 Okay, I think we're gonna get started so To give us a welcome, I'd like to welcome our new Provost and senior vice president to come up Caroline Janko on behalf of the university Thank you all for for being here this evening for this wonderful event for those of you who don't know me You probably most of you don't know me. I'm Caroline Janko on the the provost. I want to say the vice provost I'm the provost at Tufts. I've been in this role since January of 2022 so just a few months, but before that I was the vice provost for research at Tufts and before that I was the Chair of the Department of Immunology in the medical school and before that I was at Boston University for 18 years in the Department of Medicine, so I've been in Boston for quite some time I am a scientist by training. I have a PhD in Immunology and My area of research is infectious diseases I'm particularly interested in host-pathogen interactions as it relates to global leadership I do a lot of work in China. A lot of my research is in China and I'm thrilled to be here this evening I am thrilled to be able to support the IGL I am getting to meet the board members and very excited to learn more about IGL and the program. I've heard wonderful things about this program for many of you And I'm really excited to continue to support it and to continue to see it evolve over the next several years So thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here for just to say a few words to you I'm looking forward to meeting more of you in person and having more dialogues more one-on-one dialogues and I encourage any of you to come And talk to me and tell me about your experiences because that's the only way for me to learn more about the program is through all of you So thank you again for the opportunity just to say a few words and I look forward to tonight's event Thank you I know a lot of you here, but my name is Heather Berry. I'm the associate director at the Institute for Global Leadership And we want to thank you for coming tonight both those of you are here in person And I know we have many people online as well We wanted to celebrate what Abuzar and Jennifer and their colleagues have done to help the girls of Afghanistan from the Marifat school. It's such a tremendous opportunity And before we can bring them up We wanted to talk a little bit about the IGL network because that's really how they met Since the Institute began in 1986 a key cornerstone has been to connect theory to practice and to provide transformative Experiences for students opportunities that show how they can have a positive impact on the world no matter their age So you can see Jennifer has been out doing a lot of things for many years now and Abuzar Is just just barely graduated from us Through its courses and opportunities the IGL has built a strong network of alumni and speaker over its history We have been graced with the generosity of our alumni and their willingness to engage with students To share their expertise and to provide opportunities for the next generation of students When COVID hit in the spring of 2020 and many students saw their summer plans fall apart We made an appeal to our alumni for remote opportunities in about three weeks We were able to offer more than 50 remote internships From the United Nations Population Fund to over zero to a Silicon Valley startup and these were all across the globe To alumni in Palau one who was the US ambassador one who was the counsel to the president of Palau Put together an eight-week seminar for our students to learn about the geopolitical issues in the region We also had more than 30 alumni participate in a 13-week seminar on Careers and graduate schools to help our students kind of understand and plan for the future This network was the basis for the appeal as Afghanistan was being overtaken by the Taliban When I asked Abuzar if he needed anything he wrote about trying to evacuate the girls from the Marifat school The appeal went out to the alumni network and more than 60 people wrote in in the first couple of days Offering what they could to help from context of funding. It was pretty remarkable Jennifer was one of those who stepped in immediately and incredibly and she'll share her story shortly But there were so many at that point and his needs came up later at one point It looked like the evacuation might go through Tajikistan as an example And I reached out to Sarah Lange who had done a lot of work in that region She wrote we just got to Namibia last week and are settling in I have military Context at the US Embassy in Dushanabi and Tashkent And I've just reached out to a private firm where my husband's mentor now works My husband is a foreign area officer with the Air Force also an epic alum So we can speak to those folks and get somewhere if we needed to get clearance for the plane in case anything changes I'm also speaking to a network of folks on the ground in Dushanabi to locate volunteers that could help receive the girls and potentially house them when they arrive And that's just one example. She had just moved from the US to Namibia with a young family and she was ready to jump in to help Beyond conflict an organization founded by a former board member where another alum works was were also ready to jump in to help To accept donations when they needed a 501c3 before the foundation was set up and the list goes on Filtories and his mom Jane also a Tufts alum reached out to their contacts for visas for the girls in Latin America It would take the rest of the evening to describe the offers that came in This network is something that we're extremely proud of and extremely fortunate to have and we thank all the alumni for their caring Outreach and support for each other and for the IGL So with that being said I'd like to invite Alex up Hi, everyone. My name is Alex and I'm in the IGL liaison with the Middle East research group Which is formerly known as NIMAP and I'm very excited to be here to present the Dr. Jean mayor global citizenship award So the Dr. Jean mayor global citizenship award was established in 1993 to honor the life and legacy of Jean mayor the 10th president and first chancellor of Tufts University From 1976 to 1993 a world-renowned nutritionist publishing more than 750 scientific papers and 10 books Jean mayor advised three us presidents Nixon Ford and Carter the US Congress the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization the World's Health Organization the United Nations Children Fund and the US Secretary of State We helped establish and expand the food stamp school lunch and other national and international nutritional programs and organized the 1969 White House conference on food nutrition and health in 1966 Dr. Mayor was the first scientist to speak out against the use of herbicides in the Vietnam War in 1969 he led a mission to war-torn Biafra to assess health and nutrition conditions in 1970 he organized an international symposium on famine which produced the first comprehensive document on how Nutrition and relief operations should be handled in time of disaster and was the first to suggest that using starvation as a Political tool was a violation of human rights and should be outlawed For his service in World War two. He was awarded 14 decorations Including three quad to go the resistance medal and the cross of the night of the Legion of Honor Among his 23 honorary degrees and numerous awards He was the recipient of the presidential and hunger award and the president's environment and conservation challenge award Of the 10th president of Tufts University Dr. Mayor created the nation's first graduate school of nutrition Established new England's only veterinary school and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on aging at Tufts and Co-founded the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and the Center