12/12/2022
Statement from the Massoud Foundation in regard to the funds raised by the Massoud Foundation USA:
Dear compatriots,
As you well know, last year with the fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban, our country and our people once again entered a new era of historical darkness and decline after twenty years. The achievements reached in those twenty years were rapidly lost one by one during a year of the Taliban’s dominance thru ignorance and tyranny. And today Afghanistan is doomed to destruction in all aspects of social life.
In the midst of this chaos, the Massoud Foundation, within the limits of its resources, played a prominent role during the past twenty years in various fields of service to the people. Unfortunately, the foundation suffered more damage than any other institution. The offices of the foundation in Kabul and other provinces with all the equipment, archives, and other valuable assets of the foundation were looted, confiscated, and seized; the cultural, educational, civic, and humanitarian activities of the foundation were stopped; Mandegar newspaper and Yad-e-Yar magazine were banned, and the foundation’s schools and educational institutions were closed in Kabul, Takhar, Parwan, Herat, Samangan, Panjshir, and other smaller districts; the foundation's aid programs were completely cut off. Dozens of other damages to the foundation caused by terrorist networks can be added to this list. After all the destruction, to continue its activities as much as possible, the foundation managed to establish a temporary center in Tajikistan during the last year, which has recently been able to forge relations with the world to a great extent.
As you are aware, during this year of crises in Afghanistan, our kind-hearted compatriots from all over the world tried to help the people in need inside our country through the foundation and other possible ways, and we appreciate each and every person’s help. May God grant them a great reward in return for their great deed. However, unfortunately, some people took advantage of the power vacuum and the turbulent and critical situation, and in the name of helping our country, bank accounts of unknown people started circulating on social networks.
Given this, and to protect people's contributions, the Massoud Foundation USA chose the GoFundMe platform as a reasonable way to collect donations, and the amount of $267,493 was raised. A few weeks after the donations were collected, the GoFundMe company suspended the foundation’s account, stating that the money was raised for the military activities of the NRF and not for humanitarian aid to the impoverished people of Afghanistan. After months of efforts by the foundation officials to solve this problem with the advice of lawyers and judicial action, eventually, reaching an amicable agreement with GoFundMe, the foundation solved the problem and started transferring the aid to the foundation's account. During all this time, due to legal considerations, the foundation could not make an announcement, which itself caused the spread of false news and propaganda about the functioning of the Massoud Foundation and its officials. No official of the Foundation misused any amount of these donations nor has any amount been diverted to their personal account. The foundation took a prudent and patient approach, which eventually resolved the issue.
Now, we assure everyone who has contributed to the foundation’s fundraiser that the amount of $267,493 collected by the branch of the Massoud Foundation in the United States of America in September 2021 as humanitarian aid is now in its official bank account. A newly established committee is now responsible for providing humanitarian assistance through a transparent mechanism.
We had to delay the announcement until we could find a solution and create a system that can both guarantee transparency and easily deliver aid to the people inside the country.
Massoud Foundation
