GoFundMe starts own campaign for Afghans days after independent accounts restricted

One of the world’s largest fundraising sites has started its own campaign to raise money for displaced Afghans after other independent accounts connected to the war-torn country were restricted.

GoFundMe has started their own campaign to raise money for the people of Afghanistan just days after restricting all other independent accounts connected to the war-torn country.

A day after the Taliban took power on August 15, all GoFundMe accounts raising money for various groups trying to escape Afghanistan were frozen, preventing thousands of dollars in donations from being withdrawn until they had been “vetted.”

A GoFundMe spokeswoman said all fundraisers connected to Afghanistan, had a temporary hold placed on withdrawals while they were reviewed by the company’s Trust and Safety team because of the rapidly changing situation in the south-central Asian nation.

The following day, the US branch of the giant crowd-funding platform launched its own Afghanistan Relief Fund with the goal of raising $US250,000.

A GoFundMe Australia spokeswoman said since freezing the accounts last week, the company had now verified a number of charities assisting Afghans.

“It (has) been devastating to watch the heartbreaking humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan,” she said.

People run on tarmac of Kabul international airport as a US military aircraft attempts to take off in this screenshot from a video. Picture: TOLOnews

“GoFundMe.org, our independent non-profit arm registered in the US, has launched the Afghanistan Relief Fund providing grants to verified non-profits working to support those affected by this evolving crisis.

“Donations will be distributed to Bamyan Foundation,Internews, and the Global Hope Network International.”

For Australians, the spokeswoman said verified non-government organisations providing support to those in need are listed under the GoFundMe Australia’s Afghanistan Fundraising Hub.

An account titled ‘Emergency Help for LGBTQ Afghans in Afghanistan,’ started by Afghan-Australian Bobuq Sayed and three US-based friends, is among the ones with $US52,895 in funds now unable to be withdrawn unless the funds are donated via a vetted charity or non-profit organisation instead of directly to their intended recipients.

Volunteers and medical staff take an injured man on a stretcher for treatment after two powerful explosions outside the Kabul airport, where thousands are waiting and trying to board flights out of the country, on Thursday. Picture: Wakil Kohsar/AFP

The money was intended to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) people escape the Taliban takeover as the US and other western coalition forces withdraw after 20 years.

The spokeswoman said providing aid to those in need was GoFundMe’s top priority, but that it was a “complicated and evolving” situation.

“GoFundMe complies with all international laws, and due to Taliban control, we can no longer transfer money directly to an individual in Afghanistan or release funds that will be transferred to an individual in the country,” she said.

“This is not a policy specific to GoFundMe — it is based on laws and regulations.

“Just like every fundraiser on GoFundMe, we work hard to ensure all donations go to those intended.

“That means, our Trust and Safety team must review every fundraiser related to Afghanistan to ensure it remains compliant with the law and global financial regulations, protecting both organisers and donors.”

Afghan-Australian Bobuq Sayed, 27, claims GoFundMe has put a block on a fundraising account intended to help Afghanis. Picture: Twitter

The spokeswoman said organisers of fundraisers started prior to the Taliban seizing control would need to update donors via their individual pages stating the use of the funds had now changed.

She said donors could opt for a refund or they would go to a verified not-for-profit organisation or charity.

“We are in touch with all organisers impacted, and our teams are working around the clock, as providing aid to those in need, safely and quickly continues to be our top priority,” the spokeswoman said.

The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group labelled as a terrorist group by the United Nations, ruled Afghanistan for five years before the US-led military forces ousted them in 2001 following the September 11 attacks.

It took the group less than two weeks to take control of Afghanistan as the US, Australia and other allied forces ended their 20-year presence in the nation.

Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, fell on August 15 after Taliban fighters entered the presidential palace and declared victory.

Since then, many civilians and Afghanistan military personnel who supported the western forces have fled or are in hiding and trying to escape the country.

To donate to registered charities assisting in Afghanistan, visit GoFundMe Australia’s Afghanistan Fundraising Hub here.

Originally published as GoFundMe starts own campaign for Afghans days after independent accounts restricted