for Environmental Management As chair of the New England Board of Higher Education He created scholarships that enabled non-white South Africans to go to mixed-race universities in their own country Upon his death the Boston Globe wrote quote may or moved universities as social institutions in new directions And towards the assumption of larger responsibilities. He saw them as instruments for improving society and the world environment President Jimmy Carter said Dr. Mayor's life and productive career have been dedicated to the service of mankind In this spirit the mayor awards seeks to challenge and inspire students and the larger community by bringing to Tufts distinguished scholars and practitioners whose moral courage personal integrity and passion for scholarship Resonated his dictum that quote scholarship research and teaching must be dedicated to solving the most pressing problems facing the world Please join me in welcoming Dr. Abhazak for the award and Gary as well, and then we will be joined My name is Gary Koshyap and I'm a sophomore studying. I are an international relations and environmental studies at Tufts I'm also part of the South Asian Regional Committee, which is affiliated with the IGL I'm honored today to be presenting Abhuzar Royesh with the Dr. Jean Mayor Global Citizenship Award tonight His work on behalf of the girls at the Marifat school is truly Inspiring and I hope his work can serve as an example to all of us that we can have an impact on making the world a better place For others no matter how young we are Abhuzar is originally from Afghanistan and is a graduate of the Marifat school, which was founded by his father Which we will hear more about shortly. He attended Tufts as an undergraduate graduating into 2016 he is an alumnus of the IGL's epic program participating in the year on the on the Middle East in North Africa As well as having the support of the Institute for his projects and an internship in his home country He received the Tufts presidential award for citizenship Citizenship and public service He co-founded the Bridges Academy a literacy and leadership training program for at-risk youth in a camp for internally displaced people Or IDPs in Kabul, Afghanistan Bridges Academy offered a two-year long interdisciplinary program which focused on integrating the youth in the camp to the larger Kabul community and Exposing them to the larger world and opportunities outside the camp after the completion of the original bridge Academy program The project expanded to work with juvenile Rehabilitation centers around Afghanistan and successfully piloted the program in five provinces across the country Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Parwan and Kapisa After Tufts, he worked as a senior research associate for the Afghanistan holding group and as a research assistant with the Stanford Internet Observatory He has just graduated from Stanford University as an as a Knight Hennessey Scholar with two master's degrees One in international policy and one in management science and engineering He is the co-founder of Sabi Cash also known as DataServe AI a start-up that seeks to increase access to capital for businesses in developing countries He is the co-founder and CEO of the 30 Birds Foundation We honor him this evening with the Dr. Jean Mayor Global Citizenship Award in recognition of his courageous Activism on behalf of the school goes of the Marifat school and in admiration of his inspirational and humane leadership. I would now like now like to invite Salome to present the award present the next award Hello everybody, my name is Salome de Prima I'm a member of this year's epic class problems out passports and also the IGL liaison for the women in international club here at Tafs. I'm delighted to present the To present Jennifer Slendy with the Dr. Jean Mayor Global Citizenship Award tonight her admirable efforts that help the Marifat school girls Succeed in thrive despite having to leave their home country is deeply inspiring Jennifer Slendy is a founding partner of Slendy Gay Ellsberg under her leadership women are positioned at every level of firm management Including its C-suite The firm is also renowned for taking on industry shaping cases and a high-impact public interest work a Season trialed an appellate lawyer. She is recognized as a litigation star by benchmark litigation One of the leading plaintiff financial lawyers in America by law dragon and noted for skill in complex commercial litigation by the legal 500 Crane's has twice named her one of the 100 notable women in law In addition to representing plaintiffs and high-stakes disputes Jennifer also specializes in complex defense work and is frequently tapped for sensitive internal and government governmental Investigations into antitrust financial misconduct and employment related matters She has represented private equity and investment companies in President-setting litigation in addition to renewable energy companies and related interests in cutting-edge Little gate litigation aimed at protecting competition in power generation for the benefit of consumers She has also an expense extensive expertise in RICO bankruptcy domestic and international arbitration and cross-borders disputes Her public interest practices focus on poverty women's right climate change and education Jennifer graduated from Harvard Law School after completing a masters of philosophy in international relations At st. Antony's College of Oxford University as a martial scholar She serves as a board chairman for the National Center for Law and Economic Justice a national legal Service organization focus on justice for the poor She's also the co-founder and board chairman of the Spayer Legacy School an independent school For gifted children with a special interest in low-income high-achieving students Jennifer is an alumna of IGL's epic program and that looked at the militarization of the third world And she currently serves as the vice chair of the IGL's external advisory board She is a co-founder and CEO of 30 birds Foundation. We honor her this evening with the Dr. Jean mayor Global citizenship board in recognition for her passionate Concern for and formidable dedication to human and women's rights and her inspirational commitment to evacuating the Afghan school girls Hi, my name is Ashley Jones Flores. I'm a sophomore here at Tufts. I'm majoring in international relations and civic studies And I'm St. Joel Maribatel. I'm also a sophomore and I'm majoring in international relations and psychology And we are the co-presidents of Tufts women and IR a club affiliated with the IGL so Metaphat high school began in 1998 as an ideal the tenants of democracy taught in the mud but Sorry, excuse me mud hut in a refugee camp in Pakistan it had 30 students and young afghan Aziz Royesh whose vision was to build a center of academic excellence Rated in the childhood community of Kabul Almost 25 years later the mother fat high school had approximately 4,000 students nearly half of whom were girls Under Aziz Royesh's vision and leadership But I thought became an institution renowned for empowering young afghan women Many of whom went to study and work at the finance institutions in America the UK around the world Before returning to Afghanistan to take up positions in medicine economics law and engineering Then 2021 happened with the Taliban retaking Afghanistan the school its students in particularly its schoolgirls were under threat the Marifat school community Came together from the ethnic hazard a minority historically persecuted by the Taliban in early 2021 as the US began to withdraw its forces Massacres involving the hazard of people intensified as the Taliban moved to take over areas previously controlled by the US and Afghanistan how they remained in Afghanistan feel my Marifat students would have