Malmar Knowles Family Foundation and The Kectil Program issue Statement on Afghanistan Crisis
MKFF and The Kectil Program are heartbroken over the unfolding events in Afghanistan and their effects on youth in the country and neighboring countries. As a non-political and non-religious organization, the goal of Kectil is to provide neutral support, mentorship and training to youth in all developing countries so each youth can exceed his/her potential within the bounds only of kindness and ethics. Youth living under extremist religious governments are repressed, isolated and unable to mature and develop fully. Global society loses the benefit of their talents—which can contribute to a lost generation. We can’t afford that. We are extremely disturbed by stories of the rape of girls as young as 12 and forced marriages to Taliban soldiers. Females usually never recover from such trauma, even if they are freed later. Males can be forced to be soldiers and to contribute to the issues, or can be isolated inside or outside of the country with lost educational dreams. The Taliban now are no longer accountable to a higher government leaving these crimes against youth to rage on.
If you have a friend in Afghanistan, please stay connected with him/her and tell their story. Kectil will feature a KYN Podcast with an Afghan youth to more fully describe the situation. We will do our best to support our Afghan Kectil Colleagues and will stay available.
We understand the strong emotionalism of our Afghan brothers and sisters. Years of history of an invasion by Russia, the growth of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, the rise of extremist terrorism, the tragic bombing of the World Trade Centers, followed by strong U.S. retaliation has left the country without any sense of balance, democracy or normalcy. We have heard the comment “Extremism creates Extremism”. We are confident that the Kectil Generation stands firm with the Afghan youth at this time of crisis.
We are also aware of fears of neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Turkmenistan. We are here to support you also.
Kectil youth, please post you solidarity with your peers and get connected.