“I can’t escape Afghanistan. Please help me.”

By: Isamar Garcia

“I can’t escape Afghanistan. Please help my family. Do not forget me. Don’t abandon me!” 

Hundreds of WhatsApp chats and thousands of emails with the same overarching message: Save me. 

These are the voices of people who are sleep-deprived, frustrated, and starving. These are the voices of Afghans who have worked with Americans, who are Americans, who are school children, and who are journalists. Regardless of their background or work history, these are the voices of people who want to leave their home country s o they can live without the fear of death.

I hear the cries, see the abused, and read the desperation in their messages as I remotely keep hope alive with the Evacuate Our Allies Operations Center as an Operation Coordinator.

I have never served my country and I have no ties to Afghanistan, but I have never felt such a kinship, albeit distant, to the veterans and servicemen who avidly support evacuation efforts for our Afghan allies. One of whom is a retired United States Army officer and CEO of Evacuate Our Allies Operations Center, Steve Miska. His mission for the Operations Center is to be an informational hub providing 24/7 coverage and resources to people on the ground, as well as for other organizations coordinating efforts in the Evacuation-To-Resettlement pipeline.

Evacuate Our Allies is more than just the information kiosk it set out to be, we are a humanitarian voice on the other side of the line. We are providing real time resources from various organizations to those still stuck in Afghanistan and advise about Taliban scams. We are connecting humanitarian efforts, stateside and abroad, to ensure support systems are in place for those leaving Afghanistan to provide care, aid and assistance along the entire pipeline. We answer every phone call, every WhatsApp text, and every email because we share an ethos with the rest of the Afghanistan effort: Leave No One Behind.

Evacuate Our Allies is a non-profit organization who has partnered with other coalitions in the Evacuation-to-Resettlement pipeline such as Welcome.US and AfghanEvac to provide assistance to other organizations. 

If you would like to give help or are looking for help, please visit EvacuateOurAllies.org.

Do you or someone you know need assistance? Please email EvacuateOurAllies@gmail.com for resources, information, and updates.