Stories from Alluhoddin Orphanage-Shakera

First of all I want to say salam to the people who want to help us. My name is Shakera. My father’s name is Faqeerullah. I study in the 5th grade. My mother died when I was born. After death of my mother, I lived with my uncle because my step mother did not want me to live with my step brother and step sister. I lived for 5 years with my step sister and her husband who were cruel to me. But after 5 years my father found me through a Mullah who told him that I was in Pakistan. He came to Pakistan and took me to a Pakistani orphanage. There I lived for one year. But after that time me and my father came to Afghanistan. I was living with my father at that time. After a friend of my father told him to enroll me at Allauddin orphanage. And my father did. After a month at the orphanage I got appendix and a doctor operated me till I was fine. But one day my father told me that he was going to Kohistan and will be back soon. But he never came. I did not know why my father was not coming. But my uncle did know but he was not telling me. I cried a lot because I was scared that my uncle will kill me that is why I was not going with him to his house till he told me that my father is with him. But when I went with him, I asked him of my father, but he did not answer. Then one day when it was EID, I really missed my father so I hid myself behind the door to hear my uncle speaking with his wife. My uncle told his wife that how should I tell Shakera that her father is dead. I was so sad at this news. I came back to the orphanage where I am happy now. And I want to be a doctor in the future.

My name is Gulmina. My father’s name is Marjan. I study at 4th grade and I am 12 years old. I have a three years old sister. I have a step mother. When my mother died, I was five years old. My sister is one year old. My father is paralyzed. I do not have any aunts. We did not have a good life in the past. But now me and my sister are living in Allauddin Orphanage. After school I attend English and tailoring classes. I have an older sister but she is married and I do not know where she lives. I am happy at the orphanage because they give us food and clothes and care. I go to my home once in two months. I am so happy that you come here to talk with us ‘thank you’.

Stories from Alluhoddin Orphanage-Zainab

First of all I send my regards to the people who are helping us. ‘Thank you very much’. My name is Zainab. My father’s name is Hayatullah. I am 13 years old and I am at the 6th grade. I got the first position at my class. After school I attend computer and English classes at the orphanage. My parents died 7 years ago. I do not remember them very much. But whenever, I think of them, I get sad. And I have only a sister. Since then we have lived with my uncle. He was a bad and cruel man. He used to send me and my sister for begging and then he took us to Pakistan where he used to make us work very hard. My uncle and his wife were very unkind. They used to beat us. But one day when I was begging with my sister a foreign woman whose name was also Zainab was working for AWRC came to me and asked me why do I beg? I told her everything. She became sad and brought clothes to us. But the wife of my uncle sold them all. My uncle did not let us go to school. After sometime we went to Mazar-i-Sharif with my uncle. Each uncle wanted us to be with them to sell us for their own benefits. But after sometime they took us to the Allaudddin Orphanage. We are so happy here.

I love my teachers like my parents. But still I feel so lonely. I want to be a doctor in the future because I want to help small and poor children like us.

Stories from Alluhoddin Orphanage- Khoshallay

My name is Khoshallay. I study at 4th grade and I am eleven years old. It’s been three years since I am at the Allauddin Orphanage. My mother died during war at the time of Taleban. Then our uncle took us to his home without permission of my father but after four years my father found me and my brother and brought us to his residence. But he did not have any home. He was living in different places and he was a mason. One day at the down town me and my brother lost our father. We asked everybody to help us find our father. But nobody paid attention. When night came, some policemen came and reported us missing children at the television. Because my father did not have TV, so he was not able to find us. Then police brought us to the Allauddin Orphanage. After sometime a foundation called Bayat Foundation visited our orphanage. The head of the foundation Eshanullah Bayat called me his daughter. After they filmed us and then published out images at the Ariana TV. After sometime my uncle came and was so happy to find us through the TV and one day my father also came and took us to his residence but because he does not have home, that is why we came back to orphanage. And I am very happy here. I want to be a doctor in the future. This was my life story.

