OUR PROCESS

When the US forces withdrew from Afghanistan and it became clear that additional support was needed to facilitate the safe evacuation of our Afghan allies, several non-profits came together to raise funds through an online fundraiser initiative called Project Flyaway. This became one of the largest crowd-sourced fundraisers of all time, raising millions of dollars to support the cause.

It became clear during this initiative that it was going to be necessary to continue to extract people from Afghanistan beyond the final ‘leave’ date of August 31st 2021. To that end, many leaders and volunteers involved with Project Flyaway decided to form a distinct non-profit committed to continuing the mission started by Project Flyaway, and Operation Snow Leopard was born.

It felt appropriate and meaningful to name our organization in honor of Afghanistan’s National Animal - The Snow Leopard. These rare cats are known for their courage and resiliency, and symbolize the strength and determination we see everyday from the Afghans we strive to serve and help get evacuated to safety.

We facilitate the extraction and resettlement of our most vulnerable Afghan allies by:

• Contracting private chartered flights for our families’ evacuation.

• Ensuring our evacuees have all the necessary paperwork & immigration support needed to depart Afghanistan.

• Safeguarding families by providing them with food, lodging, and medical care while they wait for evacuation

• Negotiating with host countries to secure lilly-pad and final landing destinations for evacuees.

• Communicating with our evacuees throughout the whole evacuation process to provide support and status updates.

• Fundraising to support all the aforementioned items.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Although the US government successfully evacuated thousands of American allies before August 31st, 2021 (the date by which the US agreed to withdraw our military), there are still thousands of at-risk, vulnerable allies that need our help. We continue to work with the US government to ensure our efforts are sanctioned and supported by the appropriate parties.

When Afghanistan began to fall to the Taliban, there were several non-for-profits involved in evacuation efforts. As time has passed the number of organizations supporting this effort has dwindled and so too, have the number of countries willing and able to accept and resettle these refugees. While the world struggles with integrating refugees, our Afghan brothers and sisters are being hunted and killed, or are dying from the harsh environmental conditions and lack of medical treatment.

• 501c3 Status: We have secured 501c3 status in recognition of our ongoing efforts. Unlike other non-profits who were initially involved in evacuation efforts and are now refocusing their efforts elsewhere, we have a 24-month commitment to the continued evacuation of Afghan families. Our motto is “loyalty binds us” and we recognize the need to keep our mission alive.

• Humanitarian License (from Department of the Treasury): We have applied for a Humanitarian License from the Department of the Treasury, to formalize our efforts in Afghanistan and enable us to continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.

• Credible, Vetted Partnerships: Understanding the importance of security and diplomacy, we only partner with credible organizations recognized by the DOD and DOS.

• Inclusive, Collaborative Approach: We know our success depends on our willingness to partner with other organizations. We pride ourselves on partnering with others to ensure the evacuation of as many Afghans as possible. We are happy to support other organizations’ success in their efforts as well as our own. Together, we will do more.

• In the Field Manpower: We have a multi-faceted, seasoned team of volunteers in the US managing our cases and a network of people in Afghanistan ensuring the safety and care of our evacuees

When the Taliban overthrew the Afghan government, 19 million women immediately had their rights revoked, stolen, and cancelled. After 20 years of freedom of choice and unbound education, they were once again denounced and rendered personal property of men. This might seem like someone else’s problem but this is a serious human right issue which affects us all. In the space of a few short months, women are no longer able to receive an education, they may only leave their home if accompanied by a male family member, and they have been turned away from their workplaces if deemed to have a job considered inappropriate for women. A UN spokesperson said back in August 2021: “Many of these persons are in hiding as the Taliban continues to search homes door-to-door”, she said, “and there are serious concerns that such information gathering may led to them being targeted for reprisals. Searches, arrests, harassment, and intimidation, as well as seizures of property and reprisals are already being reported.”

We are negotiating with multiple countries to arrange visas for our Afghan allies. This requires us to understand the varied and detailed criteria each country has regarding immigrants and negotiate with these nations to support our efforts.

We adopted the standards set by the Department of State when requesting and compiling documentation for every family. Each family also has a sponsor who is either an organization we work with (like an NGO or government organization), an American citizen who knows them, or NATO Allied citizen who will vouch for them. We support the relocation of families and don’t want to separate parents and children, so we do help entire families when possible.

No, we have not and never will negotiate with any terrorist organizations as defined by the US Government. We do not communicate with members of the Taliban, Haqqani network or ISIS-K. We only partner with people/organizations that are in good standing with the US government.

We are one of the few organizations in this space who have successfully incorporated as a 501c3. Our EIN is: 87-254-6971. We are committed to having transparency in our financial reporting and have a compliance officer and treasurer who tracks all expenditures to ensure the funds donated are used in alignment with our commitments, while keeping our operational and administrative costs at a minimum. All donations are tax deductible.