SCM Medical Missions
CNN has reported on the story of the two Afghan men SCM is helping to get to safety. Our friend and LGBTQ activist Michael Failla is leading this effort. You can read the full article here about escaping one city and then being in hiding in Kabul, and their escape to Pakistan where they are waiting to be approved to come to the US.
And please donate to help them with survival expenses and to help them get on their feet once they are in the US.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, Ahmed and his younger brother Mahmoud had no choice but to run. They left their home with all their possessions, found a hiding spot in a tiny room with no toilet or bathroom and stayed there terrified for weeks while their government collapsed and their country changed completely.
Ahmed is gay, in a country where being LGBTQ is punishable by death from the Taliban – who have avowed to continue this horrific practice. He received death threats and was actively being hunted.
Both brothers are also Hazara, an ethnic minority much persecuted in Central Asia. The brothers’ own father was killed in a massacre of Hazara males when they were small children. They converted to Christianity but being ex-Muslim and Christian puts them in danger from religious fundamentalists, who see renouncing their religion as blasphemy.
Thankfully, they have escaped to Pakistan but they are constantly under threat of being forcibly returned to Afghanistan like many refugees before them.
We’re helping them apply for safety in the US but there’s a long way to go. If you’d like to sign their petition, click here!
We are raising funds to help support the brothers while they await the outcome of their asylum claim. Both are talented and hardworking, with a huge variety of experience. We want to support them until they are able to reach safety and become part of and contribute to the community. Ahmed wants to become an LGBTQ advocate, helping people in his situation and Mahmoud wants to complete his studies at university.
Can you help these brothers? We need funds to help maintain them while they receive their asylum claim, and also to find their feet when they arrive in the US. Every little counts!
Please share with your friends and thank you!
SCM Medical Missions has set up a “store” in north Seattle where refugees can come and pick up items they need like clothing, hygiene supplies, and more. We have filled a space donated by Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in Greenwood (130th and Greenwood Ave) with donated clothing and other items. The “store” will be open 3 days a week so refugees can come during those hours (right now set for M-T-W from 10am to 1pm).
We are accepting donations to keep the store stocked as more refugees arrive in the area. Please contact us at 206-545-7307 or 206-601-1141. We are also in need of furniture like beds and school supplies for the children – contact us for details.
If you don’t have any clothes or furniture to donate, please consider a monetary donation. Thank you!
In Lebanon, people are going hungry because of the economic collapse. They simply do not have the money to buy food unless they can get US dollars to buy things, and too many people are not able to do that – they don’t have international connections and the banks are not letting people withdraw US dollars, a currency that had been used interchangeably with the Lebanese lira for years, and in fact the lira had been pegged to the dollar until 2019. For a better explanation of the economic downfall of Lebanon, read this article in The Nation magazine.
The economic situation is so dire right now with inflation causing prices to skyrocket, that people who were making a living wage, middle class income, can no longer afford to buy food, get gas for their cars or pay for electricity. So much is imported into Lebanon that is no longer available or in extremely short supply, such as wheat, paracetamol for pain relief and other medications, and the black marketeers are stepping up their activity for a price. Even women’s hygiene products are becoming extremely scarce, causing other effects for women in an already difficult situation.
SCM is active in Lebanon helping get food and medications to the people. We have also set up two free clinics to serve people who can’t afford to go to the doctor. We sent the first of two containers filled with supplies you donated to Lebanon to weeks ago and we have another awaiting the confirmation by the shipping company for the departure date. It will be loaded with more supplies including medical supplies, baby formula and diapers, solar lanterns, and other needed items. Our team in Lebanon will make sure every item is given to someone in need.
The situation is dire in Lebanon. I talked to one of our people that went to assess the situation and the stories he has to tell are heartbreaking. One such story is about a woman that works in a hospital and gets paid 1 million lira a month, which is equal to $25. Her husband is making $20 a month. How do they raise a family on this?
This story is indicative of what the middle class in Lebanon is going through, so imagine what the poor are going through. They are lucky to eat one meal a day and that does not include any meat. The babies have no formula, and they are drinking a water and sugar mixture and are at risk of severe malnutrition.
The Lebanese currency has been so devalued that it is hardly worth anything now, and it is getting worse. Nothing in the history of Lebanon has been this bad, even during the civil wars. We are witnessing a collapse of civil society with critical infrastructure breaking down – electricity is not regularly available and is very sporadic, and water treatment is on the brink of collapse, putting everyone that uses a public water supply at risk.
The SCM volunteers are all committed to helping everyone they can on the ground here and overseas. We have been able since the beginning of the crisis to help:
We really need your help more now then ever. We just need as many people as possible to please make a contribution, no matter how much, everything will help. We are trying to raise $50K to get food and other supplies to the people. If we send $5000 that will buy food for one month for 200 families of 4, but that is not enough.
Help us help them. Thank you.
“Once known for its dynamic food, music and culture, Lebanon is now in the midst of the worst economic crisis in modern history. With no clear resolution in sight, the country is experiencing rolling blackouts, a shortage of food and a monthly inflation rate of 56%. The Lebanese Lira joins a list of dozens of failed fiat currencies including the Venezuelan Bolivar, the Zimbabwean Dollar and Argentinian Peso.“
Tatiana Koffman, Forbes (see link for full article)
This quote is from an article in Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/tatianakoffman/2020/07/09/lebanons-currency-crisis-paves-the-way-to-a-new-future/) from just over a year ago, and right before the blast at the Port of Beirut. The financial situation is just as true today as it was then, and worse.
This crisis has been escalating for a few years now, reaching a peak where the government soon won’t be able to keep the drinking water safe. As the economy collapses, the people need our help even more. Please donate today.
Syrians living in Jordan came to our warehouse yesterday to pick up clothing, blankets, and shoes for their children and themselves for Eid.
This is the Eid Al-Adha, or Eid of the Sacrifice, commemorating Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son at Allah’s command. At the last moment, Allah spared Ibrahim’s son and replaced him with a ram to be sacrificed instead. You can read more about this holiday by clicking here.
