Save the budget? No, save a family first!

The images of desperate Afghans trying to reach Kabul airport, people climbing onto aeroplanes to escape the Taliban, parents lifting their baby over the barbed wire and handing it to an American or British soldier in hopes of a better future for their child: these heartrending images went all the way round the world. 

When the Taliban took control of Kabul on 15 August, fear also took hold of Enayatullah, one of our warehouse operatives. His wife and five children had managed to go back and visit their family at last, while Enayatullah stayed behind in Belgium to work. Things seemed to have calmed down when his family set out for Afghanistan in July. At last it would be safe to visit people they hadn’t seen for years. To proudly show off their 18-month-old baby to the family. Until the Taliban decided to put an end to all that in August and the situation changed overnight.

When it became clear that the new regime would only allow a limited number of foreign evacuation flights, we knew that the family, who live in Antwerp, would really have to act very quickly. For several days, EnergyVision’s management and some of the directors dropped everything to help Enayatullah’s family. They needed to get one of the last flights out of Kabul at any cost. But that was easier said than done. On one of their attempts to reach the airport, Enayatullah’s wife was trampled underfoot. The children were terrified – and the youngest was only 18 months old. In the chaos of the moment, the family lost sight of each other. It was absolute hell. They almost lost hope, but thanks to the efforts of people including the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, his staff, the embassy staff in Islamabad and the Belgian Army, the family were saved in a secret mission.

Enayatullah’s family were taken to safety with dozens of others in the same situation. The organisation of the mission, with secret messages, special codes, hidden locations etc., was incredibly professional.
Every possible effort was made to ensure Enayatullah’s family could get home safely and as quickly as possible. We watched the situation unfold day and night, with bated breath, along with Enayatullah.

The situation in Afghanistan has not improved since then, and sadly there has not been a happy ending for everyone. Enayatullah and his family are safe and sound, although the impact on their lives and family life is permanent. 

Six months later, Enayatullah met the Prime Minister for the first time at the opening of our charging plaza in Brussels. At times like these, you really realise that life depends on vitally important little things, and that empathy and engagement really can make a difference.