FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 15, 2022
CONTACT: press@iava.org

Washington, DC – Today on the anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s (IAVA), in partnership with the Association of Wartime Allies (AWA) and Veterans For American Ideals (VFAI) are announcing the results of the Afghanistan Evacuation Survey conducted last month regarding our community’s engagement with the evacuation and how the evacuation and ongoing resettlement efforts continue to impact veterans and our wartime allies.

The numbers reported are from over 1936 current Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and over 1450 veterans who completed the survey.

One year after the unprecedented and controversial withdrawal from the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Evacuation Survey focuses the nation’s attention on what veterans really think, feel, and experience; centering on the extent of our community’s engagement with the evacuation and how the evacuation and ongoing resettlement efforts continue to impact veterans as well as our Afghan allies. We will use these results to help best serve our community and help care for our wartime allies within our communities.

This survey covers topics ranging from the Special Immigrant Visa Program, the Military community’s perspective, the current situation in Afghanistan, and much more.

The full Afghanistan Evacuation Survey is available here.

• AWA has lost contact with 62% of its survey respondents and the Military Community has lost contact with 40% of the Afghans they were assisting
• 41% of military community members report experiencing trauma because of the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation
• 83.7% of Afghans report skipping at least 1 meal in the last month
• Over 90% of Afghans report economic hardships because of the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation
• A kilo of rice has risen in price by 66% in the last year
• 46.3% of Afghans the military community evacuated during or after August 2021 reported that the Afghan they are in contact with is underemployed or unemployed 
• 14.3% of Afghans in contact with military members were able to be evacuated during or after August 2021

“Surveys like this are critical because they allow us to better understand how our community is doing with the evacuation and resettlement efforts and how our Afghan allies are dealing with the currently outdated immigration system of the US, ” said Matt Zeller, Senior Advisor for IAVA. “IAVA will not abandon our wartime allies. We will fight to ensure that our country keeps its promise to those who served us.”

IAVA is the voice for the post-9/11 veteran generation. With over 425,000 veterans and allies nationwide, IAVA is the leader in non-partisan veteran advocacy and public awareness. We drive historic impacts for veterans and IAVA’s programs are second to none. Any veteran or family member in need can reach out to IAVA’s Quick Reaction Force at quickreactionforce.org or 855-91RAPID (855-917-2743) to be connected promptly with a veteran care manager who will assist. IAVA’s The Vote Hub is a free tool to register to vote and find polling information. IAVA’s membership is always growing. Join the movement at iava.org/membership.

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