faced an unimaginable future of silence submission and sexually sexual slavery Under a new regime which would exclude them from any form of education The 30 birds Foundation came together in July of 2021 to evacuate 450 of the most at-risk girls The singers performers and athletes some of who were already forced into hiding Logistically there was no way to get all 450 out together They were split into two groups the first 200 able to relocate to Saskatoon to Canada While the remaining 200 were evacuated a month later to Islamabad where they are currently waiting for a more permanent transition 50 of the girls in Islamabad left Afghanistan with no family members having only the matter thought out the community The goal of the 30 birds Foundation is to reunite the whole group in Canada The group in Pakistan is in a precarious limbo as they could be asked to leave or be deported back to Afghanistan at any point To move on to Canada the Foundation needs to raise $23,000 per person for them to be able to get a visa Canada is demanding that each girl be able to show she has enough to live on for a year to gain entry and be reunited with her peers The following video is an excerpt of a conference called the girls in Islamabad on February 10th, 2022 We are sitting in a room with eight at 35 or 14 of the girls and coordinators and some of the families and we can't fit everybody in and we're split into various different houses in the area But we brought to you a bunch of fantastic girls many of whom are unconfirmed as Jennifer said And Christian I thought we would just get it off by maybe introducing you to some of the different groups that we've got So These girls are fantastic And I thought they were twins in fact But that is wonderful And then we've got We've got our footballers here And we've got every scene. Oh my god. Oh my god Because these They're roommates, they're planning a business together in their room together at night They talk about how they're going to run their own business. Now, where am I going first with you? These brilliant brilliant girls who continue with their studies I mean they really really do which was so crudely cut short And we really hope that you do that. We really really hope that it'll help you be able to do that He is a journalist Who was working in Afghanistan as a journalist before But for the telegram footage And she is also one of our form daters and leaning in here near ways That's it all together doesn't see basically. Yeah, this that's not Yes, thank you Just this is more about a video link back then, but uh this Fantastic lady actually well you tell you tell What you did online here I'm gonna take this video first, but she she just got engaged. She got engaged to her fiance Back in Kabul. So and tell them that we had a party online. Can you explain? I got engaged here and with the boy Who is the who is the child who is really kind and honest with me Thanks a lot, and we are so lucky that we have you people at your entry gas and supporting us So I think that's that's more they're all so accomplished and they are all so great And I think it's But we thought it might be nice if you heard from give them Um, we might just ask them good questions looking into the crowd Um, just tell us a little bit about what it was like Uh, when they were in Afghanistan and what the evacuation was like for them So maybe we're going to start with our youngest. It's neither We have to shuffle everything up front. We won't hear them Is this nila is a musician in the school team. Hi everyone and nila Why don't you tell everybody what it was like? The day that power come what it felt like to you For some of us, thank you all for supporting us helping us come to now Um, a couple fellow was scared for all of us because we Lost the chance to work for our dreams to get those so we can go to our educational centers And of course as we have always said it was so scary that we were feeling like we're in prison We were feeling like we couldn't breathe because our rights were taken from us Actually, it's been in the four months that the five months that we are here and says sometimes this feels so sad and so Supreme because we're losing hope somehow because it takes so long that we are not in Canada now and uh We really hope that we can get to Canada soon because it's so sad. It's a point in your hand The big one is who we're impressed And uh When we have nothing here, we can't come to school and we tend to work for our dreams and it's not what we're born to do And in your dreams about what your plans are, what are you thinking ahead? To bring hope to your daily life for when you get into Canada What are you hoping to study? What are you hoping your lives will be like? I'm thinking when I wait to be it every night and it's almost uh five months and I'm Always it keeps me to dream again and be hopeful that things will work out It's to pursue my master degree in Canada if I get the chance and then after the time period that All of them are there in Afghanistan. I'm sure that one day they will be the country or the region will be changed So I want to go back there in Afghanistan I want to serve the most disadvantageous community that all these years since 2001 And I can say that the history was also dark, but since 2001 to 2021 they have struggled with discrimination and still They there were several society classes and Pg 13 that we are living there, but if we get the chance to go to Canada So we want to pursue our education and then we want to serve our community That's the most important thing that everyone of us we are thinking about. I mean we are hopeful that things will work out You know what I'd like to ask somebody What What is the object? I'm just saying what is the object you couldn't take very much with you The one object you could not move behind The one thing that was really important to you Yeah, yeah Shuffle force It's just a business The things that actually I brought from Afghanistan with me as are two things one of them is one very diary And then the next one is my pain my brother's pain Uh, that is this patient pain that my brother gave me as a sample of uh Inspiration he gave me that Uh that I should Try all the time never give up. No matter how tough the situation is how hard life gets and like It was a kind of inspiration for me that I should pursue my education I should pursue and transform my dreams my goals my ends In any situation that I would be in the future or I like pass and in in my past And that is a very precious pain for me that I couldn't leave that behind myself in Afghanistan and I still have that with myself and Besides that there's a notebook that It is all of my friends gave to me and that nobody's the thing which actually reminds me everything about my friends in Afghanistan And I wish one day I'd be able to help them I'd be able to do something for them for all those guys I left behind me in Afghanistan, especially Uh, my club high schools girls those who are in Afghanistan still And these two things are very precious for me You thank you your voice and Bella and Kristen and uh, this is um Wow, I'm trying to keep it together over a year Our hearts are with you 150 percent. I just want to say that you're all so brave and um, I hope your patience will be rewarded soon my heart goes out to you can't wait to meet you all individually and I'll give you a big virtual hug Hello everyone. My name is Ria Mata. I'm a junior studying international relations On the pre-med track. I'm from New Delhi, India And I'm the co-president of the south asian regional committee, which is An IGL organization and I'm honored to be here to moderate this discussion with the two of you. You've done such incredible work I think we'll start off With you. I was I would love you could tell us a little bit about The inspiration for the school how you built it and