May 2018 Kabul Relief Effort

(KRE)

Activity Report

By Abuzar Royesh & Nazifa Alizada

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Note: In order to respect the beneficiaries’ privacy, all names in the document have been
replaced with initials. For more information regarding any details in this document, please
contact us through Kabul Relief Effort’s Facebook page.

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Introduction

Background on the Attack

On 23 July 2016, over 80 Afghans lost their lives and at least 230 others were wounded
in a twin suicide attack that occurred during a peaceful protest in Deh Mazang Square, Kabul.1
The protesters were marching against government’s plan to reroute a proposed electricity
project from Bamyan, a Hazara dominated central province, to Salang. The protesters deemed
it as the continuation of the historical ethnic struggle and systematic discrimination against
Hazaras and demanded the government to implement the project through its initial route.
The Islamic State (Daesh) claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.2 Nearly two years
since the incident, the Enlightenment Movement leaders, who organized the protest, have
entered into negotiations with the government over a resolution but no progress has yet been
made.

Our Team
Kabul Relief Effort (KRE) is a non-profit humanitarian initiative formed in response to the
attacks on the Enlightenment Movement protest. Our primary goal is to coordinate the relief
efforts for the victims of the attacks in an efficient and transparent manner.
KRE has become possible through the work of numerous individuals both within and
outside Afghanistan. Primarily, it owes most of its work to its donors from across the world,
namely the United States, Europe, and Afghanistan. Additionally, there were many individuals,
most notably Timor Sharan and Farid Noori, who lent their credibility to set up this group and
played an important part in shaping it. In the beginning, Ali Shahidy, Simin Saba Royesh, Eisa
Rezaie, and Hayatullah Taheri helped with identifying the critically injured, communicating with
their families, and relief management at hospitals.
Nonetheless, KRE would not have been possible without its dedicated members in the
field who met regularly, surveyed families, designed aid packages, and kept in touch with the
families. Coming from diverse backgrounds, these members include Hafizullah Abram, Reza
Azizi, Mansoora Daryabie, Mohammad Hussain Hakimi, Abuzar Royesh, Nasir Ahmad Suhrabi,
Farkhonda Tahery, and Masooma Zafari. Additionally, Nazifa Alizada helped maintain the
team’s social media presence and offered consultation along the way. Almost two years since
the attack, these individuals still dedicate their time and energy to ensure the success and
efficacy of KRE. Finally, we are immensely grateful to Pegah High School and their staff for
allowing us to use their facilities for our meetings and for helping us along the process.

1
Constable, Pamela. “The bomb that killed 80 Hazaras in Kabul also upended their nonviolent reform effort,” The
Washington Post. 04 August 2016. Accessed 26 March 2018. https://www.washington post.com/ world/ asia_ pacific/
afghan-hazaras-mourn-bomb-victims-struggle-to-regroup/2016/08/03/025fe7ca-595f-11e6-82ea-
8af882a4d163_story.html?utm_term=.f38c7ead78a5
2
Visser, Steve and Masoud Popalzai. “ISIS claims Afghanistan explosion that kills dozens,” CNN. 24 July 2016.
Accessed 26 March 2018. https://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/23/asia/afghanistan-explosion/index.html

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 The following sections detail KRE’s work, the full financial report, and the impact KRE
has made in the lives of the families of the victims.

