Aria Project for Afghanistan

Dear Aria Project Supporters,

Background On Aria Project: When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 my Facebook messenger and email were flooded with pleas for help from several of my former students who I had met during a volunteer-teaching stint in 2010. Many of my former students, now adults with families, had college degrees and had become successful in their fields - engineering, economics, dentistry, medicine and computer science - while others served in the Afghan Army. When the Taliban took over their country, they were forbidden to work and all females were required to quit their jobs and stay indoors. The Taliban continues to hunt down educated people, as well as anyone previously involved with the Afghan Army or humanitarian efforts, and marks them as traitors to Islam and their names remain on lists.  These circumstances have caused several of my students and their families to go into hiding or to flee into neighboring countries.  

Our Work Over The Last 3 Months: The cost of food and rent has not gone down through the summer months. High medical expenses and car repairs continue to be relentless. 

The later spring and early summer months provide less severe travel conditions for Afghan men to journey to Iran for construction work to support their families. Travel expenses alone make this necessary endeavor difficult. Once in Iran work is not necessarily guaranteed plus, there are risks of sustaining an injury while on the job and this can require medical care. This all creates massive pressure on the young men who are trying to support families back home. Aria Project has assisted in the funding of transportation to get to Iran and for expenses that have accrued when they are there.   

Since spring, several families have requested funding for passports and work visas.  While visas and passports are incredibly difficult to obtain, priorities have to be calculated between these fees and the cost of living. I trust my former students to consult with their families to appropriate the funds as they see fit. That said, the money raised has shown results. Funding was directed to help one family of four who we had been helping to stay in Pakistan, were finally able to obtain visas, which enabled them to relocate to Italy. Also, one of the girls we had sent some money to early on for groceries, was interviewed for a feature article by a journalist of a well-known magazine and was able to relocate to Paris.  

Another of my former students, an uncle of Baby Aria (the namesake for this project), has specific, determined goals of moving to Germany in hopes of educating himself through hospitality classes toward employment at a hotel. However, the ruling Taliban continues to harshly manipulate the price for Afghans to obtain passports, preventing them from leaving the country freely and safely. My former student and others rely on Aria Project for financial support to counter the Taliban’s restrictive tactics. The project also benefits Aria’s youngest uncle who suffers from grand mal seizures and to continue to allow the boys’ father to transport his youngest son to Jalalabad for vital medical care and prescriptions. While my former student seeks a passport and visa to pursue a future in Germany, his main concern is that his family will continue to be cared for once he is gone.                                                                                

Another of my former students was enrolled in medical school prior to the Taliban’s takeover.  Once the Taliban took control, the medical school was closed, and letters were sent to those students’ families, calling for him and fellow aspiring doctors to be turned over to the Taliban for “adopting Western beliefs.”  My former student and one of his friends from medical school made their way to Pakistan in hopes of securing visas to the United States to continue their academic pursuits.  However, the two young men were without passports, and the Pakistani government denied their visas.  This forced the young men to return to Afghanistan to seek the necessary passports, which – as stated previously – are extremely difficult to acquire under Taliban rule.  In Afghanistan, he is able to work a construction job to help support his mother and his sister’s family, but that work does not provide enough to cover everyday expenses so, Aria Project has been able to assist.    

Dear Donors, you have continued to help keep families together and in their homes. Your kindness and generosity keep these people fed and able to find hope in their lives. I want to share with you all of my students’ personalities and their questions about life, love, American culture, and their comments of gratitude.  

Gratitude: Again, I want to thank each and every person who has contributed to this effort financially or by passing it on to others for awareness. I am deeply grateful for all your help I have received in making this effort possible. Everyone who has benefited from your generosity has asked me to thank you as well. I received this message from the father of one of my former students:  

"Dear Sister Angela, I wish for you good health and a good life and continued success. Dear sister, unemployment is at an all-time high in Afghanistan and there are no businesses for anyone to make a living. People are starving and some people are selling their children and others have committed suicide. You have given us your hands in such a difficult situation. Because of the kindness of strangers, we are alive in this world and we are living with dignity, dear sister. Please accept these words that were in my mind. Thank you for giving us more precious time."