‘I just have you’: the rural Australians helping Afghan asylum seekers find refuge

Unmani Umani, 70, lives in the tiny Victorian town of Wal Wal and is volunteering with Rural Australians for Refugees to try to bring an Afghan family to Australia. Photograph: Dellaram Vreeland/The Guardian

Confined to the four walls of a small Islamabad alcove, a family of six crowds together, their portable fan providing little respite from the soaring spring temperatures.

“My family lived in an area with good weather and blessings,” a man we’ll call Mr Anwari says, “when we lost everything due to the dominance of the Taliban and we had to leave the country to save our lives.”