Join Kishti – Kindle Project’s Afghanistan Fund

We are pleased to invite you aboard Kishti – Kindle Project’s Afghanistan Fund – to support and celebrate freedom-of-expression initiatives with artists, musicians, activists, and journalists who are at risk inside Afghanistan or have managed to relocate outside of the country.

Kishti, which means boat in Dari, feels like a fitting name for this initiative—a raft in these turbulent waters, a buoy for the seekers and speakers, for the culture-makers who foster vitality and health through art and expression. We are now seeking donors to join a bold new phase of this fund.

Our goal is to raise $300,000 as soon as possible.

We are seeking donations of $5,000 or above. With your help, Kishti will support brave initiatives that: 

• provide safety and support for high-risk artists, journalists, and activists using expression as a means for change;
• empower women, girls, and youth;
• are likely to be underfunded and overlooked by the mainstream aid agencies

For some inspiring examples of initiatives Kishti seeks to support, check out some of the grantees from the first round of funding.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last August, Kindle Project launched this emergency grant program. With the generous help of individuals and foundations, we doubled our initial fundraising goal and were able to support 16 organizations whose work is creative, inspiring, and enduring during a critical time. Now, although media attention on Afghanistan has pivoted, it remains an ongoing crisis. The Afghans most at risk are those who have fought hardest to foster cultural diversity and richness, human rights, and accountability. Activists, journalists and media organizations, human rights workers, and women have been especially persecuted. At Kindle Project, an ethos of long-term commitment underlies our programming, relationships, and worldview, and we feel that a continued commitment is especially pertinent to this effort, as the situation for Afghans has not improved and the needs are substantial.

Donate to Kishti here. Learn about the program here. Feel free to contact Arianne Shaffer with questions, and please share this invitation with your networks and anyone who may be interested in joining this effort. Thank you for your continued support!