Aseel

Aseel is a global platform for everything Do Good. You can access direct humanitarian aid, participate in transparent nonprofit fundraising, and shop at an ethical online marketplace for handmade goods. This platform helps you connect with charitable causes and support artisans through a transparent and ethical digital ecosystem, empowering communities worldwide to create meaningful impact together. Founded in 2017 by Afghan entrepreneur Nasrat Khalid, Aseel — meaning "authentic" in Persian — was originally built as an online marketplace enabling Afghan artisans to sell handmade crafts to a global audience, a model described as the "Etsy of Afghanistan." The platform officially launched in May 2019 at the Afghan Embassy in Washington, D.C. In August 2021, following the collapse of Afghanistan's previous government, Aseel expanded its scope to include emergency humanitarian response, introducing Aseel Do Good — a mechanism allowing individuals worldwide to contribute directly to aid distribution on the ground. This marked Aseel's evolution into a first-of-its-kind hybrid commerce-and-aid platform. Today, Aseel operates across three interconnected pillars. Do Good is the humanitarian giving arm, where donors can purchase emergency packages, sponsor families, launch fundraising campaigns, or let Aseel's on-the-ground team decide where aid is most urgently needed. Using its fintech and logistics backbone, Aseel delivers food, medical aid, and essential supplies — often within 48 working hours — powered by a decentralized network of local Afghan volunteers called the Atalan Network. Each beneficiary is registered with a unique Omid ID and Omid Card, ensuring full accountability and transparency throughout the aid delivery process. Buy Good is Aseel's ethical online marketplace, connecting artisans and handmade businesses in developing countries to the global handmade market. The platform supports thousands of artisans in Afghanistan and Turkey, with every purchase going directly to the maker at the price they set — helping grow their business and create jobs in their communities. AidOS (Aid Operating System) is Aseel's proprietary humanitarian technology infrastructure, also made available to other international humanitarian organizations, enabling transparent and scalable aid delivery beyond Aseel's own operations. To date, Aseel has delivered over $5 million in direct aid and helped over 543,000 individuals in Afghanistan and Turkey by distributing food, heaters, baby care, first aid, and life essentials to people in urgent need. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and operating on the ground in Afghanistan and Turkey, Aseel is built for the hardest problems in global giving — combining proof of delivery, recipient verification, and on-the-ground infrastructure into one seamless digital ecosystem.