By Mikayla van Loon
Seeing the terror that has been unleashed on Afghanistan and how quickly Kabul fell to the Taliban was heartbreaking for anyone keeping up with the news but for Hills resident Jess Nabb it inspired them to start a fundraiser.
“I just was watching on helplessly and I was reading the words, particularly of women in Afghanistan, who were university students, and were talking about what was happening on the ground there,” Jess said.
“And some of the things that were being said to them, particularly by men, and I just felt like I was watching on helplessly and I really wanted to help in whatever way that I could.”
As a musician, watching footage of musicians’ houses being raided and instruments being smashed, caused a great amount of distress for Jess but also ignited a feeling of needing to help.
“I started listening basically, to as many Afghan voices as I could, and looking into different ways of fundraising and so that’s what prompted me.
“But also, the reason that we’re doing it this weekend is that we figured it’s gonna start dropping out of the news cycle. And we really wanted to keep it in people’s minds that the Taliban has taken over and women in particular and children are losing a lot of their freedoms.”
Combining their love for yoga, music, meditation and non religious prayer, Jess reached out to their community at the Tecoma Uniting Church to organise an event called Peace for Afghanistan.
With the help of Matt Cutler, the church’s minister and local yoga teacher Shakti McLaren, Jess was able to get yoga teacher Alison Briggs-Miller, musician Saint Ergo and spiritual leader Marilyn Copeland on board.
“Part of the afternoon, we’re also doing an interview with Hamish and Mariam, two doctors who have worked in Afghanistan,” Jess said.
“They’ve got colleagues on the ground [in Afghanistan] that they can send money to, who are helping families and children who have been displaced and are living in camps outside of Kabul, and just helping with really basic supplies like food and water and basic medical supplies.”
Having experienced the 9 June storms and being witness to the community support that stemmed from the horrific event, Jess hopes the community can come together in a similar way.
“All of that happened not long after the storm up here in the Dandenong Ranges and just seeing how quickly a community can mobilise, I thought, we shouldn’t just be mobilising for people in our own communities.
“I’m a real believer that our liberation is tied with the liberation of all and helping those who are worst affected by any event.”
Not having any expectations on how much they would like to raise, Jess hopes it will also be a positive inclusion in people’s weekend timetables while in lockdown.
“I’m coming at it as just a person who wanted to do something, so anything is better than nothing,” they said.
“We really wanted to make sure that it’s accessible to anyone who’s at least got tech access, so we’re saying, even if you can’t afford to make a donation, please come because I do believe that people’s presence and their awareness is really valuable as well.”
The fundraising event will take place on Sunday 12 September from 4.30pm with donations being accepted upon registering for the online event.
To register for the event, go to – https://www.jessnabb.com/event/fundraiser-peace-for-afghanistan-yoga-music-meditation-prayer/
