Charitable organization Paws Unite People has announced its plan to provide aid to around 200 refugees affected by the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover. The refugees include the staff of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue (KSAR) and their families. Among them are women and religious and ethnic minorities who are being actively persecuted by the Taliban regime.
Meredith Festa, founder of Paws Unite People, was in touch with other animal welfare organizations, helping the animals and their rescuers who were fleeing after the fall of Kabul in August 2021. When all of the people and animals did not make it into the airport, and the US withdrew, focus shifted to animals only, and people were left without hope.
“I saw that animals were getting help, but the people weren’t and the group, predominantly women and children, were not. Women,under the Taliban, have been subject to human rights violations, and it made me sick to my stomach. Their lives were in grave danger and no one was doing anything. And that was the tipping point. I decided to help these people, after all, our mission is to help animals and the people that love them. These people were in this situation, because they protected animals, instead of trying to get into the airport earlier, missing their window of opportunity.”
In October 2022, it came to Paws Unite People’s attention that a group of veterinarians were left without support in Pakistan, rounding out the group to approximately 200. When focus shifted, in August of 2021,
Festa says Paws Unite People was able to evacuate 130 people to neighboring Pakistan, where they are awaiting their flights to the US. Despite having all the required documents, delays in US immigration and refugee processing have stalled the process. The refugees are in need of continuous financial support, such as food and rent payments, because they are not allowed to work in Pakistan. If funds run out, they risk being deported back to Afghanistan and have their lives in danger once more, especially those who are from the persecuted Hazara people, and those who previously worked with the US-sponsored government.
According to Paws Unite People, it seeks to bring the refugees to the US and help them resettle and live their lives without fear of persecution. Paws Unite People is currently an all-volunteer organization based in New York, but it is looking to expand its animal rescue center and eventually hire the refugees as full-time staff. The former KSAR staff are already experienced in providing veterinary care and animal husbandry, and being employed in the US will give them the opportunity to begin new lives with their families.
Festa founded Paws Unite People in 2013, and the organization is engaging in various efforts to assist both animals and humans in need, both in the US and overseas. Its activities include; temporary fostering of pets during a natural disaster, rent assistance, and vet care coverage during a personal economic crisis, as well as training to help the pet better adapt to a new home. Paws Unite People also runs the PUP Patriot program, which teaches military veterans to assist shelter dogs that are training for therapy dog status.
Festa says: “I've been an animal lover all my life and I've been volunteering at animal shelters since I was a child. I then ended up working in international banking and international trade, and the experience and connections I gained in those fields proved handy in helping the Afghan refugees. Over the years, working with animal welfare organizations, I noticed that people tend to abandon animals and other people when the going gets tough. If you really want to help a living thing, you help them all the way and see it through to the end. This is what led me to found Paws Unite People. We fight for the underdogs, including complicated veterinary cases and hard-to-adopt animals, as well as the people that love them, and help them gain a second chance at life.”
Media Contact
Name: Meredith Festa
Email: [email protected]
