I'm probably not alone in wanting to scream out loud in utter frustration after this morning's interview with Mina from Afghanistan. Like living a COVID lockdown for the rest of your life?? I can't even imagine.

Since it's hard to have scream therapy over the internet, I'll just try to organize here some of the thoughts I saw people share about concrete actions.

I. Help individual women get out (maybe to return if the regime falls)

• Scholarship funding

• Online education and remote testing (TOEFL, SAT, etc.)

• How to solve travel documents???

• Very selective -- you can only help limited numbers this way

II. Help make things a little less bad for women trapped inside

• Online education and remote employment

• Grey market economics (e.g. cryptocurrency)

• Elevating individual stories? Tools for communication and connection? Direct aid on the ground? There's got to be more that could go here...
  

III. Pressure the regime to alter policy

• Boycotts that will irritate leadership (e.g. cricket)

• International financial pressure (sanctions, restrictions on aid, aid with strings attached)

• Attention campaigns (keeping it in the international news, particularly to keep the other efforts alive)
  

IV. Fight the regime

• ??? This will probably take another turn of the geopolitical wheel

For whatever that's worth...

--Amber