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!

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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.

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As the end of Ramadan approaches, SCM has been busy distributing food, supplies, clothing and toys to local refugee families and to those in Jordan and Lebanon. Thank you to all who have donated and to our teams in Lebanon and Jordan. Our teams organize and conduct the distributions so SCM can help as many people as possible. It’s not too late to donate for Ramada, so please visit our Donation page.

Here are just a few photos from the various distributions.

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On March 28, 2021 SCM had a distribution event from our warehouse there. We handed out blankets and quilts, and clothing to refugee families. Thank you again for your continued support, and especially to Quilts Beyond Borders for sending us the wonderful quilts distributed to the refugee children. Not only are these quilts practical and keep the children warm at night, but they are so colorful they add a bit of cheer to those who receive them.

Our next container is leaving soon for Lebanon, so if you are local (Seattle area) and have anything you want to donate, please bring it to us by Wednesday April 7th. We are in need of used computer laptops or tablets that are cleared of all data or reset to original configuration and either have the password or are ready to set up for a new user. Please deliver to our office by April 7th – 3806 Whitman Ave N, Seattle WA 98103. Call if you have any questions – 206-545-7307.

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SCM has spent a decade helping the refugees that have fled Syria and other war-torn countries in the Middle East. We have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide food, medicine, basic supplies, supported medical missions to the region and sent containers loaded with supplies you have donated to help the refugees get back on their feet. The refugees have left everything behind, including beloved pets as they scooped up their children and ran for their lives. Now, we want to direct a bit of our efforts to help those four-legged victims of the war in Syria by supporting Ernesto’s Sanctuary for Cats, near Aleppo.

Before the civil war in Syria, Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel was an electrician in Aleppo. After the war broke out, he began driving an ambulance to help those injured get medical care as fast as possible. While he was driving around the city, he noticed the abandoned and stray cats and started feeding them.

Aljaleel has always cared for animals, believing it was a responsibility to care for those who are innocents and not able to care for themselves. Eventually his story got out and he was known as the Aleppo Catman. He was able to turn a neighboring property to his home into a shelter for the cats and was soon housing 100 little furry survivors of the war.
The story spread even more, and more help came to him to feed and care for the animals. But they were not safe and the sanctuary soon was hit by an explosion during a bombing in the city. Over the next several years, the sanctuary was able to move to safety, take in more animals, and expand to include a vet clinic and a farm for larger animals such as horses, goats, dogs, etc.

In their current location, outside of Aleppo in the countryside, they house about 1000 cats, provide free vet services to the community, rescue animals in distress or suffering abuse, spay and neuter, and provide employment for several people that feed, clean, assist the vet, serve the food in their “restaurant of 1000 cats” and maintain the properties. They also have in the past provided animal therapy to orphaned children and plan to continue to do that as well as support a local orphanage.

SCM wants to support Ernesto’s Sanctuary for Cats in their efforts to save lives and make their world a little brighter. They are always in need of funds for food and medications/vaccines for the cats and other animals they take in. Please make a tax-deductible donation to help Ernesto’s take care of the animals that have been left behind while their families became refugees. Our goal is to raise $5000 for them.

Read more about Ernesto’s on their website: House of Cats Ernesto – The official website (ernestosanctuary.org).

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