In a world on fire, what can one person do?
That question often paralyzes us. The news is overwhelming. Politicians distract and divide. Cruelty becomes normalized. And the sheer scale of suffering tempts us to turn away—to scroll on, to shake our heads, to go numb.
But I want to tell you another story. A story of what happens when we don’t look away. When we focus instead on what is right in front of us. Where we take tangible action—small at first, messy even—but real. Because that is how we build the world we want our children to live in.
A world where, when we have the choice between being right and being kind, we choose kindness. Where we choose courage in the face of fear, not silence. Where we welcome differences rather than recoil from it. Where we honour the right of all beings to exist, and love Mother Earth back for all she gives, instead of endlessly extracting. Where reciprocity—not exploitation—becomes the basis of trade and relationship.
And where we do not let ourselves be distracted by the latest outrage seeded by those in power.
Right now, U.S. MAGA’s policies are killing. With U.S. aid cut to Pakistan, Afghan refugees—including social activists and women human rights defenders (WHRDs)—are being deported back into the jaws of the Taliban regime. For the WHRD's, that means imprisonment. Torture. Death.
This is not a metaphor. It is real. And yet, against all odds, we are writing a different story.
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⏰ The deportation clock
We began our outreach on February 6, 2024, when the Afghan women in our personal leadership training “Inner Peace Journey” told us that the Pakistani government—under financial pressure and diplomatic influence—had issued a chilling ultimatum: All undocumented Afghan nationals must leave.
We had less than two months.
March 31 was the official deadline for this second wave of deportations. As that day passed, terror intensified. Police began raiding homes. Our Afghan women and women's right defenders are now being hunted down. Daily harassment by authorities became the norm: extortion, beatings, arbitrary detention. Mothers were being forced to sign blank sheets of paper in police stations. Families with nowhere to go were being torn apart.
The final warning is here: By June 30, all Afghan refugees—documented or not—must leave Pakistan. A date that now hangs like a sword over the heads of thousands.
They have no country to return to. Only danger.
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🌿 From the ground up: a grassroots lifeline
In those early days, no one responded. Not the Dutch government. Not the press. I wrote letters. I reached out to ministries. I launched a petition on Change dot org. Silence.
One of our WRHD’s families - Abdul Samad & Narges Formuli - wrote this note for their friends and children:
We all know that death is a right, no one has eternal life, whether today or tomorrow, we will finally leave this world one after the other.
Remember this advice of mine,
If I, the people, do not cry at my grave, do not bow your head or wail. With all the sufferings I have seen, with all the wounds that time has inflicted on my soul and body, I no longer miss this world.
I will leave, neither with a grudge in my heart nor with regret in my eyes. I go to relax, to experience life on the other side as in this world, maybe there is no lies, no wars, no deception... and maybe it is easier to be a human there.
If you have money, bring flowers to my grave, but don't shed tears. If you want to honor my memory, pray for me, and be kind to people, be kind, hold the hand of someone who has fallen. Raise your voice for justice, stand up against tyranny, if you want to keep my name alive, never forget justice and don't sacrifice the truth for fear, expediency and bargaining.
I insist that you never cry at my grave, because I have shed these tears in my loneliness for years. Laugh, smile, live, and if sometimes you miss me, start praying and say: God, rest his soul in peace.
This caravan of life is passing, not only me, but everyone is going to die, but if I have done good, I am alive in the hearts of all of you... and if I have done bad, forgive me as much as you. The world is small and life is fleeting, let's be together and fight for each other for the homeland, for the people, for justice, for empathy.
💙 Then came a whisper of hope. Suzana from Udhara, a trusted friend and co-activist, had an idea: Brazil. On March 1, new legislation came into effect—allowing Afghan refugees to access humanitarian visas, but only through civil society channels. We had no such channel. No pathway. Just a wild idea and a desperate need.
And then, in the darkest hour, a light.
Erica, a Russian-speaking influencer, gave our petition wings. In one day—March 22—we gathered 100,000 signatures. That spark brought Avaaz into the story. Through them, the doors of Panahgah in Brazil opened. Suddenly, we had a civil society partner. A way in. And hope.
Grants and donations began trickling in. Avaaz with USD 125.000, Nove in Italy with EUR 36.000, Madre with EUR 10.000, and now possibly FokusFrauen. A grassroots alliance formed: HeartWork, Avaaz, Food for Thought Afghanistan, Panahgah, Udhara. It was a lifeline.
And finally the media woke up to this humanitarian crisis. (See list of media reports below 👇)
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🥷 A week that felt like a warzone
During the last critical week in March leading up to the deportation deadline, sleep became a luxury. I slept no more than four hours per night. The Afghan WHRD working by my side barely slept either. We were running evacuation coordination from our homes—dodging threats, making emergency calls, dealing with trauma, chaos, and breakdowns.
We saved people from deportation by phoning lawyers in Pakistan at midnight. We coordinated emergency interventions. We helped mothers in hiding gather their children's documents while their hearts raced with fear. We held space for tears and panic and exhaustion, over and over again.
And still, the forms. The document uploads with failing internet connection from outdated mobile phones. The family pictures. The misunderstandings. The language barrier. The bureaucratic madness required by the Brazilian government.
What kept us going was love. And humour. And a deep belief that this work mattered.
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🧌When the trolls came
Not everyone celebrated what we were building.
Two women launched a targeted slander campaign against us—later confirmed to be Russian operatives. They flooded our channels with disinformation, fear-mongering, and attempts to sow distrust. Now we understand better how elections are manipulated. How trolls work in packs. How fragile truth can feel in the digital age.
They tried to fracture us. But they failed.
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👣 A path forward
As of today—April 13, 2025—we are still standing.
We have built a path for 60 Afghan WHRDs and their families to find safety in Brazil. We’ve created a living example of grassroots diplomacy and community-based refugee protection. And we’re just getting started.
We now face the harder work: sustaining the journey. Trauma care. Integration support. Legal follow-up. Ongoing advocacy. We need substantial philanthropic funding. We need those who have the means to back this kind of human-centered, justice-driven work.
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👐 This is a call to you
This world doesn’t need more spectators.
It needs people who are willing to do the next right thing. Who see what's right in front of them—and say yes.
Yes to kindness over being right.
Yes to courage when fear sets in.
Yes to welcoming others instead of turning away.
Yes to building peace, not just talking about it.
It. can. be. done. This is proof.
We will write a book about this. One day, we’ll make a documentary. But for now, the most important thing we can do is not look away.
And if you feel moved—please join us. We’re still building. We need your hands, your heart, your voice. Here are three things that you can do:
#1 Please sign and share: https://chng.it/QDpVR9BSKS
#2 Please give what you can: https://www.foodforthought.care/emergencyfund
#3 Please sponsor a family or more if you can. We would be happy to share case files with donors coming forward. Please contact us via sendlove at heartwork dot earth.
#SaveAfghanWomen #unity #worldpeace
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Media reports:
Interview with Liliana Harrington from Avaaz with Al-Jazeera: https://youtu.be/K7rexe22Ngw
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/hannah-ellis-petersen
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgl00ler0rno
https://www.bbc.com/urdu/articles/cg4kvgv43wzo
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/06/asia/pakistan-trump-afghan-repatriation-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/world/asia/pakistan-afghanistan-refugees.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/08/afghanistan-refugees-pakistan-trump-taliban/
https://www.dw.com/en/afghan-womens-rights-activists-in-pakistan-fear-deportation/a-71951146