COLD winters are something Scotland and Afghanistan have in common.
This winter, we’re proud to stand with other Scottish charities to support the #AfghanistanCrisisAppeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
It’s estimated that as many as 8 million people in Afghanistan are at risk of famine. That’s more than the entire population of Scotland – a truly terrifying level of need.
It’s even scarier when you realise that one million children under the age of five are at risk of dying over the next three months.
DEC invited Glasgow Afghan United to help launch this appeal, something we were only too willing to do. As people with family and friends in Afghanistan, we know only too well what the realities are for the people this winter.
We are making every effort to find more ways to help. As part of this, we are proud to have helped to launch this very important initiative, which has the promise of match-funding from the UK Government. Ministers said they that for every pound donated, they would put in another, up to the value of £10 million.
We are pleased to say that this total was almost reached within the first two day alone, when a total of £9.5 million was given by the public.
We truly wish we didn’t have to ask for charity to support lives in Afghanistan this winter, but the reality is that this is life and death for many people.
The appeal is still open and you can donate via this link.
At GAU, we are also continuing our work to help Afghans in Scotland in any way we can. This includes many people who are newly-arrived and trying to settle in parts of Scotland where there may not be an already-established Afghan community for them to join.
At GAU, we are online and open to all of them, and we are reaching out to help them start new lives, overcome trauma, beat isolation and contribute to our country.
As always, the link to further information, including our crowdfunder, is on our website and will continue to be updated.