Dear caring you,

We want to share a mixed update—some hopeful news, but also a stark reminder of why your support is still urgently needed.

Thanks to behind-the-scenes diplomatic conversations, the Pakistani government has not enforced its deportation decree for now. Large-scale raids and mass deportations have been paused. However, the climate remains extremely hostile. Afghan families continue to face daily harassment by police. There's an ongoing campaign of fear: landlords and employers are pressured not to rent to or hire Afghans, accused of being “unpatriotic” if they do.

Even basic legal protections are eroding. Visa renewals are often denied without explanation. People miss renewal deadlines and are fined for overstaying, through no fault of their own. Each of these obstacles pushes them further into illegality, poverty, and danger.

And yet—there is good news too.

Seven more families were granted humanitarian visas to Brazil this week. One more family has an interview at the Spanish embassy this Wednesday. We’re hoping it leads to another precious visa and a pathway to safety. These moments keep us going.

But the situation on the ground remains dire. Mental health is deteriorating. Malnutrition is widespread. Children are showing serious physical symptoms of chronic stress. We’ve seen a rise in suicide attempts. Some families have been forced to make the heartbreaking decision to separate—leaving behind those who don’t have the necessary documents to travel.

And every day, we receive more requests for help from Afghan women human rights defenders—especially now that conditions in Iran are worsening.

We urgently need your support.
 Your donations allow us to secure safe shelter, cover emergency medical and legal costs, and fund resettlement pathways. Every contribution counts. Every delay deepens the suffering.

Please give if you can—and share this petition with others. Together, we can keep this flame of hope alive.

 💸 Donations:

 Name: HeartWork Stichting

https://heartwork.earth/peacework/

 IBAN: NL19TRIO 0320270416
 SWIFT/ BIC: TRIONL2UXXX
 Reference: SaveAfghanWomen

📩 Include your email address in the description if you’d like a donation receipt.

🤝 Connect directly
 If you want to speak with the Afghan WHRDs currently in the program, we’ve opened a few intimate online conversation spaces. Hear their voices. See their courage. Sign up here: https://calendly.com/nadja-muller/afghan-whrd-direct-talk

We want to leave you with the words with the Sufi saint and mystic Farid ud Din Attar

“In the dead of night, a Sufi began to weep.
He said, "This world is like a closed coffin, in which
We are shut and in which, through our ignorance,
We spend our lives in folly and desolation.
When Death comes to open the lid of the coffin,
Each one who has wings will fly off to Eternity,
But those without will remain locked in the coffin.
So, my friends, before the lid of this coffin is taken off,
Do all you can to become a bird of the Way to God;
Do all you can to develop your wings and your feathers."

Farid ud-Din Attar’s poem reminds us that the world can become a closed coffin when ignorance and oppression go unchecked. Afghan families today are trapped in such a coffin—shut in by unjust systems, denied safety, and pushed further into illegality. 

The poet urges us to grow our wings before it’s too late—to rise, to act, and to help others do the same. In this moment, helping Afghan women and their families find freedom is how we help them grow those wings. 

Thank you for being part of that flight.

With gratitude,
Nadja & Team

#LetHerFly #SafePassageNow #SaveAfghanWomen #HumanRights #ActNow