In August 2021 ISAF (the International Security Assistance Force, largely comprised of American, British and other NATO forces) pulled out of Afghanistan leaving little short of chaos behind, after 20 years of engagement and expenditure exceeding $2,000,000,000,000.

The large proportion of indigenous people who had supported the Afghan government that co-operated with ISAF in the interests of human rights across a wide front, and wanted a peaceful life, were abandoned to the often-medieval conditions imposed by the Taliban.

A good number of Afghans managed to get out in the two weeks that Kabul airport remained open – along with western personnel. Hundreds of thousands were unable to escape and remain trapped in appalling circumstances in their home country. Their lives are often close to unbearable and their safety very fragile.

Some of those who escaped arrived during the summer of 2021 in the UK, including West Sussex. All left friends, former colleagues and family members behind.

In January 2022 three former Afghan soldiers living in Chichester called for help for those in most desperate need. A number of local people raised £15,000 which helped 18 families (numbering over 100 persons) to get through the winter of 2021-2022. Very little was possible to help them in the following winter. A short summary of the stories of three families helped is here: Three Families. We have also replaced a well in a village near Kabul whose water supply dried up last winter.

The Afghan Relief Trust has been set up to organise and provide sustained help for these and possibly other similar families for the next 2 or 3 years. It aims to raise £30K per year. It’s an extension of our support for Afghan refugees living here – and there are many cross-over points. We are now formally registered as a charity with the Charity Commission – number 1205829.