ABOUT
The Afghanistan & Haiti Rapid Response Fund is intended to meet specific emergency needs through direct cash assistance and support to Afghan and Haitinan refugees in their home country as well as those resettling in the United States.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Thousands of refugee children and families from Afghanistan and Haiti are in critical need of resources to fulfill their basic and day-to-day needs.
The purpose of the Afghanistan & Haiti Rapid Response Fund is to meet specific, emergency needs through direct cash assistance and support to Afghan and Haitinan refugees in their home country as well as those resettling in the United States. Examples include, but are not limited to, burial costs, housing, food, transportation, medical needs, and clothing.
About the Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti & Afghanistan
With President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in July of 2021, extreme violence in Haiti has ensued. This, in addition to a deadly earthquake just a few weeks ago and the increasing cases of COVID-19, have caused a huge influx of Haitian refugees seeking entry and protection at the United States border.
Meanwhile, after a brutal and seemingly endless war, the people of Afghanistan are left to deal with the consequences of the departure of U.S. forces, in addition to the socio-economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, thousands upon thousands are fleeing Afghanistan with just the clothes on their back to seek refuge in the United States.
OUR APPROACH
Storytelling
Storytelling is at the heart of advocacy and organizing – it is a form of accountability to know the truth and tell the truth about the issues that affect us all. This is why we will be creating original content to educate the public about what’s happening in Afghanistan and Haiti and concrete ways that people can make a difference. In the coming weeks, we will be producing panel conversations and athlete-training with experts as well as holding IG Lives to spark critical dialogue and mobilize fans and the public to take action.
Direct Cash Assistance
We believe in concrete ways of addressing systemic and structural barriers to support the overall wellbeing of our communities. This means doing our part in eliminating unnecessary roadblocks so that resources can be placed directly in the hands of those who need them. We are working to ensure that resources go directly in the hands of Afghan and Haitian refugees as well as working alongside leading, grassroots organizations to disburse funds and resources raised.
Policy Advocacy
In collaboration with grassroots organizers and advocacy organizations such as the Haitian Bridge Alliance, Afghan-American Community Organization, and Afghans For Better Tomorrow, we will work together to amplify and support their existing advocacy efforts to ensure that there is a direct line of assistance to aid and protection for Haitian and Afghan refugees here in the United States.
OUR PARTNERS
The Afghanistan & Haiti Rapid Response Fund is working in partnership with The Haitian Bridge Alliance, the leading coalition of Haitian non-profit organizations and community activists working in Haiti and the U.S.; the Afghan-American Community Organization, an organization dedicated towards advancing the Afghan-American community through education and outreach, and promoting civic and social engagement; and Afghans For Better Tomorrow, a group of dedicated progressive organizers in the Afghan diaspora devoted to a vision for a peaceful Afghanistan.
100% of the donations to the Afghanistan & Haiti Rapid Response Fund will go to Afghan-American Community Organization and Haitian Bridge Alliance to distribute directly to Afghan and Haitian families in the U.S. and in their home countries.
Athletes for Impact is teaming up with RFK Human Rights, an international human rights advocacy organization, to ensure that resources get to the people of Afghanistan and Haiti who need it the most. Once the donation is made, RFKHR works expeditiously to process and transmit payment to the Afghan and Haitian-led organizations as quickly and efficiently as possible.
