As the crisis in Afghanistan continues to unfold, support for the people most affected by the resurgence of the Taliban continues to grow.
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A world away from the events in Afghanistan, several groups within the Launceston community have been looking for ways to raise awareness and provide support for those displaced, or unable to escape the crisis.
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Launceston's Hazara Association president Yousef Mohammadi was one such person who understands the situation facing the Afghan people, he hears their stories every day.
"I get so many phone calls from my friends who are uni students, who are teachers at the universities back in Kabul, who are working in different organisations, they are my friends," he said.
"They keep calling me about whether they will be able to leave and if I will be able to help them to get out of the country."
Mr Mohammadi explained the people contacting him did so out of desperation and helplessness, a feeling he shares.
He said feeling helpless while his friends and family were in danger was the catalyst for a series of rallies being held around the state.
Mr Mohammadi explained that if he could not help his friends and family directly, he would bring their plight to others in the community in the hope they would lend their support to his cause.
He said support from the Launceston community had been particularly strong after holding a rally in Hobart last month and members of the Launceston and Hazara community had approached him to arrange a similar event.
With the support of the Hazara community and various community groups, Mr Mohammadi said a Support Afghanistan Rally would go ahead in Launceston at Civic Square on Sunday, September 5 at 3pm.
Launceston College student Setayesh Karimi, 17, was one of the event's organisers who also worked on the Hobart rally.
"More than 1000 people showed up, and most of them were non-Hazara or non-Afghan," she said.
"I was really pleased and glad to see how many people from Australia and other people came to our event, and joined us."
She said she hoped Sunday's event would see a similar response.
Both Mr Mohammadi and Ms Karimi have expressed concerns that unless more support is given to the Afghan people, life in Afghanistan could return to how it was 20 years ago.
Since retaking the country the Taliban have been quick to share the message that the old Taliban is gone and life will remain unchanged under their rule including allowing women's rights and promising not to take retribution against those who opposed them.
It is a line Mr Mohammadi has heard before and said past experiences with the Taliban and their talk of peace leave much to be desired.
He said 20 years ago the Taliban called a truce to negotiate peace with Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari.
"They asked him to come out and negotiate an agreement about peace, no more fighting, but when he went to them, they actually captured him and killed him in a very bad way, then afterwards they threw his body from a helicopter to his village," he said.
"History has shown that they are happy to talk about peace but their actions don't match their words."
He said the scepticism is evident with people trying to flee the country while those who cannot have begun removing images that could draw the ire of the Taliban.
"You might have seen pictures of people taking down the pitchers with a woman, pictures of their salons, hair salons or their shops. It's because of the fear," he said.
"At any moment they can kill you without having any order from their generals or commanders, they can just kill you, they don't care who you are, they will just kill you."
Ms Karimi was unequivocal and said the Taliban haven't changed.
"They never changed, they're still the same people, and they still have the same mindset," she said.
"Women cannot go to school, they can't have education, they cannot go to work and they cannot work in Parliament or work for the government."
She said after watching people trying to flee she was worried she may never get the chance to go back.
"There's no way that I can go back and it's really sad that many people can't go back to their homeland," she said.
With the plight of the Afghan people well represented in the community, individuals and organisations have risen to the occasion.
The Amnesty International Launceston Action group worked with the Hazara Community to petitioned The City of Launceston council to light Town Hall in the colours of the Afghanistan flag to support the weekend's rally
AILAG leader Rocelyn Ives said she thought it was important that the community was aware, even if they couldn't attend and hoped people would stop and reflect for a few moments during the day.
She said support in the community was evident after she made the request to the council in the morning and a few hours later it was approved.
Eight local businesswomen have also come together to raise $30,000 for Mahboba's Promise, an NGO working in Afghanistan assisting 900 families in the Kabul region.
@home property management director Michelle Williams was one of the businesswomen involved and said the eight-woman committee collected donations and sold tickets to a long table lunch to raise the funds.
She said with the obvious threat to women in the region the funds would go to helping women and girls most affected by the crisis.
"It's a women's event and we're targeting the most disadvantaged, which is girls and women who are the most vulnerable at the moment," she said.
"Our focus is fundraising to support them, particularly the displaced and orphans and widows making camp in Kabul, that's what we're directing the fundraiser towards."
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