maybe some of the biggest challenges that you faced along the way Yes, so it's really great to be here. You know, I graduated from Tufts in 2016. So Not that long ago. Um, so it's it's great to be here. I actually took a number of my classes from this exact room Um So actually the the school that you know, my effort high school that we you know, we evacuated the school goes from It was started by my dad. He uh, founded it Um, when you know, my family moved to af- to pakistan from afghanistan during the first Taliban rule So back then he started the school for afghan refugees in pakistan and I actually attended that school when I was younger After that, you know, when you're after 9 11 when us came to afghanistan The school my dad moved the school to afghanistan Basically because back then, you know, that was a hope for a new afghanistan, you know, and I I was back then I was Towards the end of middle school And and so I also joined the school um The school, you know as as as was mentioned here Basically stood for the ideals of democracy women's rights human rights. Um, and you know By last year the school had grown to 4 000 students half of them were girls Overall the you know the inspiration I mean, I asked my dad this question often, you know, what was the inspiration behind his work? Um, I think that you know, he has always been an educator even when the soviet rule When the soviets were controlling afghanistan, you know, he was an educator He used to smuggle books with him from pakistan to afghanistan basically to teach some of the The boys in our village And then after that, you know, he um when he got a chance He basically self taught himself, you know, how to read and write you he only has a formula education until fifth grade But he still like, you know, started Marifat high school initially for refugees in pakistan and then moved it to afghanistan So I think for him it was just this hope that, you know, the war would not Last in afghanistan for a long time that we could dream that we could hope to build a better afghanistan um Again, you know, I think over the past 20 years Marifat high school was a beacon of hope. It was a beacon of Development of, you know Modernization in afghanistan and you know, I went to that school. That's how I made my way to tufts And you know for a lot of students who did go to marifat that was basically for them It allowed them to dream differently to live a different life And so I think, you know, I wish that my dad were here or one of the students because they could have definitely spoken more about this but I think, you know I Say this with a lot of Pride but also a lot of pain Because you know for 20 years as I mentioned it was a beacon of hope But not anymore unfortunately because of what the events of last year But again, I think that you know the impact that the school had and this new generation of afghans that it it did raise Have left their mark and you know, we can still hope for a better afghanistan going forward That's really powerful. Thank you so much I like to go over to you kind of her. We'd love to hear a little bit about your story. How did you get involved with 30 pods what inspired you when you And you got the the email to to get involved So Heather mentioned that I'm on the advisory board and the alumni. We stay very connected At the moment that this email came through I had been Dwelling for some time on what was happening in afghanistan. I mean, I think You know, I did not after graduating from here in international relations and doing my master's degree I I ended up going to law school and some of my work is international, but not all of it but What I took away from tufts Was this profound obligation to be informed to know Um to ask questions and to think critically about what's going on in the world and not just to be a citizen of our country But to be a global citizen and you know, so afghanistan was on my mind and In particular, there were two events that just were so impactful for me one. They were both in may of 2021 And one of them It's just it's hard to speak about it's unspeakably horrible um that the taliban massacred Young mothers and their babies in a hospital in a maternity ward um in this community the hasara Um, as the americans were making it clear that they were leaving There was a veil of protection that was taken away from these people that they had had And women were immediately targeted Subsequently there was a bombing at a school And it was time for the afternoon when the girls attended school. So there was this attack not only on um A persecuted minority but on on women and on their right to be educated and I was thinking Um, many of my friends who are involved in government and whatnot and I was talking and no there was no urgency To the american the sense that we were going to protect the people that we were leaving behind I mean, it's played out that way that there was a horrible Um catastrophe that's happened and the way the withdrawal occurred and the lack of planning for evacuation And I just had a sense of that. So there was just this feeling that I I had no time I was over committed already in a very busy Job, but it was one of those times that I think, you know, if you have where you cannot say no It was just so inspiring me to um Do what I could to help this group get these girls to safety because when you save them I was just talking about this with somebody earlier. I think it was abby President Zelensky in the ukraine He exists because one of his ancestors survived the holocaust and when you save somebody when they survive You're saving a generation. You're saving their offspring the future of afghanistan and these girls Had seized education They understood how valuable it was. They were the top performing high school In afghanistan and so to me there was no way I could say no That's really amazing. And yeah, there's lots so many parallels to be drawn between what's happening today in ukraine and what happened in afghanistan So thank you for that. Um, I'd like to go back to uh, you I was uh And just was wondering if you could talk us through the evacuation. Um, how did it happen? What kind of tools did you use? How did you utilize the network? What were some of the biggest challenges things like that? um So the evacuation first began When you know as provinces were falling to the taliban, I was thinking about what would happen to my family initially um, because you know, as I mentioned my father, he was the founder of marifat school and you know Because of you know, marifat's image in the community. It was also a prime target for the taliban, but also uh, other extremist elements in the in the community in fact Actually, the school was attacked in 2009, but some of the more fundamentalist elements in in in cobble Uh, so back then, you know for me, it was how can I save my family? And so Uh, in the beginning I reached out to some friends of my dad who what also supports of for supporters of the school You guys met bell and krista Uh in the video and so them for example, there is also a few other friends of mine personal friends of mine I asked them for help and basically the first Three days after cobble fell four days after cobble fell Basically were non-stop sleepless trying to get my family out when the day that cobble fell actually what happened was So nobody could Had you know anticipated that cobble will fall so quickly But you know, actually that day two of my sisters, they were at the indian embassy They were trying to get their visas So that they could get on a flight out out of the country My dad and the rest of my family they did not have passports So they were at that passport office trying to do their bi-metrics. So they could collect their passports And what they said was, you know, it was around midday in cobble when Uh, president Ashavani fled the country and