‘I see myself’: Omaha man rescues thousands from Afghanistan
By Abbie Petersen
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — One Omaha man said the mission to get Americans and refugees out of Afghanistan is personal.
Safi Rauf, a former refugee himself, has put his life on hold to liberate people from Afghanistan.
He has the help of a Nebraska Congressman and a nonprofit he helped form.
Rauf took a break from UNMC Medical School because the mission to rescue fellow refugees is that important.
And it shows. Since the start of Human First Coalition, they’ve rescued more than 6,000 people.
One picture shows a young girl holding up some of her artwork with a smile on her face.
She is just one of the thousands of lives the coalition has saved.
“I’m an Afghan American, and I feel like any, all these kids that I see, I see myself in all of these,” said Safi Rauf.
Rauf put everything on pause to start the coalition. His mission, to pay it forward.
But it takes a lot of different people to make this work.
Right now Rauf has 100 relatives on the ground in Afghanistan.
One of his cousins was shot, bringing two American’s to the Kabul Airport.
Luckily, he survived.
Here in the states, one of the people working with Safi is Sarah Teske, a retired U.S. Marine.
“For all the people handling families. We’ve become families, and to see the beautiful bonds that have come out of this. It is, it is one of the most powerful things in a 25 year career I’ve ever experienced,” Teske said.
Teske said Congressman Jeff Fortenberry has played a critical role by communicating with neighboring countries.
“He’s been able to do this, around the clock for us supporting us at all hours of the night to bring our refugees to safety,” Teske said.
So far, they’ve been able to rescue 6,700 people, 1,200 of which are Americans.
But they said their job is far from over.
“We have several, several thousand that need to still get out that we’re fearful of for their life,” Teske said.
The Human First Coalition hopes to rescue over 120,000 people in the next two years.
They are 100% volunteer and said they could always use help financially.
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