Our Work
The work started right after the attack with collecting online and offline donations from
across the world. An online fundraiser platform was set up by Abuzar Royesh and Farid Noori.
Our team also made an effort to collaborate with other individuals and teams who organized
online fundraisers and to avoid duplication of efforts. However, given the plethora of such
platforms and lack of communication, our group was unable to create a uniform channel through
which all the funds would be collected and delivered to the victims. By the end of the fundraiser,
we had managed to raise 15,713.55 USD through the online component of our campaign.
Meanwhile, in Kabul, offline donations were collected through setting donation boxes in Pegah
High School through which we raised 67,533 AFN and 701.00 USD. In total, 16,414.55 USD
and 75,533 AFN were raised through these two modalities.
In the first few days of our relief effort in August 2016, we covered the medical costs of
four patients who were in critical conditions in private hospitals. We also provided cash
payments of 5,000 AFN to four families who were in dire need of assistance. After ensuring that
the injured received medical care from other sources such as the organizers of the
Enlightenment Movement, we decided to focus on responding to the long-term needs of the
families of the victims. Other teams such as the organizers of the Enlightenment Movement had
taken on the task of helping the wounded and distributing cash among the families of the
victims. We decided that while distributing cash among the families of the victims helped them in
the short-term, in the long-run it would lead to dependence of the family on outside support. As
evidenced by many of the previous aid projects, once the initial attention to an incident
subsides, the families of the victims are often ignored. In order to counter the prevalent culture
of aid-delivery, after several rounds of consultations, we resolved that providing educational and
vocational opportunities for the families that had lost a breadwinner was the most effective way
to commit the funds.
In order to identify the families to work with, our team collaborated with members of the
Enlightenment Movement to survey all the families who had lost someone during the incident.
After this initial survey, over the course of the next year and half, we contacted 61 families, and
identified 28 families with whom we conducted in-depth interviews. Our team members visited
the houses of the victims to get to personally know the families as well as to assess their
financial situation and collect data on family size, sources of income, and level of vulnerability.
After the in-depth interviews, we selected 17 of the most impoverished families and
designed personalized aid packages for each. So far, we have enrolled 17 students in private
schools for different durations, helped pay for the educational expenses of one student abroad,
sponsored 3 women to pursue their bachelor’s degree at private Afghan universities, and
created vocational opportunities for 7 other women and men.
The graph on the next page shows the overall distribution of aid and how much we spent
on enrolling children in school, sponsoring women in higher education, vocational opportunities,
one-time aid, and internal administrative costs. Our administrative costs (such as for printing

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survey forms and buying a stamp) constituted only 0.24% of all funds. In most cases, members
of the team covered their own transportation, air-time, and other expenses.

The table below presents the details of the victims and the aid package delivered to
each family.

No. Name of the Victim Type of Aid Package Delivered

1 Shaheed HS & AS Their sister, RK, had received a scholarship from a university in
Hong Kong. We bought her a laptop to use for her studies. Once
she got her visa, we gave her a small grant for her personal
expenses while at the university. Additionally, we offered her
consultation on selecting her major, choosing her classes, and
adjusting to the social life in Hong Kong.

2 Shaheed HR One of his daughters had just graduated from high school and
another one had studied at a two-year public university. We
enrolled both at Avicenna university and secured partial
scholarships from the university. Additionally, we have committed
to give both a semesterly allowance for additional educational
expenses such as books, stationery, transportation, and a modest
stipend for all four years.

3 Shaheed QA Given their immediate need, we provided the family with a one-time
food supplement. Additionally, we tried to enroll their son in

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 kindergarten, but the family had sent away the son to another
province.

4 Shaheed JQ We helped enroll his wife at Gawharshad University and secured a

full ride for her. Additionally, we provide her a monthly allowance
for additional educational expenses such as books, stationery,
transportation, and a modest monthly stipend for all four years.

5 Shaheed N The victim had left behind a wife and three young children. Despite
our offer to find her a job, she said that she could not work outside
because of family restrictions and her young children. Instead, we
bought her a tailoring machine to start her own business at home.

6 Shaheed AM His wife was willing to work outside the house, but she couldn’t
work initially because she expected a child. We paid her a stipend
for two months until her child was born.
Later, we enrolled her daughter at a private school in Kabul and
committed to pay all her educational expenses including tuition
fees, registration tests, stationery, books, and uniform for 3 years.

7 Shaheed RA We enrolled his brother and sister in Setaragan-e-Tamadon school

and supported two years of their education, including their tuition
fees, registration tests, stationery, books, and uniforms.

8 Shaheed KHH We worked with Pegah High School to employ his uncle’s wife as
an intern cook and paid her an internship allowance for six months.
After the six-month period, she was hired by Pegah in full-time
capacity.
We also sponsored her three children at Pegah High School and
committed to pay for all their tuition fees, books, uniforms,
stationery, and snack expenses (only for a few months) for three
(one child) and four years (two children).

9 Shaheed AL We enrolled his son in Pegah High School’s preparation classes

and pledged to sponsor all his educational expenses, including
tuition fees, books, uniforms, stationery, and snacks (only for a few
months) for two years. Nonetheless after the first year, we
managed to find the family a sponsor who agreed to send them
money for their basic expenses, including the son’s education, on a
monthly basis.

