Instagrammer Raises $5.8M For Afghanistan In Single Day To Fund Rescue Flights
Following the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan, many people around the world have been eager to find ways to help the country’s now-vulnerable population. So, when Tommy Marcus, a meme artist behind a popular Instagram account, started a GoFundMe to raise money to rescue Afghans amid the crisis, thousands of Americans donated to the cause.
Marcus is better known as Quentin Quarantino on Instagram, where he’s amassed over 793,000 followers. He’s grown his following by posting relatable memes about current or trending events.
But in response to the chaos in Afghanistan, Marcus felt compelled to use his platform to serve a greater cause. As such, he’s helped organize and promote a fundraiser to raise funds to “conduct an emergency flight rescue of 300+ Afghan souls,” as the GoFundMe page explains.
Marcus put up the GoFundMe page four days ago. In the caption, he explained he’s been working with “humanitarian aid groups, decorated military veterans, and activists” in Kabul. His partners include, GOOD/Upworthy, Raven Advisory, LLC, and the International Women’s Medica Organization (IWMF).
Marcus went on to write that they hope to rescue high-value targets, which he explains are people at immediate risk of being killed by the Taliban. This includes “human rights lawyers, champions of Women’s and LGBTQ rights, journalists, government liaisons, artists, and interpreters.”
Later in the post, Marcus added that every $1,500 raised represents a seat on the flight. He said that raising $550,000 would allow the organizations he’s working with to fuel two airplanes to fly into Kabul from an undisclosed foreign country. However, Marcus said that should they double that amount ($1,100,000), they could do another run.
The fundraiser has wildly exceeded expectations. Within only 24 hours of the fundraiser being posted, the GoFundMe page raised over $5.8 million thanks to 100,000 individual donations. Its original goal was listed at only $4.4 million. As of publishing time, the fundraiser had raised over $6.6 million, though this number is still climbing.
In an update, Marcus described the fundraiser as “one of the largest humanitarian efforts in GoFundMe’s history.”
The campaign explains that the money will be transferred and distributed by Raven Advisory, which boasts having experience working in Afghanistan and other high-risk areas. It’s unclear when the rescue mission will take place, or how many will occur.
Despite the immediate success, there has been some skepticism over whether Marcus and his allies have the resources to pull off what they’ve promised, especially since they now have the funds to pay for nearly 12 rescue missions (since the GoFundMe says $1.1 million could pay for 2 trips).
Speaking to The New York Times, Karen Jacobsen, a professor of global migration at Tufts University, admitted the fundraiser “sounds crazy.” She pointed out several logistical problems, such as getting approval as well as the correct documentation from U.S. immigration in order to bring the rescued Afghans back to America. More details about the mission are expected to come in the following days.
If you're interested in donating to the cause, please visit the GoFundMe page.
Sources: Quentin Quarantino, GoFundMe, The New York Times,
from TheRichest - Feed https://ift.tt/3B54VG2
Post a Comment