A year on from the fall of the Afghan capital Kabul to the Taliban, Ballarat leaders continue to offer support and donation to those in need.
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Earlier this year the Ballarat Afghan Action Group coordinated a covert mission to feed desperate families in Afghanistan over winter, set to brace months of cold conditions.
The mission was a success and the Afghan-based team was able to deliver supplies to more than 60 families.
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Since then two other donation drops have been organised, another round of $12,000 and $6000 just last week.
Abdul Rasuli works for Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and established the action group.
"The people are struggling," he told The Courier.
"There are no services for the people, they definitely really struggle, especially the minorities. There is no support for families, especially women and children; they are the real victims of the conflict there."
Mr Rasuli said a number of Ballarat charity organisations had reached out to help.
"Different organisations and community groups have found us and learnt that we do this kind of work in Afghanistan," Mr Rasuli said.
"They have reached out to us and they funded our program in Afghanistan."
Concerns were raised over the number of Afghan visas yet to be processed by Australia.
More than 40,000 applications covering more than 211,000 people have been lodged.
Federal Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said he would focus on filling the current visa cap of 31,500 for Afghans.
Mr Giles said 6000 permanent visas had been granted.
Mr Rasuli said it was important to accept refugees who really needed help and support.
"The countries that accepted refugees from Afghanistan [on August 15, 2021] are mainly people with an education, people who have the knowledge and run businesses," he said.
"If the government wants to help Afghans, they need to make sure to prioritise women, children and those who really struggle.
"Rather than taking the people who actually have education and knowledge to help in Afghanistan, the people who work there can change things for good."
Mr Giles said extra resources had been directed to help process the backlog of visa applications.
"The demand has been absolutely overwhelming ... and each and every one of these applications needs to be appropriately registered," Mr Giles said. "This takes time because we are prioritising locally engaged employees, women and girls and members of minority groups."
- with AAP
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