://teamrubiconusa.org/resettlement)
Here is Team Rubicons brochere for helping Afghans in transit and resettling: https://rollcall.teamrubiconusa.org/Team-Rubicons-Afghan-Resettlement-Support-and-Needs.pdf
Tashakor - Helping Afghan Allies 