Thank you for your contacting Task & Purpose. Our team of journalists has compiled a list of resources that may be useful if you or someone you know are trying to evacuate from Afghanistan.
(If you are reaching out with a tip about a specific story, please email tips@taskandpurpose.com.)
If you are seeking help with visa issues or your evacuation, please consider the following:
Send an email to ACTF@state.gov that includes a passport, any other forms of identification; such as a Tazkira; a brief explanation of why you are at risk; and any contact information you have such as an email and your phone number.
A group of U.S. volunteers calling themselves “Team America” has compiled a list of resources below:
Request for Assistance Form: Click here
Latest Guidance:
This is a guide on how to clean up your online profiles in case the Taliban searches your phone: Click here
The International Refugee Assistance Project also offers chatbots which offer information through Facebook Messenger and Telegram. To talk to the chatbot, add @irapchatbot on Telegram or message them on Facebook. Then, type “hello” as your first message. The chatbot will respond to you and ask you a series of questions about your situation. If you are using Telegram, click the window button next to the text box to view which options are available to respond to a message. These options automatically appear on Facebook.
The Indian government has created this e-Visa portal. India is taking a lot of refugees.
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/index.html
The focus of this nonprofit organization is two-fold: They seek to revamp the State Department’s 14-step process for SIVs and to also ease the transition for those who have been resettled in the U.S. The group was founded by Janis Shenwari who served as a translator for the Army and Marine Corps for over eight years. Right now, they are focusing efforts on helping Afghans in the process of getting an SIV, if they have a case number. The group has resources to help people navigate the process as well as recommendations for other groups that can assist. Service members who wish to help their interpreters will also find information on the website to guide them. They are accepting donations, and report that $0.76 of every dollar goes directly to the SIV families. They can also be reached at info@nooneleft.org.
This organization provides resettlement assistance to “endangered wartime allies who served U.S. interests in conflict and war zones.” They also have information on how Afghans based in the United States can file for what the government calls “Humanitarian Parole” for their family members still in Afghanistan. Individuals and groups can donate money or time, and their audited financials are available on their website.
EOA is a coalition of groups working together to evacuate and resettle Afghan allies who are in the Special Immigrant Visa process and other vulnerable Afghans. The international human rights organization provides information and resources on how to contact your representatives to urge them to take action. They report that one issue they are having is housing Afghan refugees that have made it to the United States, so if you would like to volunteer in any way to include housing families, you can fill out this form or send an email to list@evacuateourallies.org and somebody will contact you.
International Refugee Assistance Project
IRAP has been providing resources and assistance to refugees since 2008 and has ramped up efforts to help Afghans amid the current situation. They provide legal assistance to refugees to help them navigate through the process of relocating, whether it be via SIV or other means. Their website is filled with resources for SIV applicants, other refugees, and those wishing to help them and their families.
There are several other non-profit organizations working in this space right now, but these are the ones that we are familiar with and have had contact with since we began covering. In addition to these organizations, there are some representatives who have set up portals and forms to assist refugees and people looking for them.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) is a Marine Corps veteran who has been advocating for Afghans for months now and has set up a form where individuals can request information on a refugee or provide information on how best they can assist them.
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) also has a form individuals can fill out to help the State Department connect with individuals on the ground in Afghanistan who require assistance.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, which has since been evacuated, has a form that American citizens can fill out if they are still in Afghanistan and require assistance returning to the United States.
Additionally, this Google Doc provides far more resources and avenues for people to show their support in responding to a humanitarian crisis. It includes petitions and social media callouts for people to share their views on helping Afghan refugees, other ways people can help friends and family members in Afghanistan, and provides ways for people to help refugees as they resettle in a foreign land.