when that when that news spread basically everybody in the government offices, they Left the the offices and went went back basically changed into like the afghan traditional clothes and went back home And so from then on, you know, my family they actually Decided not to go back home anymore because it was too dangerous for them. So they actually went to stay in a safe house That was owned by one of my dad's friends And they stayed in that safe house for four four days Until we, you know, could get them out of the country during those four days Basically, you know, we in the us, you know, the group that I mentioned We tried every door like reached out to anybody we could, you know, desperately in those days Basically all we had was like we were on a zoom call 24 7, you know Sending hundreds if not thousands of messages a day Trying to get on a call with anybody anybody that we thought could help, you know This ranged from people at the state department at the department of defense And you know other countries, for example people inside afghanistan with that we thought could find a way And so During this time, you know, we were connected to people for example the marines who are Manning the gates at the Kabul airport because Kabul airport was the only way that they could get out Um, we connected to people at the state department who are drafting up the list of people who would be evacuated from afghanistan We were talking to people the defense department who were actually Operating the flights that were leaving out of Kabul airport. And so back then, you know, basically Trying through all of these mechanisms, you know, however, we could just try to to to to help my family get out And luckily on the fourth day actually in large part due to my family and especially my sister who Actually was there with my family and she Um, you know, managed to get them into Kabul airport and then they sat on the flight To qatar and then from there to germany and then to the u.s. Um, but after, you know after that was done basically The whole group we were the group of eight people at that time who evacuated my family We we after those four days we sat and we were like so now what you know Like yes, we've managed to help my family But what about thousands of people who are left behind, you know, especially the most vulnerable which are some of the girls that you met So then we decided to help the second group And uh, that's when you know when I reached out to the ijl community because back then we had no plan no money Not a lot of connections. And also this was when the us had already Left, you know the the evacuation mission had already ended. And so We you know, basically back then tried From scratch basically how like finding a way to to get the group out Um, and then over the next, you know, few months and jennifer can talk a little bit about this Because that's when she got involved. Um, we tried basically knocked at every door that was open to us. You know, we tried Talking to people to get the girls over land to for example, Tajikistan to Uzbekistan Trying to get them to pakistan trying to get them out of her flight Out of Kabul airport out of for example, mazhar, which is the city in the north at one point, you know, we We were talking to people who were trying to Air lift them out of afghanistan day. They proposed that we buy a plane Landed in an airstrip controlled by the Taliban And then you know to to get the girls into safe houses and then put them on these flights out of the country We actually i mean jennifer was um looking at that option for a few weeks Actually before we decided that we it was too risky and we couldn't go through with that We chartered another plane out of this city in northern afghanistan Trying to get the girls out But you know, oh, we moved the whole group to to the north And this was large part, you know, organized by the girls themselves because they were the ones who Had the most updated intel They had to you know, basically go past like 15 talban checkpoints, you know In this like 12 grueling hours journey from Kabul to the north They stayed there for two weeks But then that plan also fell apart because talban were not letting any of the charter flights Leave leave mazhar. So then, you know, we got them back to Kabul, you know Asked them to go over land to pakistan and that's how we managed to get the first group out Again, this is an extraordinary story and I think that jennifer would can share a little bit more of the details But to me now looking back It it just seems like we were Trying to like put down fires. It just feels like Absolutely surreal of what happened in during those few months until we managed to get get the group to safety The only thing I would add is that it is essential to understand how important It was that we had Young afghan expats who knew these girls who knew these this community because the trust that it took I mean, we were concerned They had to go through these 15 checkpoints We learned from several independent sources That somebody on a bus to mazar Had been stopped by the taliban and found to have western contacts And their phone and had been shot on the spot So we had to help them make sure that they were not carrying You know cell phones that had any western contacts. We were communicating over whatsapp and listening to what they were saying about what was going on so having people That they trusted from the marifet community Giving them this opportunity but also Never promising them that it was going to succeed. That was the thing the bravery of these girls In the face of we're saying look, we don't know for sure that this flight will take off We you know, here's what we know. Here's what we're trying to do You have to make a decision. Will you make this journey? That was true on the trip to mazar It was true when we we had temporary visas From pakistan for them to go overland through the turqam gate Which you know was filled with people trying to get across the border They had to go through taliban checkpoints women could not travel alone They had to be very very careful Again, they had to make the decision. Am I going to am I going to pack up a knapsack? and Leave this life the only life that I've ever known to go to pakistan on a temporary visa in case abouzar and his family and friends Might be able to get us a visa into canada I mean, that's the kind of decision that these girls had to make and that they Put their trust in us. I think energized us because it was an exhaust. It's been an exhausting seven months But to see their hope and the trust that they put in us. I mean you saw those girls Okay, that's what motivates us that we we have All this hope and all this potential for the future And they made the decision When the first group got to saskatoon They were coming on on flights To canada canadians really processed them in islamabad And just in heftar are one of our teammates and I went to saskatoon to meet them And there were these names that I had seen these people who were the coordinators. Okay, they were Organizing the groups that would make their way to the gate getting the paperwork Making sure people were safe making sure only encrypted communications Right and these girls walk off the plane and they're 20 years old. They're 22 years old. They organized 200 people safely Out of afghanistan and it was stunning to me, right? So you know, this is about the power of um Very young people coming together to do so like I you know, I'm one of the old ones like we've got a a few elderly folks Right and christa and bella and me Right and it's a bunch of very very young people Who are giving of themselves? To save their community members Well, that's just a harrowing and incredible kill and I think your perseverance and just relentless commitment to these girls Is an inspiration to us all. Um, so thank