This concert is to raise funds for Butterfly of Hope. It will be held on 21st February at 7.00 PM (EST), finishing at 10.30 PM (EST) at St Andrew's Uniting Church, 299 Ann St, Brisbane. It's on the corner of Ann St and Creek St right in the CBD.. If you prefer, the concert will be live-streamed so that you have the choice of watching from home from anywhere in Australia or the world.

We will have a couple of bands playing and there will be a series of solo gigs. I will update this description with the name of the bands and any solo artists once they become available. There will also be some cultural music from Afghanistan and Hazaragi dancers.

So far, we have two duos that have confirmed their intention to play: the first is called Mundy-Turner and the second Jumping Fences. Mundy-Turner consists of Cath Mundy and Jay Turner while Jumping fences consists of Sue Monk and Lachlan Hurse. Both these duos have a commitment to social justice. You can find out more information about Mundy-Turner at https://mundyturner.com/ and Jumping Fences at https://www.jumpingfences.com.au/.

The Butterfly of Hope Humanitarian Organisation is dedicated to helping displaced people who are being forced to return to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries. Several governments are no longer letting people seeking safety stay. This fundraiser aims to help these displaced people to build a future for themselves and their beautiful children.

Our team in Afghanistan will do a presentation on Butterfly of Hope and how we will work. A couple of displaced people will share their personal stories and Australians who previously lived in Afghanistan will share what it is like and information about Afghan culture. Please note, we already have a team on the ground providing aid.

This is a fundraiser. However, I do want to keep the concert affordable so as many people can come as possible and spread the word about Butterfly of Hope. That is how we make more money.

Cost for in person tickets: $30 for a single, $20 for children, with prices capped at $80 for a family of four. Students, pensioners and unemployed over 18 are also $20.00.

Online tickets; $20 single, $10 for a child, with a family of four or more $55.00. Once again concessions and students over eighteen are the same prices as a child ($10).

Initially, the first funds from this concert will be used for setting up the charity, such as lawyer’s fees for governance documents, website, design work, hall hire and poster printing. However, we will keep expenses to a minimum and will work from home.

We aim to raise at least $7500 from the concert, and all funds beyond the minimum needed to establish Butterfly of Hope will provide food, clothing, shelter and basic help with medical supplies to the displaced people in the border areas close to Iran and Pakistan. Many of these people are in camps, so this is where the money will be used, to purchase supplies locally and distribute them via our volunteer teams on the ground.

We will register the organisation as a not-for-profit in Australia and apply for tax deductibility with the Australian Taxation Office.

By the way, my name is Christopher Schmidt. I will be running the Australian end of the operations with Murtaza Qasemi running the Afghani end from Afghanistan. Jessie Wells, from Brisbane is an advisor and director.

Imagine being forced to leave everything behind — your home, your job, your school — and being dropped at a border with nothing but the clothes on your back. Many of the ethnic Afghans deported back are third and fourth generation displaced people and have not set foot inside Afghanistan before. In some cases, their grandparents or great-grandparents are the ones who fled.

This is the reality for Afghan families who have returned from Iran and Pakistan as well as other neighbouring countries this year. While some returned voluntarily, it was not because they felt safe to do so but because they were afraid of deportation and mistreatment by the police. In June 2025 alone, nearly 290,000 people were deported to Afghanistan or returned because of their fears. In just one day on the 1st of July 2025, 44,000 people were forcibly deported. Many are highly educated, once had good jobs and would be a credit to any country that would provide them a safe place.

These people are coming to Afghanistan often with nothing. Mothers don’t have medicine for the children or food. They only have the clothes on their back. In fact, there are many unaccompanied children. In June 2025 alone, Iran deported 5000 unaccompanied minors. Without access to food, some mothers said they have boiled grass to feed their children and calm their crying.

Please support this event and purchase either a ticket to attend in person or view it online. Every dollar will make a difference to the children, their families and other adults displaced in Afghanistan. In the meantime, you might also like to make a donation to our fundraiser found at https://chuffed.org/project/138011-butterfly-of-hope-afghan-support .

NB: The banner says 2 November which is incorrect. It will be fixed in the next 24 hours. I am getting the designer to do it.

Contact Details

Chris Schmidt: Ph 0459 573 941
Email: chris@schmidt4sturt.au