10 Shaheed KH We enrolled his wife in Malika-e-Shahr Tailoring Course and paid

for her training expenses and transportation. After the six-month
long training was completed, we opened a small tailoring business
for her and Shaheed ZN’s sister, bought all work supplies, and paid
the shop’s rent for six months until their enterprise was sustainable.
Additionally, we have enrolled his three children in 1st and 3rd

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 grades at Shams High School and paid for their tuition fees, books,
uniforms, and stationery. We will support two of the children for
four years and one for three years.

11 Shaheed MZN We enrolled his sister in Malika-e-Shahr Tailoring Course and paid
for her training expenses. After the six-month long training was
completed, we opened a small tailoring business for her and
Shaheed K’s wife, bought all work supplies, and paid the shop’s
rent for six months until their enterprise was sustainable.

12 Shaheed Q We bought his brother a vendor’s cart and gave him a small grant
to start his fruit-selling business.

13 Shaheed MAA We worked with Pegah High School to sponsor the educational
expenses of his four children. Pegah agreed to offer full-ride to two
of the children (currently in grades 1 and 2) until they graduate
from high school, and we pledged to cover all the educational costs
for the other two children (currently in grades 3 and 5) for four
years.
Additionally, we gave her a one-time cash aid sponsored by one of
our contributors from abroad.

14 Shaheed AMR Out of his five children, four were of school age. We enrolled the
four children in Pardis School (1 in grade 7, 2 in grade 4, and 1 in
grade 1) and pledged to pay for all their educational expenses,
including tuition fees, books, uniforms, and stationery for one
years. After that, the family left the country and we discontinued
our aid.

15 Shaheed A We collaborated with Shams High School to sponsor his four

children (two daughters and two sons) for winter courses in 2016.

16 Shaheed BM We enrolled his wife in a six-month tailoring course at Malika-e-

Shahr and paid for all her expenses.

17 Shaheed RI We have enrolled his wife in Malika-e-Shahr Tailoring Course and

paid for her training expenses. After the six-month long training, we
will open a small tailoring business for her, buy all work supplies,
and pay the shop’s rent for six months.
Additionally, we have enrolled her daughter at a private high school
and will provide all her educational expenses for three years.

Aside from offering aid packages to these 17 families, we also found various
sponsorships for other families. The sponsors offered monthly coupons that could be used to
buy flour and oil, a monthly allowance for basic life necessities, or educational scholarships. A
list of these families and the type of sponsorship is attached in the table below.

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 No. Name of the Victim Type of Sponsorship

1 Shaheed MHR This family receives a monthly coupon for flour and oil from one of
our donors.

2 Shaheed QA This family receives a monthly coupon for flour and oil from one of
our donors.

3 Shaheed KHH In addition to KRE’s support with educational and vocational

opportunities, the family receives a monthly coupon for flour and oil
from one of our donors due to their financial difficulties.

4 Shaheed AM In addition to offering financial assistance to his wife, we found the

family a sponsor who committed to sending them some money for
their basic expenses for the foreseeable future.

5 Shaheed KK We talked to Marefat High School who agreed to give his two
siblings full scholarships to study at the school.

6 Shaheed AL After initially helping pay for the son’s education, we managed to
connect the family to a sponsor who agreed to send them money
for their basic expenses, including the child’s schooling, on a
monthly basis.

7 Shaheed EH We connected the family to a sponsor from Japan, who agreed to

send them an amount of money per month to help pay for their
basic expenses.

Our team members are in close contact with all the beneficiaries to ensure that their
needs are fulfilled. We also created an emotional support group and connected the families of
the victims to each other. The first meeting was held in early December in which 15 families
participated.
In addition to the families who received aid packages or found sponsorships, we also
conducted in-depth interviews with 11 families who could not be included in our aid program.
We did not extend our assistance to these families because we deemed the families financially
stable, because the family refused our assistance, or because we could not establish further
contact with them. A list of these families and the reasons they did not benefit from our aid
program are demonstrated as an annex.
Most of our activities are covered through our Facebook page and can be followed at
Kabul Relief Effort. Nonetheless, since we did not want to infringe on the privacy of the families,
we do not share extensive information regarding them on social media.

