Tom Morello is asking for help evacuating female guitar students from Afghanistan

It’s bad enough being a musician in Afghanistan right now (the executions have started). Now imagine being a female musician who has the gall to attend a school as the Taliban rolls in. These are the people Tom Morello wants to help.

He’s written an open letter asking for help in evacuating some female guitar students who attended a music school run through a non-profit called Miraculous Love Kids. The school, called Girl with a Guitar, opened in Kabul six years ago. Some 200 girls have passed through the school and in the process have had a chance to record with Tom, Brian Wilson, Nick Cave, and others.

Here’s a sample of their work.

I quote from Tom’s letter:

“I’m writing on behalf of some very special girls in Afghanistan who are in grave danger. [Girl With a Guitar] takes in street orphans and other girls that have endured significant trauma and uses music as a rehabilitation tool and means of working through their problems, their histories, and their hopes.

“I’ve had the honor of collaborating with these wonderful kids. Since the Taliban takeover their school has been destroyed and the girls are in hiding. They are at extreme risk because they are widely known to have performed Western music and have been educated by a male American teacher.

“Anything you could do to help save their lives would be much appreciated.”

At the moment, Lanny Cordola, the guy who runs the school (you might remember him from the bands Giuffria and House of Lords) is in Pakistan and working to free 12 girls, their family, and their driver out of Afghanistan. There was an attempt to fly them out a few days ago, but that didn’t work out.

If you can help in any way, you can reach Lanny Cordola through [email protected]. If you want to support the students, go here.