Over the past few weeks, a series of earthquakes have killed over 2,400 people and flattened several cities in Afghanistan. Hauntingly, more than 90% of the victims were women and children. Desperate families are sleeping outside at night and continuing to search for their loved ones amidst the debris during the day.

We can’t abandon the people of Afghanistan in the face of a devastating environmental disaster that is further exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian crisis after decades of war on our watch. 

And we don’t have to. We can support calls for aid and relief without pretending that the Taliban is anything but a cruel and oppressive group. Independent monitoring systems can ensure that any aid and funding released go to people in need, and not the Taliban. 

How do we know? Just days ago, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced $12 million in immediate humanitarian aid to assist victims of a week of repeated deadly earthquakes in western Afghanistan. It’s a great start, but saving lives at this moment will require much, much more. Can you join our plea to the Biden administration to urge them to act now and help Afghans in crisis?