you so much for sharing your story I think now we'll open it up to questions from the audience. Um, if anyone Has anything they'd like to ask? Uh, I was a kind of her Primarily at this point we are we are fundraising. I mean it is a You know sort of both a wonderful thing that canada will take Uh refugees who are privately sponsored. I mean we don't do that here in the united states Um, but it's also a horrible thing because There's a dollar value that's put on every one of those girls Um, and you know, we have been very lucky To have some very generous support We have a matching grant right now of up to a million dollars We have a donor who will match donations up to a million dollars by the end of march and We are filling out the paperwork. So there's a process of Getting the girls to tell their story to to fill out paperwork that gets submitted through an agency in canada And once it's decided upon We we will place money In trust for them And it will be administered to them to support them in their first year But as as long as we get to our our target goal We will move another 200 Hopefully in the coming months from islamabad To sesca tune to reunite with their their marifat schoolmates there Thanks for speaking with us today I was wondering if you guys are still in contact with the girls who are currently in canon Maybe if you could like talk a little bit about how they're sort of adjusting To the new lives and like their status I mean I can start but jennifer also met them in person so she can talk a little bit more Yes, so we are in touch with the girls in in canada as well To be honest, you know, they are members of the same community and they've really settled in well in sesca tune And the community has also really opened their arms to them Some of them already work with the for example the office of the mayor some of them already work helping other refugees That are coming to canada basically we settle in these communities A lot of the girls have started school again. Um, and they're, you know Learning how to skate they're learning how to survive in the cold, but They're also, you know Making new friends a lot of them and and their adjustment has been For us incredible because, you know, you can imagine like the the trauma that they endured when they were in afghanistan But to be honest, it's been almost seamless for them, you know to integrate into this new community to already be taking initiatives For example, they're, you know, organizing a festival to celebrate the new year with their new community members They've already each of them, you know have made a lot of friends They, you know, we had people for example from one of the the largest Our reporter from the largest tv network in canada went and interviewed them And then they, you know spoke about their journey They spoke about how they're resettling and what what, you know, how their experience has been But yeah, it's been Beyond belief because, you know, you'd imagine That these girls Not just because of the experiences they've had but also What they've been through and how much they've left behind How difficult it must have been for them But, you know, they're full of resilience. They're full of life And i mean jennifer met them in person so she can she can talk talk about that You know, I there's a stunning image that stays in my mind of I believe she may have been your niece A girl wearing, you know, the the motto of the washington post Is democracy dies in darkness And seeing this little girl wearing that t-shirt proudly was so moving to me But the other thing about this interview, you know, some of the news coverage of them They talked to some of the teachers at the local school where these children are now enrolled and The teachers talked about the way the level of Education has already been impacted and raised Because of what voracious learners these girls are they do not Take for granted the right to an education And they're so excited about it. So they're really enriching the community learning to skate and toboggan and You know, enjoy winter sports among other things. So It's it's incredible So one of the things I wanted to ask about was um There are some people who say that the Taliban of 1996 and 2001 was very different much worse than you know In their progressive in terms of their regressive policies Then today and I was wondering since you have lived that example I'm sorry, you've lived that life. You've been in Afghanistan while the Taliban came to power Do you think that there's hope that the Taliban today might be More open for women to get an education and to get um and just generally have more progressive policies policies in that regard So that's a very difficult question to answer for me And part of the reason is that uh, I'd like to offer the caveat that You know, I was one of the people who didn't think that Afghanistan would fall so quickly to the Taliban because you know, just I think that you know, um I had been a student at marifat and you know, marifat had created the sort of a Community that was supportive of all of its members Um, and I did not foresee it, you know The Taliban had such a widespread reach And especially in rural areas but also in major cities and you know, even in the government ranks So because of that, you know, I might not be the best person to you know, comment on what what the Taliban would do from experience Unfortunately a lot of the policies that the Taliban have now taken don't seem to be very different than their policies in the 1990s Um Especially, you know, one of the things that helps now is that they are looking for international recognition But you know, if they do not get to that international recognition that they need and the money that they need You never know what what happens from what, you know, for example, we see now, you know Girls education is largely still banned for especially for older girls, for example They, you know, the girls still cannot, you know, leave their homes without Um, uh, you know male companion, for example You know, they're you know in the first days when they took office when you know, a lot of Female employees of the government when they went to take their positions. They were sent back home So a lot unfortunately a lot of the early signs don't seem to be Um different than than what was the case, but again, you know, um I'm just being a bit of an optimist that I I really hope and I think that afghans are very resilient people You know, there are plenty of people inside afghanistan who do not have the same views as the taliban And I think that you know, just knowing how resilient people are and how strong they are I think that the country will move forward, but at what pace Unfortunately cannot comment on that I think if you look at what, um Policies have been put in place and I mean, we just we hear things all the time In particular people asking us for help who we mostly cannot help Um, the taliban goes door to door It murders, uh, women who served in the government previously Um, they're rooting out safe houses where women are hiding They're banning women from travel They shut down the schools Um It whether that's as bad. I mean they're announcing in the mosques That, um young girls who are unmarried May be married off to taliban soldiers Um It doesn't feel like a different taliban. Although on the other hand We've also heard that they they are not unified. There are many different talibans, right? And they don't all get along So is is there hope for a more moderate Uh leadership in afghanistan. I think that Time will tell but right now the extreme uh economic circumstances are unlikely to bring out the best And them if the international community is willing to Help afghan citizens, you know, that may be perceived as strengthening the taliban But it would also potentially give some leverage for them to