(1/2) It has been one year since we watched in horror with the rest of the world as the Taliban took Afghanistan, knowing the unimaginable terror and persecution their control would guarantee, especially for women and girls. We promised that we would not allow them to be abandoned. Since then, Together Rising has raised and deployed $972,000 to support families as they escaped, resettled in the United States, or remained in Afghanistan. Fatima’s family is one of them. Eight-year-old Fatima was living with her family in western Kabul. On the brink of starvation, both her immediate and extended family—30 people in total—were splitting eight small pieces of bread a day. It wasn’t even close to enough. In addition to not having food, “Creditors were at the door of the family's freezing mud-walled shack . . . demanding repayment for money Fatima’s father had borrowed to pay for medical treatment after being badly burned in an airstrike in their home in Helmand,” reported our partner. Heartbreakingly, it was at this point that Fatima’s father sold his daughter into child marriage. Soon after, our partner, @tooyoungtowed, interceded to deliver emergency food to Fatima’s family, including essentials such as flour, cooking oil, sugar, and tea. They also advocated fiercely to get Fatima’s marriage annulled, freeing her to return to her family. In the spring, Fatima started school for the first time in her life. Tears streamed down her face as she was handed her uniform and shoes. In her own words: “I am so happy . . . I heard I can play with my classmates and will have school books.” With support from Too Young to Wed, Fatima’s father has bolstered his income by establishing a mobile grocery cart to earn money. Because of you, Fatima escaped child marriage and realized her dream of starting school. Yet Fatima isn’t the only one you’ve helped. (Photo credit: Too Young to Wed)