By now you have likely seen the news of a travel ban. While this impacts citizens of Afghanistan, we are relieved to report that those with SIV cases are exempt. While most refugee resettlement remains closed, a window continues to exist to help these people who risked their lives to work with U.S. forces. This means we can move forward with plans to help one more family this year. We need your help to accomplish this.
Families with approved SIV cases are waiting in Qatar, Pakistan, and Albania right now. Without sponsorship to reach the U.S., they face an uncertain future. These families are at particular risk because of their work with the U.S. government. They risk having their visas and ability to travel to safety expire if they do not receive sponsorship. There are so many needs in the world today and we know you hear many appeals for help. We are asking you to step up once more and help a family in dire need of safety build a life here on the Central Coast.
Donate here to support SLO for Home’s effort to resettle one more SIV family this year.
Below is a special message from client and volunteer Sayed. He arrived earlier this year with an SIV from Afghanistan.
My name is Sayed Edris Hashimi. You might remember me from a recent newsletter where I shared my experience growing up in Afghanistan and coming to the United States as an SIV holder with the help of SLO for Home. The support I’ve received has been life changing and I am committed to advocating for the many women, men, and children still in danger in Afghanistan.
The plight of children in Afghanistan remains a particular concern of mine. While protections against child labor exist on paper, thousands of children engage in deadly jobs every day. These children and their families are driven to desperation by extreme poverty. A particularly egregious and common form of child labor is work in the coal mines.
Hashmatullah Poya—a good friend and businessman—shared a particularly heartbreaking incident with me. Hashmatullah witnessed a young boy working inside a coal mine, forced to labor for hours in small, cramped tunnels under hazardous conditions, with no safety equipment. One day, overwhelmed by exhaustion and the dust-filled environment, the boy fainted inside the tunnel. Hashmatullah was present and immediately took the boy to Ibn Sina Balkhi Hospital. Doctors there indicated that his collapse was likely caused by extreme fatigue and inhalation of dust. Hashmatullah confirmed that such incidents are disturbingly common, as children are often forced into perilous labor in these illegal mines. They are risking their health and lives every day.
This story had a profound impact on me. I was fortunate enough to receive an education but children as young as 8 or 9 are laboring and dying everyday. It highlighted the severe human rights abuses faced by children in these hazardous industries and reinforced the urgent need for awareness and action. The suffering of these children is not just a distant tragedy but a stark reminder of the human cost associated with unlawful child labor in Afghanistan. I hope by sharing the plight of this young boy and the many like him that we might take action to help as many children as possible.
We have a chance to help another SIV family facing the prospect of a forced return to Afghanistan. There are many families still waiting for sponsorship to come to the United States before their visas expire and they lose the chance of safety forever. Not only are these families at risk of Taliban reprisal but they will be sent back into a country facing extreme poverty. The girls will receive limited or no education and many of the children will be forced into harsh labor positions to help feed and house their families.
We can’t protect every family but your help will mean the world to the one family we can help. It means a future filled with school and friends and dreams-a childhood. It means a mother and father hosting birthday parties instead of funerals for their children. We have asked a lot from the community this year but I hope you can join us once again to provide life saving assistance to a family in desperate need.
Sincerely,
Sayed Edris Hashimi