Our story
When journalist Zubair Babakarkhail became trapped in his country with his wife and three children, a global network of friends new and old worked to help them escape.
Now, we’re keeping the movement going.
In the summer of 2021, as Kabul fell to the Taliban, thousands of individuals and families were attempting to flee the country. Among them were journalist and interpreter Zubair Babakarkhail and his family.
Zubair had worked with many journalists, diplomats and humanitarians who came to Afghanistan in his nearly two decades of reporting. Word spread that he and his family needed help. For the next several weeks, a group of journalists, former diplomats, colleagues, and friends worked around the clock in five time zones — mostly communicating through WhatsApp — to help get the family to safety.
Photo credit: Zubair Babakarkhail
Postindustrial Media founder Carmen Gentile knew and worked with Zubair in Afghanistan, and the outlet chronicled his harrowing escape and triumphant arrival to the United States.
People around the world took notice of what “Team Zubair” had done for their friend. Donations poured in.
Soon, this story inspired a movement.
Team Zubair has partnered with Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Industry’s Humanitarian Support Alliance (IHSAN) to enable fundraising efforts on a larger scale.
IHSAN, which translates “to do beautiful things” in Arabic, formed in 2008 to link donors with disadvantaged communities in need of basic human rights, including water and sanitation.
The organization has evolved, including a shift in 2015 to focus on sanitation needs in rural India. This included the establishment of Sanitation for All campaign.
Moved by the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021 and the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis, the board of directors decided to pivot for purpose again, leading to the partnership with Team Zubair called the Afghan Humanitarian Support Alliance.
The IHSAN Board of Directors, our partner organizations, and donors are committed to the same mission — to engage, mobilize, and collaborate to help as many people as possible achieve better lives, one family at a time.
We appreciate your continued support in our latest endeavor.
This effort was started by:
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Karin Nunan is an internationally recognized human rights expert and former U.S. diplomat who has lived and worked across the globe, including throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. She is a founder of IHSAN.
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Carmen Gentile is founder and editor-at-large of Postindustrial Media LLC, a multimedia journalism outlet focused on communities in transition. He previously covered the war and Afghanistan and is the author of the critically-acclaimed “Blindsided by the Taliban.”
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Kimberly Palmiero is assistant director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She was previously a partner in the business Postindustrial Media and is a longtime business owner. She is a past president and current board member of the nonprofit Press Club of Western Pennsylvania.
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Daniel Seckman is CEO of SREO Consultancy, an independent monitoring firm that provides research and analysis, conflict resolution, and other services worldwide.
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Martin Kuz is a journalist based in California who writes about wildfire, veterans, and criminal justice, with an emphasis on mental health. He previously covered the war in Afghanistan.
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Tom A. Peter is a journalist specializing in Afghanistan, the Middle East, conflict, and military issues. His work has appeared in USA Today, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among others.
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Heath Druzin is a journalist who has reported on far right movements. He is creator and producer of Extremely American, a podcast about the militia and Patriot movements, with Postindustrial Media. He previously reported for Stars and Stripes newspaper and Boise State Public Radio.