Afghanistan Pro Bono Directory

Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Afghanistan.

For Afghanistan country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries and relevant documents, please click here.

As UNHCR statistics generally rely on data from host countries, statistics on refugees alone can give an insufficient account of refugee numbers, as some host countries will not grant refugee status to certain groups. Including statistics for individuals in refugee-like situations is an attempt to account for unrecognised refugees and does not include internally displaced persons. Statistics for stateless refugees are included if available.

On the Afghanistan ‘HELP’ website page of UNHCR, you may find information relating to:

For country-based information including relocations and family reunification, please see specific pages or country pro bono directories such as the UK pro bono page, Canada and USA pages.

Afghan Pro Bono Initiative (APBI)

Launched in March 2022, the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative is a project by Refugee Legal Support and Safe Passage International, in collaboration with 14 commercial law firms, who provide funding and pro bono capacity. The project aims to support people fleeing Afghanistan with essential legal support and information. Among other things, the project will:

  1. Help people apply to be reunited with their family their family in the UK and access the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP)
  2. Provide information on the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme

For case referrals for the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative, please contact – cases@afghanprobono.org.uk with details of the case. For general queries about the project, reach out to mariana@afghanprobono.org.uk

You can also receive up to date legal and non-legal information relevant to Afghanistan by subscribing to their newsletter.

Deutsches Bundnis fur Afghanische Fluchtlinge (DBAF)

Launched in May 2022, the collaborative project offers pro bono legal support to Afghan refugees seeking resettlement in Europe following the Taliban insurgency. DBAF is a collaboration between the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and 10 commercial law firms. Volunteer lawyers from across the firms are trained and supervised by expert lawyers at IRC to work on family reunification applications and other legal pathways to Germany for Afghan individuals and families.

Afghans seeking advice should reach out to Melina.Garcin@rescue.org.

Alliance Francaise Pro bono pour les Afghans (AFPBA)

Launched in February 2022, this collaborative project between Safe Passage and 12 commercial law firms provides assistance to Afghans. Volunteer lawyers work with Safe Passage on humanitarian visa and family reunification applications for Afghan individuals and families seeking a legal pathway into France.

Afghan seeking assistance can contact m.albert@safepassage.fr.

Collaborazione Italiana Pro Bono per I Rifugiati Afghani (CIPBRA)

Launched in March 2022, a collaboration between Coalizione Italian per le Liberta e i diritti civili (CILD) and four international law firms. Expert lawyers at CILD provide training and supervision for volunteer lawyers to work on family reunification applications and other legal pathways to Italy for Afghan individuals and families.

Afghans seeking advice should contact fabi@cild.eu.

LOCAL ORGANISATIONS

AMASO (Afghanistan Migrants Advice and Support Organization)

amasosite.wordpress.com
Kabul, Afghanistan
Email: azads11@yahoo.com or amaso.org@gmail.com
Contact persons: Abdul Ghafoor
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AmasoAfg
Contact Form: amasosite.wordpress.com/contact

Afghanistan Migrants Advice and Support Organization was established in February 2014 by Abdul Ghafoor, with the support of Dr. Liz Schuster. Since its creation, AMASO has been successfully providing advice to those recently forcibly returned (including families) from various European countries to Afghanistan. We have been able to provide advice to a large number of people face to face, and other groups of people through email, telephone or Skype appointments. AMASO has an office in Kabul where we can receive and advise visitors. The visitors include mainly returnee, and some potential migrants.

AMASO has also been monitoring the situation of the deportees post return since its establishment and has been in contact with most of the deportees over several months/years, depending on the availability and interest of the deportees to stay in touch with AMASO. The deportees AMASO has been involved with in providing advice and support post return were deported from various European countries such as: Norway, UK, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Finland, as well as Australia.

AMASO has been involved in assisting many international researchers, practitioners, and journalists who visited AMASO and have interviewed the director of AMASO to get his expert views on the situation of deportees, and the deportees themselves to document their stories and the challenges they have faced post return.

AMASO has also provided practical support to a very limited number of those deported. We have helped some of the returnees with learning English language, computer classes and been providing shelter to a very limited number of vulnerable of returnees. Based on our limited resources and funding, it is not possible to help all of those forcibly returned. We had to do what we are doing because EU and other International Organisations that were responsible failed to help returnees.

Awaaz Afghanistan

www.awaazaf.org
Tel: Call free 410
Open seven days a week | Female and male agents available | Agents speak Dari, Pashto, Urdu, English, and more.

Awaaz Afghanistan, a humanitarian helpline connecting Afghans (IDPs, returnees) and refugees affected by conflict and natural disaster with information on assistance. We are a toll-free, confidential hotline that anyone with access to a mobile phone in Afghanistan can call for free to access information on and register feedback about the humanitarian response.

Afghan Red Crescent Society

www.ifrc.org
5th District Afshar e Sillo, Qargha Road, Headquarter Office, Kabul
Tel: 93728900103
Email: int.relation.arcs@gmail.com

Tabish Organization (Tabish Social Health Education Organization)

tsheo.org.af
P.O. Box, Ministry of Information and Communication, Kabul Afghanistan 5661
Tel: +93 (0)7 97 33 44 99
Email: Tabish_organization@yahoo.com or aria_popal@hotmail.com
Facebook

Tabish in Afghanistan is a non-governmental, non-political, humanitarian and not for profit organisation working in the field of psycho-social health, education and human rights. Tabish also specialises in capacity development, and its programmes and activities are in line with NGO rules and regulations.