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Financial Report

Funds Raised
A total of 67,533 AFN and 16,414 USD was collected through online and offline
fundraisers across the world. The tables below detail the AFN and USD amounts raised and the
sources for each donation.

No. Source Amount (AFN)

1 Fundraiser by Hayatullah Taheri AFN 26,250

2 Fundraiser by Halima Habibi AFN 20,683

3 Fundraiser by Mohammad Hussain Hakimi AFN 7,500

4 Fundraiser by Hafizullah Abram AFN 13,100

4 Donation by a contributor AFN 8,000

Total AFN 67,533

No. Source Amount (USD)

1 Online Fundraiser (1st installment) $10,000.00

2 Fundraiser by Mahdi Frough & Marzia Azizi $201.00

3 Donation by Baroness D'Souza $320.00

4 Online Fundraiser (2nd installment) $4,175.42

5 Fundraiser by Abasin Azarm $500.00

6 Donation by Lord Stevenson $1,218.13

Total $16,414.55

Allocation of Funds
Initially, our team on the ground dedicated their efforts to helping the families of the injured,
since many of them were in need of immediate attention. The table below shows the initial one-
time expenses, most of which incurred in the first month of our team’s activity.

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 No. Item Persons/ Amount Total
Quantity Expense

1 Cash payment to four families 4 AFN 5,000 AFN 20,000

2 Buying medications for KM 1 AFN 3,750 AFN 3,750

3 Medical examination & medication costs for one 1 AFN 2,370 AFN 2,370
wounded

4 Cash payment to Y (injured) 1 AFN 2,000 AFN 2,000

5 Medical expenses of the injured at Said ul 1 AFN 4,470 AFN 4,470

Shuhada Hospital

6 Buying KRE Stamp 1 AFN 450 AFN 450

7 Mobile credit for communication 1 AFN 800 AFN 800

8 Transportation expenses for surveys 1 AFN 1,200 AFN 1,200

9 Printing survey forms 1 AFN 170 AFN 170

10 Refreshments for the emotional support group 1 AFN 250 AFN 250

Total AFN 35,460

After our team decided to work on providing educational and vocational opportunities to the
families of the victims, we designed personalized aid packages for each family. Details of the
expenditure items, the amount spent so far, and the project expenditure amount is captured in
table on the next page.

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 Name of the Total aid Past Projected Total Aid
No. Recipient Expenditure Item
Victim period Expenditure Expenditure Amount
1a Shaheed HS & AS Sister Laptop One time AFN 42,700 AFN 42,700
1b Shaheed HS & AS Sister Educational stipend One time AFN 54,800 AFN 54,800
2a Shaheed HR Daughter Stipend and part-tuition 4 years AFN 3,000 AFN 40,600 AFN 43,600
2b Shaheed HR Daughter Stipend and part-tuition 4 years AFN 80,000 AFN 80,000
3 Shaheed QA Family Flour and oil One time AFN 1,620 AFN 1,620
4 Shaheed JQ Wife Educational stipend 4 years AFN 16,000 AFN 80,000 AFN 96,000
5 Shaheed N Wife Tailoring equipment One time AFN 7,850 AFN 7,850
6a Shaheed AM Wife Cash payment 2 months AFN 13,000 AFN 13,000
6b Shaheed AM daughter All educational expenses 3 years AFN 24,600 AFN 24,600
7 Shaheed RA Brother & sister All educational expenses 2 years AFN 38,250 AFN 38,250
8a Shaheed KHH Step mother Internship salary 6.5 months AFN 45,033 AFN 45,033
8b Shaheed KHH 2 sisters & son All educational expenses 4 & 3 years AFN 90,893 AFN 128,625 AFN 219,518
8c Shaheed KHH Step sisters Winter school and course 3 month AFN 5,100 AFN 5,100
9 Shaheed AL Son All educational expenses 1 year AFN 10,522 AFN 10,522
10a Shaheed KH 3 Children All educational expenses 4 & 3 years AFN 31,964 AFN 41,808 AFN 73,772
10c Shaheed KH Wife Tailoring class expenses 6 months AFN 15,700 AFN 15,700
10d Shaheed KH Wife Tailoring shop equipment One time AFN 37,440 AFN 37,440
11a Shaheed MZN Sister Tailoring class expenses 6 months AFN 10,400 AFN 10,400
11b Shaheed MZN Sister Tailoring shop rent 6 months AFN 15,000 AFN 15,000
12 Shaheed Q Brother Vendor’s cart and capital One time AFN 11,420 AFN 11,420
13a Shaheed MAA 2 Children All educational expenses 4 years AFN 83,635 AFN 76,115 AFN 159,750
13b Shaheed MAA One-time aid One time AFN 8,000 AFN 8,000