lessen Some of their more extreme human rights abuses Thank you so much for that perspective. I think it's a really important one and a really valuable one for us to have especially When so many in this country, I think um Have tried to wipe their hands of of afghan blood by Like saying that it's different this time. Um, so it's a really valuable perspective to have. So, thank you so much Um Excuse me. Sorry. I was wondering what um What do you think was the biggest challenge if this entire process logistically speaking? Um, if you could shed some light on that that would be great I think that, you know, this uh whole evacuation even though we spoke about it there briefly It was challenging on many levels. Um, the first of all is just the trauma Not, you know, not only on us, but you know on the people who actually went through the experience Um on the logistical side, you know, uh, just the limited intelligence that we're getting In terms of like knowing what was about to happen, you know, that made things extremely difficult One of the examples of this in today we talked about it briefly was um, initially we had There was a period when we thought that we could get people on buses into Kabul airport and then Because we had heard that there were flights that if they got into the airport, they could sit on flights And we had actually organized buses To go into the Kabul airport And at that moment, uh The our partner who was organizing the buses they received calls from Somebody on the ground in afghanistan, you know, one of their coordinators who said that something felt off That they didn't know what it was. They were like, you guys make a decision But something feels off on the ground and to us, you know, I mean, I was sitting in california Like how can I make a decision about the lives of these people who are sitting on these buses waiting to to go into the airport? and you know, um Our partner and you know, just in one of our colleagues. They ultimately decided to call off the evacuation plan basically call off the buses And 15 minutes later the bombing at the abbey gate in Kabul airport happened. So You know in in that situation basically How were we to know what was about to happen, you know in in in Kabul airport? And this was not just one incident basically all along the way, uh, for example, jennifer mentioned about the case of The incident that we have heard between Kabul and mazar, you know that at one of the talban checkpoint somebody who had American affiliation had been shot You know, we basically conveyed that information to the girls. We're saying, you know This is all we know and even if you get to mazar, we really cannot promise you that the flight will take off You guys need to make that decision and then I think that was like the challenge there, right? Because we just had such limited information of what was actually happening on the ground So we Had to trust basically the the the intuition of these girls basically so that they could you know make decisions on life and death Yeah For me hands down the absolute and this is not really a logistical issue But it it relates to the fact that we we were just constantly making lists for the for the canadians for the pakistanis for the americans For the ecuadorans, we had to make lists And that meant deciding Who would get on the list and who wouldn't and there are still marifat girls in kabul Who need to who need to be evacuated? I mean they they wanted to be on the list And we were constantly making these judgments About who is more at risk? Who is the most vulnerable? And then who got out and who didn't you saw on the video the gentleman is introduced as a coordinator mirwais He's a journalist. He was on our first list Everyone on our first list except for mirwais is in canada right now He volunteered to stay behind To help out with the second group and to accept the uncertainty That went with that and he is I mean to me he is he is heroic Because the girls couldn't travel without we had to have men in the group We had to have men who are willing to accompany them who also look out for them now in pakistan Where they are vulnerable So it's those choices Those you know who gets on the list. I found it unbelievably taxing and Difficult to participate in those decisions Thank you so much. I was wondering Does the taliban go after the families of the people who've Been able to escape I know in north korea that For a defector family They're all Punished by the north korean government and i was wondering if that was the same for afghanistan I don't think that we've seen any specific examples They are they're not totally organized. They're not totally in control of the country yet We have not been able to make we were talking this about this today at lunch with one of our our partners They are going after Some people that where it makes perfect sense. It's logical. They were Women and and men who worked in for the americans and in the government And they're not going after some people that we would expect them to and I don't know if that's just A logistical issue for them an organizational issue or kind of what's driving it or or if it's different factions making different choices We believe that the recent lockdown on people leaving the country and particularly women leaving the country Is is in reaction to the overwhelming numbers of people who have been heading for the borders Hi, so given how like great of an impact the school has had in the past Uh in the future down the road Do you hope to reinstate the school perhaps again in pakistan or in a different country for afghan refugees again? So i've had the conversation with my dad, you know about his plans and he Is still involved with the community because you know, I mean this is the community that he nurtured for the past, you know, 20 years The hope You know, I don't think his hope is to reinstate another school for refugees But rather to help Both girls who got out and those who didn't through educational programs, whatever that might look like Especially, you know, when it comes to Girls who like resettled in canada. They're already enrolled in schools and they you know, it's not best for them to be Still an isolated community in canada, right? It's it's better for them to integrate into the local community and you know, for example go to the local schools But you know, besides that there can be programming for their, you know skills trainings there can be Empowerment programs for them leadership programs Um for those inside the country, you know, there's Like I've had this conversation with my dad and I don't think he's Giving up hope that you know, there will still be ways that you can educate those who are left behind because You know, right now it doesn't seem like a lot of them have access to education And he is trying to work on that and this is actually one of the things that you know 30 birds It's just then, you know We've we've been dealing with emergencies like basically every every day of the month We've never had a chance to sit back and think about, you know Strategically about what we can do to to help, you know, those outside but also those inside But it is also a part of our the the mission of the foundation to help educational with educational opportunities for those Who are outside the country but also those inside so that, you know, the marifid community that You know, basically nurtured in afghanistan can still stay together And you know become basically change makers in their local communities, but also in afghanistan going forward And the other thing that we shouldn't forget about is that marifat was a co-ed school And there are still Hazara boys who are able to be educated and that is not a that's not a small thing, right? That's a big thing when you think about generations of hasara who were denied Equal opportunities, right? So