In early September 2021, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) announced an initiative to respond to the humanitarian catastrophe that was unfolding in Afghanistan: the Afghan Rescue Fund. Coordinating with David Cowan, a CFI board member and producer of the documentary film Afghan Dreamers, CFI asked the secular and skeptic communities to help with the safe relocation of Afghan families endangered by the collapse of the government and the oppression of a theocratic regime.

Richard Dawkins, a CFI board member, asked us to “look beyond our national identities and embrace the opportunity to help our fellow human beings. An entire nation collapsing under the weight of theocratic oppression is a moral emergency. … Our community will answer that call.”

And you did. And you are.

We at CFI can’t risk giving too many details about the people who have been rescued, relocated, and given assistance, but we are very proud to say that dozens of Afghan refugees have been helped as a direct result of the Afghan Rescue Fund and the generosity of this community.