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 14 Shaheed AMR 4 Children All educational expenses 1 year AFN 36,100 AFN 36,100
15 Shaheed A 4 children All educational expenses 1 Winter AFN 1,670 AFN 1,670
16 Shaheed BM Wife Tailoring class expenses 6 months AFN 5,000 AFN 5,400 AFN 10,400
17a Shaheed RI Daughter All educational expenses 3 year AFN 12,555 AFN 29,610 AFN 42,165
17b Shaheed RI Wife Tailoring class expenses 6 months AFN 10,400 AFN 10,400
17c Shaheed RI Wife Tailoring shop expenses One time AFN 37,440 AFN 37,440
17d Shaheed RI Wife Tailoring shop rent 5 months AFN 12,500 AFN 12,500
Total AFN 589,652 AFN 575,098 AFN 1,164,750

The table below shows the summary of the donations and the amount of aid distributed.

Donation source USD AFN

AFN donations AFN 67,533

USD donations* $16,414.55 AFN 1,124,397

Total donations AFN 1,199,930

Expense Item USD AFN

Initial one-time expenses AFN 35,460

Subsequent aid packages AFN 1,164,750

Total aid amount distributed** AFN 1,200,210

* The USD donations were converted into AFN over the two years with an average exchange rate of $1 = AFN 68.5.
** KRE members contributed the negligible remaining amount.

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Impact
KRE has been a pioneer in developing long-term, personalized aid packages in
Afghanistan, which has been a relatively untested initiative. The initiative has so far assisted 17
affected families in three main ways: providing educational opportunities, vocational
opportunities, and additional means of support. Overall, we enrolled 17 students in private
schools, helped pay for the educational expenses of 1 student abroad, sponsored 3 women to
pursue their bachelor’s degree at private Afghan universities, and created vocational
opportunities for 7 other women and men.
In a bid to assess the impact of our work, we conducted interviews with some of the
families covered by the project. The interviews were held between July and August 2017, a year
after the beginning of our work. The surveys included questions on the modality of assistance,
its impact on the family, and suggestions for improvement. The impact has also been gauged
through (in)formal conversations and interactions between the beneficiaries and our team
members during the process.
Through the interviews, we found that all families were satisfied with the assistance that
they had received. Furthermore, in almost all cases, the aid package had shown a tangible
positive effect on the families in the long run. Only in one case, our intervention had not yielded
the intended results.
Our scholarship schemes for school students have allowed many children to get access
to quality education in private schools around Kabul. These scholarship cover all educational
costs including tuition and fees, books and supplies, uniforms, and transportation for up to two
years.
For instance, we have enrolled two of Shaheed KH’s children at Shams High School
under the scholarship program. Talking to us, his wife said that thanks to the group, her
daughters had been enrolled in school and had improved greatly in their lessons. “Yesterday, I
had visited their school. My elder daughter is especially good in her classes and her teachers
are very satisfied. She is attentive to her homework and her handwriting has also become
better,” she said. The family hopes to have KRE’s continued support for the education of their
children.
Similarly, KRE has enrolled four of Shaheed MAA’s children to Pegah Private School on
full scholarship. Shaheed MAA’s spouse acknowledges that the scholarship “has been the best
help” to her children. “The changes that KRE has made in my life are very sensible. I could not
afford a notebook for my children and even Shaheed himself has been unable to send our
children to private schools.” She continues, “My children and I are very satisfied with the school.
My youngest son goes to school enthusiastically and I notice positive change in his behavior
and studies. My eldest son participates in extracurricular activities in his school.”
We also sponsored 3 women to pursue their bachelor’s degree at private Afghan
universities in Kabul. To elaborate, we enrolled Sheheed HR’s both daughters at Avicenna
University and secured partial scholarships from the university. We have further committed to give
both a semesterly allowance covering additional educational expenses such as books, stationery,
transportation, and a modest stipend. In one instance, we offered a one-time grant for buying a
laptop for sister of one of the victims, as the equipment could facilitate a better educational outcome.

