A charity helping women in Afghanistan fears two of their female employees will be “left to the wolves” as people try to flee the war-torn country.
The Linda Norgrove Foundation is concerned for the safety of the two Afghan sisters, who are in hiding in Kabul.
It is appealing to supporters to contact their MPs to support efforts to have the “incredibly competent and valuable staff” evacuated to safety.
Women are particularly vulnerable
The charity says the women, aged 29 and 25, are particularly vulnerable as they have helped women gain an education.
They are also part of the Hazara ethnic group which is often targeted by the Taliban.
The Lewis-based foundation was set up by John and Lorna Norgrove in memory of their daughter Linda, who campaigned for Afghan women to be educated and get jobs.
The charity worker was abducted in October 2010 in Afghanistan.
She was killed, aged 36, by a grenade during a rescue operation by US forces.
The foundation supports women mainly studying medicine or related fields including dentistry, pharmacy and midwifery.
The two female staff have been working for the foundation for three years.
In that time they have dealt with hundreds of applications for scholarships, including a record 1,700 this year.
Since the Taliban took over the country, the sisters have effectively been hiding out in one of their houses, leaving only briefly to buy food.
Female workers are targets
In the message to supporters, Mr Norgrove said: “They are in a very vulnerable position because they have been working for a UK charity whose main purpose is to both empower and support women in Afghanistan.
“They are in an even more precarious position because they are Hazara, an ethnic community which is often the target of attacks by the Taliban.
“They have been brave in giving interviews to the media as the situation deteriorated and this will also make them a target.”
The foundation has support from Conservative, Labour and SNP MPs, including government ministers.
Mr Norgrove added: “But we don’t seem to be getting any further forward.
It is men who have created this mess but it is the women who will be left behind to pick up the pieces.”
Linda Norgrove Foundation
“There are seven categories eligible for evacuation – Afghan employees of charities like us, rather predictably, come bottom of the list below, for instance, Afghan government officials.
Left to the wolves
“And we have to ask the question – where are the women in all this?
“We see photographs of planes full of evacuees and, guess what, almost all of them are men.
“It is men who have created this mess but it is the women who will be left behind to pick up the pieces.
“It’s women who are going to suffer most under the Taliban and Hazaras who are at risk of persecution.
“But it looks like our two women, who have been so committed to helping young Afghan women get a life of their own, are going to be left to the wolves whilst officials from one of the most corrupt governments of all time get airlifted to safety.
“We challenge the government to tell us what proportion of the evacuees are employees of NGOs and charities, and what proportion of the evacuees, excluding wives and dependants, are women.”
Mr Norgrove said the sisters feel it is too risky to leave their home for too long: “They are a bit disillusioned about their chances of getting out as the employees of UK charities are low on the list (for evacuation) and time seems to be running out.
Efforts to bring Afghan students to Scotland
“They are scared of the knock on the door.”
Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil said it is important the two employees, and a family connected with them – a husband and a baby – get out of Afghanistan.
“Certainly, it’s a stress for the foundation and for the rest of us trying to get the UK Government to move people in this chaos.
“It still isn’t clear whether it’s an aircraft issue or a bureaucratic issue or simply the terrible attitude that the UK Government has towards migrants and that is the root of the problem.
“Regardless, this should be about people’s lives and these people should be assisted in getting out of Afghanistan.”
The foundation is also trying to obtain visas for up to ten students to allow them to continue their studies in Scotland.