When the U.S. left Afghanistan, they were unable to rescue the thousands who needed their help. Many people had to flee on their own. Two of these people, S. and N., arrived at the U.S. border about two months ago. The very day the U.S. left Afghanistan, they began their travel getting as far as Turkey, only to be sent back to Afghanistan. Twice they made it to Turkey and twice they were sent back. Finally, with help from their friends and family, they flew to Iran, then to Brazil and next, by walking, biking, taking rides, driving, motorcycling, trekking through knee-deep mud, canoeing through alligator infested swamps—moving forward any way they could—they arrived in America. Amazing! My wife Penny and I are semi-retired owners of a country inn on the coast of California just south of San Francisco. About a month ago, we received phone calls from the US Border Police, about two asylum seekers from Afghanistan at the border. We realized from their names that this was the young couple that one of Penny’s students in Lesvos, Greece had asked us to help, about 18 months earlier. During Penny's time volunteering in refugee camps in Lesvos, she befriended a brother and sister who had fled Afghanistan together at the age of 16 and 15, to escape the violence in their country. Najib and Marzia traveled primarily on foot and at night from Afghanistan, through Iran, Iraq and Turkey (over 4500 miles) before getting in a small, overcrowded boat to reach the island of Lesvos. Now at the Tijuana border were her cousins who could not find asylum anywhere. We tried to help them 18 months earlier, but we could not do anything for them, then. Luckily, miracles do happen. Penny and her friend, Cecelia Wambach from REAL International, drove to southern California and picked them up at the border in San Diego. They are here with us now. We accepted them, and we are helping them. (N) and his wife (S) are married physicians, 32 years of age. They are lovely, spirited, exhausted, traumatized, and full of hope. After hearing their story and seeing the frenzy at our southern border on television, we feel like we have been given a gift: the chance to help two people put their lives back together. You know the story of Afghanistan. Sadly, under Taliban rule, S and N, who worked for Western health organizations and are Hazara and Shia, have no right to life or livelihood. Escape was their only choice to survive. For now, we are taking turns housing them in Pescadero, San Francisco, and Walnut Creek, CA. We have received some emergency relief, medical help and legal assistance. We are looking for housing in Concord, where there is an Afghan community. S. and N. speak Farsi and intermediate English. Our hearts are overflowing and our hands are full. We need your help financially to assist them with housing, furniture, legal services, food—everything they will need for their first year while they are applying for asylum. They are not permitted to have jobs during a six-month period following their filing legal papers for asylum, which we are still working through with an attorney. Please consider helping us by participating in this Go Fund Me. This Go Fund Me account has been set up by Penny and I so that the non-profit organization Refugee Education and Learning International will receive the donations and all funds will be disbursed by them. REAL International is a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and will graciously act as our fiscal agent, therefore your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed per IRS regulations. No donation is too small, nor too big. Ken Donnelly You have to understand: No one puts their children in a boat unless it is safer than the land- Warshan Shire, Somalian Poet.
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