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As the examples illustrate, KRE has been successful in improving the living conditions of the families
through these personalized educational opportunities. The families are highly satisfied with the
educational packages they receive from KRE and consider it as an asset.
KRE’s personalized aid packages also served the beneficiaries well in terms of vocational
opportunities. Over the past two years, we enabled 7 men and women to find a job and contribute to
family income. To elaborate, we enrolled MZN’s sister and Shaheed KH’s wife in a six-month
tailoring course at Malika-e-Shahr. KRE bore the transportation, for one of them, and training
cost, for both, during the training period. Upon successful completion of the training, we
established a joint tailoring business for both, bought all work supplies, and pledged to pay the
shop’s rent for six months, which is the expected period for the enterprise to become
sustainable. Shaheed KH’s wife says, “Your group has helped me a lot in handling the situation
by enrolling me to tailoring course. Now, my neighbors and relatives bring me clothes to sew.”
She adds, “Learning tailoring was the best alternative for me as I could not receive any other
sort of vocational skill or education”. While they are yet to attract clients, both are satisfied with
the progress.
Another successful example of the personalized aid package in terms of vocational
training is Shaheed KHH’s family. We worked with Pegah High School to employ his uncle’s wife
as an intern cook and paid her an internship allowance for six months. After the six months period,
she was hired by Pegah High School in full-time capacity. The beneficiary is very content with her
new job as she finds the environment safe and comfortable. “It feels home here”, she says.
In some instances, considering the capacity and personal skills within the family, we
provided them with the equipment which had the potential to become a permanent source of income.
For example, we bought a sewing machine for Shaheed N’s wife, who already masters the skill and
expressed interest in turning it into a profession for herself. The KRE aid package enabled her to
start her business and work from home.
Shaheed Q’s family has been the only case where KRE’s aid package in terms of
vocational opportunity failed to accomplish its intended result. “After Q’s death, some people
came to our house and promised to help. They encouraged me and gave me advice to start selling
fruits. I had the experience before but had no money to start. The people who came to my house
bought me a cart and gave me the start-up money”, Shaheed Q’s brother explains. Although the
business had fared well in the first few months, later the venture had not gone according to plan.
As a result, Shaheed Q’s brother lost the initial capital given to him. However, at the time of the
interview, the brother worked at a factoring that produced Sev, which meant that the family had
a constant source of income.
Besides the personalized aid packages in terms of educational and job opportunities,
KRE has successfully supported families with additional means of support. This involves
providing monthly stipend for the families with no possibility to get employed due to exceptional
circumstances. We also acted as a bridge by introducing the families to sponsors, who in turn
provided monthly coupons, including oil, flour and educational scholarships, to the eligible
families.
Besides the beneficiaries’ economic necessities, KRE has also responded to their
mental distress and trauma by launching emotional support group meetings. The first meeting
was held in early December in which 15 families participated. The emotional support meetings
gave families the opportunity to interact with each other, share their experiences on how they
are dealing with the trauma, and receive advice from a psychologist. Thanks to such initiatives

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by KRE, the families have acknowledged that their mental health is improving gradually. “My
mental health has improved a lot since the first days”, says Shaheed KH’s wife. The tailoring
classes not only help her become economically self-sustaining but also improve her mental
health. She elaborates, “I feel better when I am busy. I am busy from Saturday till Thursday with
the tailoring classes.”
Shaheed MAA’s wife also confirms that her children’s education is her only source of
comfort. “My life has been shattered with the loss of my husband. The only thing which keeps
my faith alive and helped me accommodate with the situation is my children’s schooling.”
To conclude, the survey results indicate that KRE’s customized aid packages have
produced results and made positive impacts in the lives of the beneficiaries. As the
beneficiaries’ success stories demonstrate, we have been able to accomplish the tasks we
committed to in an efficient manner. KRE’s work sets a positive example of how designing
customized aid packages serves the interest of the beneficiaries in the grassroots level in a
long-term, sustainable manner.

