Afghanistan and Haiti — How You can Help

With the desperate situations in Afghanistan and Haiti, many are asking how they can help people in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees, as well as the people of Haiti struggling to recover from the recent devastating earthquake. The following list of resources has been compiled from suggestions offered by Tysons Interfaith contributors:

FOR AFGHANISTAN

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES: The leading resettlement agency resettling refugees in the DMV area that is already in the process of resettling hundreds of recently arrived Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, working with local nonprofit groups — they need financial donations, volunteers for apartment setup, transportation, tutoring, advocacy, and more. See https://lssnca.org/take_action/afghan-allies.html

LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICES: See https://www.lirs.org/

CATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF ARLINGTON COUNTY:  Doing work in the DMV. See https://www.ccda.net/need-help/immigrants-and-refugees/migration-and-refugee-services/

ETHIOPIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION:  Also doing work in the DMV.  See https://www.ecdcus.org/

HIAS: formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, HIAS has been working in the U.S. and around the world for 130 years on refugee resettlement and advocacy — now seeking financial assistance, advocates, and volunteers to provide housing for newly arrived Afghan families. See https://www.hias.org/crisis-afghanistan-how-you-can-help

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: another leading refugee resettlement agency, resettling refugees in the Baltimore area and elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world – see https://help.rescue.org/donate/afghanistan

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: providing medical care for the neediest people in the toughest places around the world, including 5 still-operating projects in Afghanistan – see Afghanistan | How to Help & FAQs | Doctors Without Borders

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND: the only nation-wide association of wartime allies in the US dedicated to ensuring that America keeps its promise to our interpreters from Iraq and Afghanistan, now trying, among other things, to charter planes to rescue Afghan refugees.  See  https://nooneleft.org/default.aspx?

INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM  ( IRAP): a leading organization, headquartered in New York, involved in litigation and advocacy on behalf of refugees across the United States. See https://refugeerights.org/

WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL: https://support.womenforwomen.org/donate/afghanistan-emergency-2x-match?src=HHUA21082A

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE: another leading refugee resettlement agency, run by U.S. churches for over 70 years, involved in advocacy as well as refugee resettlement around the world. See https://cwsglobal.org/learn/refugees-and-immigrants/

FOR HAITI

Many faith-based organizations are sending resources to Haiti, so you may wish to check with your local faith-based organization for additional information. 

Also, the following NPR article explains precautions to take when donating and provides links to lists of organizations doing work in Haiti.  https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028421310/haiti-earthquake-how-to-help.

This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.