To demand that the US government continue evacuating all Afghan allies stuck in Afghanistan and ensure their safety throughout the process. This can be done by: Extending the evacuation deadline, Securing the airport in Kabul and/or providing alternative locations for people to be evacuated from, Expanding and expediting processing of P-1, P-2, and SIVs. Removing quotas and eliminating visa restrictions and requirements.

Provide humanitarian aid to displaced and vulnerable communities in Afghanistan. Ensure the Taliban will not prohibit international aid and assistance deployed within the country.

Implement a monitoring system that will effectively empower the Afghan people to ensure aid is being distributed fairly, particularly so that every dollar is accounted for and being used for measurable outcomes.

We are also here to ask the Global community for their support, for governments to open their hearts and borders to families/ and individuals fleeing and connecting refugees to adequate resources.

We are here to honour the 241,000 innocent Afghan souls that have been lost to this senseless war in Afghanistan, the lives of 60,000+ Afghan army men who fought and sacrificed their lives for a country they never got to see in peace, and the 2000+ US military deaths as a result of the war.

We are holding Bush and every proceeding administration accountable for war crimes. The military industrial complex, the defence contractors that have profited off the war. We are demanding further investigation into the stealing of aid money that was designated for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

To ensure that it is the voices of Afghans that are being heard in the media right now. As I speak, the Taliban are moving to censor all forms of free speech and eliminate communication to the outside world. If the Taliban have control of all communication, crimes against innocent civilians will and are already taking place. We ask the global community, especially the UN to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Civilians and journalists need their free speech protected at all cost. Afghan voices must be empowered and that western media coverage includes afghans to share their experiences and perspectives. 

The international community needs to hold the Taliban regime accountable for their actions. As a terror group that has a history of heinous attacks against various ethnic groups including, the Shia community, Hazaras, women, and civil society activists, the people of Afghanistan do not trust nor accept the Taliban as a legitimate or capable government. In the absence of a legitimate government that can guarantee protection of each and every Afghan’s rights, we call upon the international community to a monitoring program of the Taliban regime, as well as an enforcement measure to punish the Taliban and their allies if they continue their campaign of horror on the Afghan people.

To ensure that the plight of Afghanistan does not fall from the global conscience. To refuse to allow the international community to disengage and forget about a crisis that is of their own doing, a crisis that has only recently erupted but has been in the making for over 20 years. We want accountability and a plan for peace that has been developed collaboratively with Afghans themselves, both in Afghanistan and in the West.

And finally, to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and in the diaspora.  We stand here for you. We stand for your peace and freedom. So as long as there is even one Afghan, our people will always have a voice.

In August 2021, Philadelphia International Airport became the second airport in the US to receive Afghan families that were evacuated from Afghanistan. Due to the large number of individuals/families arriving, there was a high need for interpreters. AOPxSola collaborated with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to seek and help recruit Dari/Pashto interpreters/volunteers.

• AOPxSola held their first donation drive in September and asked community members to donate for Afghan families that were arriving in Philadelphia. The community showed up with immense support and donated various items including; clothes, shoes, hygiene products, bags, home goods, toys, electronics, etc.

• AOPxSola collected, organized, and transferred part of the donation to ICNA Relief to be utilized for Afghan families with resettlement agencies

• AOPxSola collaborated with @the_impact_center and @njmuslimofficers in November to drop off donations for the Afghan families currently residing at the base in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Thousands of families at the base are dependent on donations from the community.

• AOPxSola teamed up with @imamalimasjid for a joint effort in November to collect and organize donations for the Afghan families staying at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Donations involved winter items for families in preparation for the winter, strollers for children, essentials for pregnant women, and much more.

• In January, AOPxSola collected monetary donations to buy winter items for families staying at a designated hotel for recently evacuated families in Philadelphia.

AOPxSola coordinated with Madap Sharma, a Community Resource Developer at Bethany Christian Services to conduct an URM info session on Fostering Afghan Minors. As a result, many Afghan families were able to register for training and work on becoming certified to foster Afghan minors.

AOPxSola presented to the education collaborative members on Wednesday, October 6th. The presentation was on key information that was important for school district and community-based organization staff to know about arriving Afghan families as these staff members work with folks to enroll their children in school and welcome them into a new learning environment.

The PPT in conjunction with the PDF provided political and historical context of Afghanistan, key cultural differences, some points about the social, economic, and educational background of families, linguistic differences (differences between Dari, Farsi, and Pashto, for example), and other relevant points.