Before There Was AWA
Dear Friends,
Five years ago, the world watched the fall of Kabul.
The images are impossible to forget. Families desperate for safety. The chaos at the airport gates. Afghan allies left wondering whether America would keep the promises made to them.
For many people, that was the beginning of this story.
For me, it wasn't.
Long before the world started paying attention, my son joined the National Guard. Like many military parents, I found myself thinking about the people who serve alongside American troops. The interpreters, engineers, drivers, mechanics, cultural advisors, and countless others whose work often means the difference between success and failure, and sometimes life and death.
As I learned more about the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, I discovered something else.
People had questions. Lots of them.
The process was confusing. Reliable information was difficult to find. Rumors often spread faster than facts. I started helping where I could, answering questions in Afghan Facebook groups and explaining a process that few people seemed to understand.
At the same time, every other week I found myself in a small conference room with immigration attorneys, policy experts, and advocates from organizations working in this space. Those conversations became a two-way exchange. I learned from people with deep legal and policy expertise while sharing the questions, trends, and obstacles I was seeing every day from Afghan applicants. Together, we gained a better understanding of where people were getting stuck and what information they needed most.
I wasn't trying to build an organization.
I was simply trying to help.
One question became ten. Ten became hundreds. Before long, it became clear that this wasn't just about answering questions anymore. The need had outgrown one person. There was a need for trusted information, organized support, and a better way to reach people.
So, in 2019, the Association of Wartime Allies was born.
It wasn't created because I wanted to start a nonprofit. It was created because the work needed a foundation. What began as one person answering questions became something bigger: a place where trusted information could be shared, technical support could be provided, and a growing community could help one another navigate an incredibly complicated process.
Then came August 2021.
The mission did not change.
The need did.
Overnight, the questions became relentless. The world had finally started paying attention to Afghanistan, but for many of us, the work had already begun years earlier. Everything we had been building suddenly became essential.
Today, AWA serves nearly 25,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants and has had hundreds of thousands of interactions with applicants and their advocates. That daily connection gives us something few organizations have: a direct understanding of the questions, challenges, and changing realities facing the people we serve.
Over the next few days, I will share more of that story. I'll explain how AWA developed a unique model for supporting thousands of Afghan allies while never losing sight of the individual families behind each case. I'll also share how The Afghan Digest became part of our mission, and why trusted information remains one of the most valuable forms of support we can provide.
As we approach August 15, we are not simply remembering the fall of Kabul.
We are renewing a commitment that began for us long before that day.
If you believe America should keep its promises to those who stood beside our service members, I hope you'll consider supporting the Association of Wartime Allies.
Your generosity helps ensure Afghan allies and their families continue to have free access to trusted information, technical support, and a community committed to helping them navigate an often-overwhelming immigration process.
We were here long before the world started paying attention.
We are still here today.
And with your support, we'll remain here until the mission is finished.
With gratitude,
Kim Staffieri
Founder and Executive Director
Association of Wartime Allies