Washington: Famous reality TV star Kim Kadashian West, New York Rabbi and English Premier League side Leeds United have helped members of Afghanistan's women's youth soccer team to fly to United Kingdom after they escaped from Afghanistan.
Kadarshian and her brand SKIMS paid for the chartered flight carrying more than 30 athletes along with their families landed at Stansted Airport near London.After their safe landing all the passengers had to undergo 10 days quarantine period before resuming their lives in Britain.
The Afghan women’s team got help from the Tzedek Association, a non-profit group in US, whose founder Rabbi Moshe Margaretten worked with Kim on criminal justice reform in the United States.
Margaretten reached out to Kadarshian and asked her to help pay for the flight.
Andrea Radrizzani, the majority owner of Leeds United, posted a photo of Afghan team members arriving at the airport on twitter.
Radrizzani wrote, "First chapter written today! When I received a call asking help to rescue the youth w team from Afghanistan,I didn’t know even from where to start. Today they flew to UK. Proud to be part of the team to make this real. Let’s dream one day they will play in Leeds United."
Khalida Popal, former captain of Afghanistan's national women's team, who headed the evacuation efforts of the female athletes took to twitter and expressed her gratitude to Kim Kadarshian.
"Thank you Kim Kardashian and SKIMS from the bottom of my heart for generously donating all the funds for this flight. My mother is a big fan of yours, and now so am I! Kim Kardashian West is an example to others to step up to the plate and help others in their time of need,” Popal wrote.
Hundreds of female Afghan athletes left the country since the Taliban took over and started restricting women's freedoms. (UNI)