$300,000 to support Afghan families who have arrived in the U.S.
The world feels overwhelming right now. Unbelievably so. When it all feels like too much, we focus on doing the next right thing, as our founder Glennon Doyle says. Today, the next right thing for Together Rising is supporting Afghan families who have arrived in the U.S. through a $300,000 investment that will provide critically-needed housing, food, clothing, and other basic necessities.
As of Wednesday, more than 23,000 Afghan people have arrived at military bases in Virginia, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Texas, and New Jersey. Most of them have nothing but the clothes they are wearing. They’ve been forced from their homes and everything they’ve known. Now is our chance to hold them close, to welcome them with open arms.
Many refugees and special immigrant visa holders are undergoing the next step in the resettlement process, which is to get connected to one of nine resettlement organizations that UNHCR partners with. Two of these organizations—ECDC and LIRS—are deeply respected in this space. They are exceptionally skilled at providing culturally sensitive, comprehensive support. Together, they have successfully resettled more than 550,000 refugees.
Together Rising is investing $300,000 in ECDC and LIRS to enable their teams to welcome each family and work hand-in-hand with them to ensure they have critically-needed housing, food, clothing, and basic necessities.
Even as we make this investment now, we know that these same families will need long-term support, that thousands more are set to arrive in the coming weeks, and that millions still in Afghanistan are in crisis.
Our team is listening intently to Afghan voices and actively assessing and thoroughly vetting the best ways for Together Rising to help on as many fronts of this crisis as possible.
Today, this second deployment of funds is the next right thing for our commitment to Afghan women, children, and families.
Thank you to every person who has already donated to help these families. If you are in a position to do so, please consider supporting this ongoing effort by donating at the link in our bio or by clicking “Donate to Afghanistan” at TogetherRising.org/Give.