Tabish has been established and registered with the Ministry of Economy (in 2009) Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Having ten years experiences in various fields (including health, education and social); Tabish with its International Experts and Qualified National Staff e.g. Psychosocial Counselors, Social Workers, Doctors, Nurses as well as its Committed Experts on Programme and Project Management, provides different services in different divisions of Afghanistan. Since its inception in 2009, Tabish is fully engaged to provide better on-demand services to the needy people of Afghanistan through its community-based projects.

Tabish’s priority interventions and humanitarian services focus on the following groups: Disadvantaged Communities and Deprived People, Internal Displaced People (IDP’s), People living in Post Disaster Camps (PDCs), Prisoners and Children and Adolescent living in Juvenile Rehabilitation Centers and Orphanage Houses as well as Homeless People, especially Drug Users throughout Afghanistan.

Tabish has been working as a partner with different international organisations in project implementation and research. Tabish also works directly with global refugee rights organisations, especially those concerning Afghan asylum seekers, and deportees back to Afghanistan.

For further cooperation and information please visit Tabish website or contact the emails above.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

IRAP (International Refugee Assistance Project)

refugeerights.org
One Battery Park Plaza, 4th Floor New York, NY 10004
Email: inquiries@refugeerights.org
Please note that they cannot respond to requests for legal assistance at this address.
To contact them for assistance with your refugee or asylum claim,  or to gain advice about your case, click here. This is available in English and Arabic.

IRAP is a legal aid organisation and cannot provide financial assistance or other benefits. They do not make any decisions concerning resettlement and they are completely independent from UNHCR and national governments. Any information sent to IRAP is highly confidential, and all services are free of any charge. IRAP provides free legal services to refugees seeking refugee protection and resettlement. Here are a few types of assistance that IRAP provides:

– In light of the recent situation in Afghanistan, IRAP created a Legal Resources page for Afghans. Visit this webpage for an overview of the resources available to Afghans seeking to relocate to safety in the United States: https://refugeerights.org/new…/legal-resources-for-afghans

Afghans or Iraqis applying for Special Immigrant Visa programs. They assist Afghans and Iraqis with all stages of the SIV process, including locating former US supervisors and preparing application documents.

– Refugees in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Programme. They can help individuals gather documents and present their refugee claim prior to IOM or USCIS interviews. If they are denied, IRAP can review to see if they can assist with a Request for Review, including written counseling for individuals with security-related reasons (“Other”) denials.

– UNHCR Assistance. In very exceptional situations, they may be able to assist refugees (individuals who are not Afghan nationals) living in Afghanistan with refugee registration.

NRC (Norwegian Refugee Council)

www.nrc.no/countries/asia/afghanistan/
Tel: +93728932045/+93700228509
Email: af-infonew@nrc.no

NRC Afghanistan seeks to protect and assist vulnerable women, girls, boys and men displaced by conflict and/or in hard-to-reach areas. NRC provides assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs, prevent further displacement, and contribute to durable solutions. NRC maintains a presence in 15 provinces across the country with mobile teams accessing neighbouring areas. These provinces include Kabul (Country Office), Balkh, Faryab, Herat, Kabul, Nangarhar, Kunar, Kandahar, Khost, Sar-e-pul, Kunduz, Badghis, Laghman, Nimroz, Parwan, Zabul, and Uruzgan. NRC implements programming across all of NRC’s core competencies, integrating protection and advocacy, and an emergency response team to support preparedness and response.

War Child International – Afghanistan

www.warchild.org.uk/what-we-do/projects/afghanistan

War Child has been in Afghanistan since 2002. It started their work in the city of Herat, in the western region; implementing food security and livelihoods projects with internally displaced families who had come from other provinces. In 2007, War Child Afghanistan expanded to the eastern and central region to cover three key areas: protection, education, and livelihoods – as well as broader issues like advocacy and gender discrimination.

Resources

  • Beporsed Ma Ra page provides accurate information from trusted sources for Afghans living inside or outside Afghanistan seeking legal options for resettlement or relocation to other countries. Their site is accessible in Pashto, Dari, and English.
  • Refugee Action’s Handbook: UK Immigration Options for Afghan Citizens – Google Docs is for Afghan nationals in the UK who need information on the available immigration options for themselves or for their family members in Afghanistan.
  • Refugee Action has also compiled the Asylum Guides briefings, including How a Lawyer Can Help, which explains what to expect from solicitors and legal advice
  • The Right to Remain toolkit is a step-by-step guide to the UK immigration and asylum system (available in Pashto and Dari, among other languages)

UNHCR non-return advisory for Afghanistan. In the wake of the rapid deterioration in the security and human rights situation in large parts of the country and the unfolding humanitarian emergency, UNHCR calls on States to halt forcible returns of Afghan nationals who have previously been determined not to be in need of international protection

Last Updated 1 Sept 2022