Our Work
Rescuing Scouts, Scoutmasters and Their Families
When Kabul fell, the leadership of Scouting in Afghanistan needed help to escape and pursue their visas to the United States.
where it began
Evacuating the staff of Afghan Scouting
In August of 2021, a group of Scouters led by Stephen Gates, Perihan Sheard, their Eagle Scout sons Aydin and Koray alongside many others, worked to evacuate eight of the nine professional staff of Afghan Scouting and their families to Pakistan as the Taliban were issuing death threats which forced them into hiding.
Given that Afghan Scouting was resurrected by a US charity with significant help from the US embassy, the US military and various NATO countries (Scouting is in 150 countries), all of the staff had been given access to the USRAP program. All were eligible to be vetted and, if passed, flown to the US for resettlement.
Afghan Scouting professional staff evacuated to Pakistan with their families
Families resettled in the US (5) and Canada (1)
Students in the US from the Afghan Scouting Program
one scout leader’s story
She barely escaped with her life
On the right, looking at the camera, is a former nationally known radio personality who started up her own Scout Troop. ASRF helped her get to the US through a legal refugee pathway, where she and her husband have good jobs and recently welcomed a baby boy.
She barely escaped Afghanistan with her life, as the Taliban sent her pictures of them ransacking her apartment and telling her to turn herself in to ‘face justice’.
get invovled
Help get our Afghan colleagues out of danger
Of the eight families, two were caught in the travel ban and we are still working diligently on ways to get them to safety abroad, a daunting task these days but one that we are determined to continue tackling.
We are working with Italian charities and the German and Spanish governments to accept women Scoutmasters and their families as refugees. There are a number of women Scoutmasters that are still hunted by the Taliban and looking for our help in getting their families to safety.
Evacuate a Scout leader
If you wish to help support and evacuate scout leaders, please note ‘scout leader’ on your donation.