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 attemping 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. And the next month, this 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 chronicled Zubair’s 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 the 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.
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 this endeavor.
Meet the advisory board
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Karin Nunan
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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Zubair Babakarkhail
Zubair Babakarkhail is a journalist, interpreter, and cultural navigator. He wrote stories for Stars and Stripes since 2012 and covered the war in Afghanistan for 17 years. He also reported for The Daily Telegraph, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, Al Jazeera English, and AsiaCalling. His family migrated to Pakistan during the Russian invasion (1979-89). There, he earned a degree in journalism, and repatriated to Afghanistan in 2002, and fled to the US in 2021 as the Taliban took over his homeland.
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Iffat Idrees
Iffat Idrees is a community and nonprofit leader who provided the seed funding to launch the mobility grant program.
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Kimberly Palmiero
Kimberly Palmiero is a business owner, consultant to media outlets, and former CEO & Editor-in-Chief of Postindustrial Media. She also is a member of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and a board member and past president of the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania.
Other members of “Team Zubair” include:
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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.