the school still serves a very important role in the community And you know once we can stop drinking from a fire hose My hope is that we can also find ways to reach girls That are left behind in afghanistan You just mentioned a bit about this But I was wondering if you could talk a bit more about what life is like now for the girls who are still in afghanistan and how Their daily lives have been shaped and how their families have Had to adapt to the entire situation I'm gonna I I'm gonna tell us a story in response that I it's not really It's not really a direct answer, but I recently had the opportunity to have dinner With the sister Of one of the girls who is in canada And the sister got out as kabool was falling Because she was a sophomore in college Um in new york and at a school in staten island. She's studying chemical or chemistry and or chemical engineering and She described to me the feeling Of being A girl a woman a young woman who had had the hope That comes from education and from going to the marifet school and having dreams about her future And she said that she was telling her father That she would rather die Then give that up She would rather be dead than live under the taliban where they took that from her And her father having lived Many years longer having lived to the soviet occupation Having felt exactly that way when he was young he told her But also because he was her father said you have to understand you don't have the perspective now, but there's something in just living There's something valuable to just stay alive because things can change Because in the long game There is hope So I understand why you feel that way But There is hope in the long run if you can just survive And for a father to have to say that to a daughter, you know, it's it's just so poignant to me But it really captured for me. What is what does it feel like for those girls who are left behind? and Hopefully they have fathers who are saying that to them who are saying don't give up hope because there's a long game here And things can change and don't feel like you you That you want to die That was a beautiful story. Thank you so much Jennifer. And I think uh I think this is probably our last question that we are going to have time for tonight Yeah, um, thank you both for sharing and reflecting and all of your hard work for the evacuation My name is lauren. I actually work in a refugee resettlement organization here in boston and we've received 200 afghan refugees And so i'm kind of wondering to inform my own work. Um, what kind of structures are in place in canada or currently in pakistan to support evacuees and I a lot of my work is in women's empowerment, which seems very like central to your work as well So what kind of kind of women's empowerment thinking or programs or structures? Can continue for girls after evacuation Um, when it comes to pakistan, unfortunately, there are not that many resources because also, um, pakistan is being overwhelmed by the number of afghan refugees who are going there Um, and also, you know, the country does not have sufficient resources to Resettle and they're not even planning on resettlement Or to like integrate them into the community or even allow them some of the basic necessities like, you know, um Even, you know, provide them with food or shelter or for example Some sort of an opportunity to get an education In canada, the situation is different. The canadian government has Um, a pretty robust support system for the for refugees. For example, you know, we discuss the private sponsorship That's why we need to raise money for these girls That money that, you know, we as that we would pay for that private sponsorship That is the money that goes directly to supporting each of these girls in canada once they land The canadian government, you know, they've also introduced that they would that they're taking Refugees through these government assisted programs as well In which case, you know, the canadian government is going to be supporting them not just for the first year But after that, uh, and that support is pretty inclusive, you know of pretty comprehensive, you know, it includes education health care Um skills training for those who are a little older But also, you know Basically like housing food shelter all of that I think that for, you know, the refugees that are coming to the u.s. Unfortunately the u.s system is not as supportive of as that in in In canada and I know that because my family, you know, they resettled in virginia there, you know, they they were at a military camp until October when they, you know when they got out of the camp and they We basically had to help them find a place. We had to, you know, help them Get the school the girls into schools, etc Even though the the the u.s. Has a limited support available for example with regards to, you know Covering the cost of rent and food and utilities for the first three months That's not enough time for a refugee to resettle, you know, somebody who's left behind everything To resettle in a new country and and to that end, you know, I think educational programs In skills trainings, I believe are the some of the most important because you know, it's not just about Opening your doors and then Forgetting about these people who are coming in but rather, you know Giving them the platform on which they can build their future as they can, you know Become good citizens of, you know, u.s. Or canada or whoever they are I want to give credit here to abu czar's wife tehara um was a journalist in afghanistan and has been instrumental in Working with me and and other members of our team To advocate for the support of the girls particularly on the ground in islamabad whereas Um where abu czar says, you know, there just is no support and they're very vulnerable So the things that we've been working on we found Dari speaking therapists To do some telehealth group therapies with the girls The doctors on the ground, uh, it's very hard To for them because they risk their licenses and the demand there is so overwhelming right now with all the refugees It was just taking us too long. So we went this route of the telehealth For me, uh, you know, i'm going over to pakistan next week Listening to them talking to them my son and his high school friends Have offered to become pen pals, you know to to have zoom meetings to You know to connect with their peers Similar age peers Here in the us To let let them know That there are people who will welcome them who feel Who admire them who respect their bravery? And who you know want to see them succeed and and come to canada Just being able to get them access to Some programming We have a programming. I guess a a writing program That we're putting in place for them. We're you know as we've been able to raise funds creating the opportunity for Potential educational programs short term educational programs. So we've been creating The the support network for them there and I think the coordinators themselves. There are some just incredibly Committed resilient members of this community who are there for the others, you know And for those when they fall down when they feel lowest We we've tried to encourage them. We've tried to listen to them. I mean I'm taking over, you know for old laptops and We're going to get some we've decided that we're going to introduce board games and Try to find some some activities that they can do communally Just until we get this paperwork done and we can get them to canada, but you know it's It's a challenge Thank you both for those um wonderful and pointy answers and for all the work that you have done I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're all truly inspired. Um, I think with that we're going to end our moderate discussion But if everyone could give these two one more round of applause Thank you very much