The world has been watching with mounting horror as the conflict in Afghanistan has unfolded over recent weeks, with one question on everyone’s lips: what can we do to help? With the news that thousands of Afghan refugees will be granted permission to resettle in the UK and the first group arriving from Afghanistan’s capital Kabul earlier this week, there has never been a more urgent need for aid.
While organising housing remains a pressing issue, there are many ways that you can help, from donating to various charities, writing to your local MP or donating clothes and supplies at various points across the country – coats, underwear and nappies remain the most urgently needed items. Here, we’ve rounded up all the ways you can provide support and how you can help Afghan refugees.
CHOOSE LOVE
Since launching in 2015, Choose Love has raised millions to support refugees around the world with their unique model: a combination of fundraising and retail, their online store sells real supplies and services for refugees, offering everything from sun hats and sleeping bags to legal support and medical care. They’re currently looking to raise £200,000 to help support projects that are providing vital aid and services to Afghan people who have fled the country, including clothes, shelter, and support for children and groups protecting women and children’s rights. As they say on their website, “These are things no one should go without.”
Women for Women International
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has had the greatest impact on the country’s women and girls, who now face violence and uncertainty in their own homeland. Women for Women International has set up a fundraiser specifically to raise money for Afghan women, with every donation helping them to find practical, safe solutions so that they can continue to operate and provide targeted support for those in need. Originally set up to provide aid for marginalised women in conflict-affected countries, 84p of every pound they spend goes directly to support women survivors of war, while the remaining 16p helps fund essential running costs.
Care4Calais
Set up six years ago to help asylum seekers in France hoping to reach Britain, Care4Calais has now become a key player in the nationwide effort to help Afghans escaping the Taliban, with hundreds of volunteers across the country working with the charity to set up donation drop-off points for clothing and supplies, which are then sorted and delivered straight to the hotels housing newly-arrived refugees. They are also accepting financial donations for their Afghan Welcome Packs, which provide people with clean clothes, proper shoes and basic toiletries; since launching, they’ve already passed their initial fundraising target of £100,000.
Thrift+
The online vintage store Thrift+ has teamed up with Choose Love to open a new site specifically to raise profits to support the people of Afghanistan. There are two main ways you can help out: the first is by donating any unwanted clothes you have by ordering a free ThriftBag from the website, filling it with clothes and returning it. Any clothes you send will give you credits towards the other option, which is to buy pieces from their Second Life store. Featuring pre-loved items from designers including Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta, the profits go towards providing shelter and clothing for those in need.
British Red Cross
