Brisbane man helps feed thousands overseas at the touch of a button
An app co-founded by a Brisbane man has changed from an Etsy-like platform into a portal for helping send emergency food packages to more than 10,000 people driven by their homes by the Taliban takeover since August. Here’s how you can help.
QLD News
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Taufiq Safi and his family sat in disbelief as they watched the news from their Brisbane lounge room.
Members of the Taliban were shown sitting behind the desk of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who had just fled as the terrorist group took over the country in mid-August.
“We couldn’t believe what was happening. It was a very unrealistic thing,” he said.
“We didn’t think the government would collapse or the Taliban would take over in such a short time.
“I felt hopeless. I wanted to help my people but there was no way for me to help them. All I can do was ring them.”
In June, Mr Safi, 27, and his business partner, Nasrat Khalid, 29, were among 200 people on an international video conference call with Mr Ghani and other dignitaries as they successfully pitched an Etsy-like business venture designed to help Afghan artisans sell their homemade wares to the world.
They never expected to not only change the focus of their app, Aseel – just weeks later to an emergency response platform aimed at helping thousands of internally displaced Afghans receive food or basic necessities in the wake of the Taliban takeover – or to have already successfully helped 10,000 people.
The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group the United Nations labelled a terrorist group, had been in control of Afghanistan for five years before they were ousted from power by American-led military forces in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.
But in August, it took the group less than two weeks to re-take control of Afghanistan as the US, Australia and other allied forces ended their 20-year presence in the war-weary nation.
Many civilians and Afghanistan military personnel who supported the western forces have since fled or are in hiding and trying to escape the country.
Mr Safi – who said he spent the first almost fortnight in shock and feeling helpless after the Taliban takeover – said he and Mr Khalid decided to change their business into a humanitarian platform after hearing about the thousands of Afghans who had fled from the country’s provinces to Kabul, in the hope of escaping the Taliban, before they also seized the capital city.
Most arrived with only the clothes they were wearing, and set up shelters in public areas, like Azadi Park, which has turned into a refugee camp.
Several of the internally displaced Afghans had injuries from mortar or other attacks.
The Aseel platform has enabled people from around the world to buy food or other basic necessities and have them delivered directly Afghans in need at the touch of a button.
Donors choose from a selection of emergency food or other packages listed on the platform.
The items are then bought by Aseel employees and volunteers in Afghanistan and hand delivered to either those most in need, or to specific families chosen by donors.
The listed emergency food package options include a $20 pack with bottles of water, biscuits, milk, juice and hot meals.
A larger $70 package comprises the basic ingredients popular in Afghanistan of flour, beans, rice, cooking, oil, biscuits, tea, sugar and dal, a type of legume.
An emergency baby care package, which includes nappies, formula, food supplements and baby outfits and an ‘emergency life package’ that includes a tent, some clothes, shoes and blankets, are also available.
Mr Safi, Aseel’s Australian contact, said when the app changed to humanitarian assistance, Aseel volunteers started out by going to Azadi Park to find out who was most in need and registering them on a list.
As word spread, others started reaching out on social media, asking if they could donate to specific families in need, many of whom remain in hiding for fear of being hurt or killed by the Taliban for various reasons, including because of their professions.
Mr Safi said the emergency food packages can provide a family of five with basic necessities for a week.
Aseel has now recruited more than 300 volunteers, enabling the program to also expand to the provinces, with the volunteers hiring a truck a truck to deliver the goods once a week.
To date, 11,795 people out of 1685 families in 14 cities have been assisted through the donation of 842 emergency food packages, according to the Aseel web site.
Created in 2019, Aseel – which Mr Safi said means ‘first’ or original in some Arabic languages – is an initiative of Awal, an international development agency founded Mr Khalid, who now lives in Washington DC.
The company originally aimed to harness technology and innovation to improve the lives of those in underdeveloped or under-represented countries, and was founded on the belief development projects need to be faster, smarter, and innovative when it came to creating positive impact for people, communities, and nations, according to the Awal.org web site.
Mr Safi said he and Mr Khalid saw an opportunity to bring the Afghanistan’s handmade items to the world.
“Our mission was to connect the Afghan local artisans to the global market because we believed their handicraft they didn’t have a good representation in the global market,” he said.
Some of the items usually available through the platform include Afghan carpets, emeralds, saffron, leather items and more.
Originally from Kabul, Mr Safi moved to Brisbane in 2015, where he has since completed a business management degree at the Queensland University of Technology.
To give a donation or to purchase food or other emergency items for families in need, visit aseel.xyz or download the Aseel app.
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