Aid charities are calling for New Zealand to play its part, and increase the refugee quota by 1000 immediately to take in those Afghans and their families running for their lives.

“We did the same for 750 Syrian families fleeing the violence in 2015, and New Zealanders across the country welcomed them into their communities. Today we must do the same for Afghans who have worked with or for New Zealand charities, as well as for our defence forces,” says Council for International Development’s (CID) Humanitarian Manager, Aaron Davy.

Last year New Zealand’s refugee quota increased from 1000 to 1500, although with closed borders this cap was not reached. An emergency in-take of 750 Syrians was added as a one-off in 2015.

“That means we have even more scope to take in those Afghans who have been working for us for twenty years, and whose lives are now at risk.”

CID is also calling for an increase in humanitarian funds to Afghanistan to support local people making the courageous decision to stay and carry on working for charities.

“While the troops may have left, aid workers remain,” says Aaron Davy.

Local charities, with the support of New Zealand agencies are delivering urgently needed food and making sure vulnerable families and children have shelter and are protected.

“While we may be in lockdown, we cannot stand by and watch those people who have worked with us in Afghanistan risk their lives trying to get their families to safety.

“We are calling on the already generous Kiwi public to keep supporting your charity of choice as we do our best to support our colleagues in Afghanistan.

Please go the CID website to find a full list of appeals for Afghanistan, including appeals for Haiti and more.

Current appeals for Afghanistan and Haiti

• UNICEF Afghanistan Appeal
• Christian World Service Haiti Appeal and Christian World Service Afghanistan Appeal
• Child Fund Haiti Appeal
• Tear Fund Afghanistan & Haiti Emergency Appeal
• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Haiti & Afghanistan Appeal
• Amnesty Afghanistan petition calling for safe passage out of Afghanistan for those at risk

Other appeals include:

• Get One. Give One joint campaign to give a vaccine to someone overseas
• Fiji and PNG COVID appeals, from Save the Children, ADRA, Rotary and CBM
• Syria appeals from Save the Children
• Tigray Crisis Appeal from World Vision where hunger is a growing problem
• India COVID appeals from Oxfam

All charities listed are CID members, and signatories to the CID Code of Conduct which means you can trust in the accountability processes of these aid organisations to get funds to where they are most needed.

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