Challenges
Kabul Relief Effort pioneered a new model of disaster relief in Afghanistan. The group
designed personalized aid packages for each family and sought to focus on long-term efforts
such as finding educational and vocational opportunities for the family members of the victims.
Nevertheless, this process has been challenging on several levels.
● Although KRE had initially aimed to coordinate all aid efforts for the victims, we found it
very difficult to work with all parties involved. For many other teams, the process was
seen as a political statement rather than mere humanitarian aid to victims. Furthermore,
many others did not share our commitment to a sustainable, long-term support for the
families of the victims and instead focused on stopgap measures to help families.
● KRE does not have full-time staff. All members work voluntarily, often after work hours or
on the weekends, which has required enormous commitment on their part.
● Most of the team members lacked previous experience in relief work, working with
traumatized individuals, and impact evaluation in a humanitarian setting. Nonetheless,
the members have made up in passion and hard work what they lacked in experience.
● The process of designing aid packages has often been subjective, based on the
members’ assessment of the families’ unique conditions. In order to compensate for this,
all decisions were made only when approved by all active members of the team. We
have also involved the families in the decision-making process and ensured that they
approve the intervention.
● Determining the allocation of funds has not always been an easy task. Given our meager
resources and the number of families we needed to help, KRE could not always prioritize
quality over cost. Additionally, the families have combined our aid packages with other
sources, such as private donors and/or the Enlightenment Movement, as we could not
meet all the needs of families. Nevertheless, all effort was made to spend the budget in
a well-calculated and transparent manner and to choose the most cost-effective aid
packages.

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Road Ahead
Kabul Relief Effort initially started as a nebulous idea by a group of people who shared a
strong commitment to helping the families of the victims. Over the next two years, that idea took
the shape of running fundraisers, spending time with the families, designing personalized aid
packages, and regular follow-ups.
Although KRE has successfully completed the mandate it set out to achieve, our work
does not end here. Most of the families that we have supported through this initiative will require
a considerable amount of assistance until becoming fully self-sustaining. Moving forward, our
team has made a promise to help them as much as possible and with all additional resources at
our disposal. We also encourage everyone else who is committed to the cause to reach out to
the families of the victims and support them in any way possible.
Finally, through this work, our group not only reached many vulnerable families in dire
need of help but also learned much about humanitarian aid delivery in the context of a country
like Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the attacks on Enlightenment Movement were not and will not
be the last tragedies afflicting the country. We hope that our work sets the precedent for aid
delivery that is transparent, personalized, and focused on the long-term needs of the families.

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Annex

Table 1: Non-Beneficiary Families

No. Name of the Reason for No Assistance
Victim

1 Shaheed AAH We agreed to help support his wife study at Gawharshad University and
secured a full ride from the university. She started her studies, but dropped
out because her family did not allow her.

2 Shaheed H His wife told us that he was killed, but that since his name was not listed as
a victim of the attacks, she was not offered any assistance. We tried to
verify her account, but our team members could not get a hold of her.

3 Shaheed MHR Initially, after consultations with his wife, we had decided to enroll her at a
university or at tailoring classes. But because she had two small children,
she was not able to attend the university or the tailoring classes.

4 Shaheed AMB He had left behind one brother and one sister, both of whom studied at
school. During our in-depth interviews, we found that his father was still
alive and they did not need financial support to go to school.

5 Shaheed A We collaborated with Pegah School to sponsor his four children (two
daughters and two sons) for winter courses and decided to extend our
scholarship for an additional two years. The wife, however, moved away
from Kabul in the beginning of the new year and took the children with her.

6 Shaheed N After conducting a survey of the family, we offered to buy his father a cart
to start his own business. However, the family found a sponsor.

7 Shaheed AS During the in-depth interview, we found that the family were in a stable
financial situation and were not in dire need of assistance.

8 Shaheed GAB After an in-depth interview, we offered to enroll his wife in tailoring classes,
but she declined our offer, saying that she was not interested.

9 Shaheed SH During the in-depth interview, we found that the family was in a stable
financial situation and was not in dire need of assistance.

10 Shaheed MZJ After the in-depth assessment, we offered to help his wife find a job.
However, she had two kids and did not want to work outside. She had also
found a sponsor who helped the family pay for their basic expenses.

11 Shaheed MSH We found that his wife went to Rabia Balkhi University. We decided to help
her with her educational expenses, but we were not able to reach her.

Kabul Relief Effort – Activity Report Page 16