In response to the danger facing Afghan women and girls, Kirkland partnered with the Asian University for Women (AUW) and the 30 Birds Foundation on a pro bono basis to help Afghan women and girls safely resettle in North America and continue their education.

Asian University for Women (AUW)

Founded in 2008 in Bangladesh, AUW seeks to educate and empower women leaders in Asia through a liberal arts and sciences education. This mission resonated with Kirkland investment funds partner Nicole Washington, who joined AUW’s New York Board of Directors in 2020.

After the Taliban takeover, the AUW’s board moved quickly to assist Afghan students and alumnae whose lives were now under threat. They succeeded in helping nearly 150 AUW students and alumnae evacuate to the U.S. Once in America, students were transferred to various universities, including Arizona State University, Brown University and Cornell University.

With the goal of ensuring that AUW women were allowed to stay in the U.S. and continue their education, Nicole enlisted others at Kirkland to join her in a multi-firm initiative to help students find a legal path to U.S. residency. The Firm agreed to represent 10 women, helping to screen them for eligibility using an interpreter, fill out their paperwork, prepare them for their interview and hearing, and attend the hearings with them.

“There are few opportunities you actually have to immediately and materially change someone’s life for the better,” Nicole said. “I’m lucky to have some training and skills that could be put to use for an initiative like this.”

30 Birds Foundation

In the summer of 2022, several Kirkland attorneys and summer associates joined forces with the 30 Birds Foundation, a team of citizens, journalists, lawyers, human rights activists and Afghan ex-pats. 30 Birds has worked to evacuate girls from one of Afghanistan’s first co-ed schools in Kabul who were at risk after the Taliban takeover.

Half of the school’s students made it to Saskatoon, Canada, in early 2022, but the other half fled to Pakistan, where they began the process of applying for Canadian visas. The Kirkland team, working with translators, devoted 355 hours to help these Afghan girls prepare the applications, and the first group of girls arrived safely in Canada in August.

To date, 30 Birds has successfully evacuated more than 450 Afghans from Kabul.

“Working with the 30 Birds Foundation was an eye-opening experience,” said Kirkland partner Julia Sternman, who helped lead the project. “While reviewing refugee applications, we heard the girls’ individual stories of past persecution and hopes for the future. I am grateful to have been a small part of this incredibly impactful effort.”

Learn more about Kirkland’s work helping Afghans flee the Taliban.

Protecting the Future of Afghan Women and Girls

Protecting the Future of Afghan Women and Girls