Stories from Alluhoddin Orphanage-Shabana

My name is Shabana. I study in class one and my father’s name is Mohammad Saleem. I am eight years old. I do not remember how my parents died. But I was only one year when they died. We used to live with our uncle who was a cruel man. He did not behave well with me and my brother whose name is Khaled who was not more than a baby. My uncle told me one day to leave my brother in the room and come upstairs to the roof. I went there and he pushed me from the roof immediately. I fell to the ground as a result I felt a real heavy and sharp pain at my backbone. Then one of our neighbors’ woman came and told my uncle to give back my brother to me. After I got my brother, I went downtown with the woman and she left me and my brother there and she herself went away and never came back. When it was night I felt scared but a couple of police men came and gave us some money from which I bought some cigarettes and chewing gum and sold them. And from the income I bought milk for my little baby brother and we slept at an empty container which was so cold but after many days when I ran out of money tears came through my eyes for my little baby brother who was crying from hunger. Then suddenly a woman came and asked why I am sad. I told her of my brother. She said that I will feed him if you give him to me for a while and I will return him soon. But after she took him, she never returned. I cried day and night for my brother till a police man came and brought me to Allauddin orphanage. I am happy here because I go to school but because I am small, therefore, I cant read much. I miss my little brother but I don’t remember his image. I want to be a teacher in the future to help people. But till now I have a sharp pain at my backbone.

Young Friends of PARSA-from Ross to Anoosha

(Ross is on the left sitting with Betty Tisdale-founder of HALO)

Dear Anoosha....I just must tell you how well you express yourself in English. Marnie has sent your 2 Web Journal notes to me as email (I have difficulty managing the computer). And I have wanted to answer them and tell you about this part of the world.

My name is Ross Hartung and I am Marnie's mother. I am 72 years old, retired (though you wouldn't know that...my life has become so busy) from working in the Seattle School system in classrooms with "special" children, who have handicaps, either physical or mental. (oftentimes both). I also worked with classes of early elementary children. Teaching & learning have been important in my life.

I live with my husband Jack, in the city of Seattle which is in Washington state, the northwestern corner of the United States. I was born in Seattle, but spent years away as an adult. Living in Kabul between 1965-1969, turned out to be one of the greatest experiences I had....we came to care deeply about the people and land....and personally, I learned how much alike people are all over the world. Now if we could just treat each other that way and celebrate the ways we share with other cultures and people, there might be a chance of peace. But that is another letter.

I have 3 daughters and 4 grandsons. Marnie is my oldest daughter (50 yrs.) and her 2 sons, (25yrs. & 27 yrs)., I am very close to. She has always worked at helping other people, particularly helping women learn to find their talents and develop them. Being able to contribute to their lives.

Then comes Ruthy, my middle daughter (47 yrs.) who has a yoga studio in Sedona, Arizona (southwest US) where she teaches 4 courses yearly (30 days ea.) to yoga teachers and has a community of people in her studio that centers around teaching and healing. I try to visit her every year and participate in the yoga classes. She also comes to Seattle on vacation.

Fran is my youngest daughter (43 yrs.) and she has 2 sons (ages 12 & 15..almost 16). They live on Bainbridge Island which is a 35 minute ferryboat ride from Seattle, so I get to see/talk to her more often than the other girls. She is a single mom, working fulltime with an interior designer on the island. Her boys are also close to my heart.

It is very hard in our culture to keep connection with families because we are so spread out. And it is also hard to slow down enough to be together with all the activities, school, work etc.that we are caught up in. This is part of our time and life here. I have always enjoyed writing letters, even when there doesn't seem to be time for it, because it helps clarify my thinking and sharing life with others is a learning experience. We have a family spot in the country that helps to bring us together and I will tell you about Harper in another letter.

I enjoyed hearing about your life, your sister and school. And will look forward to another letter soon. Writing hurriedly, but lovingly. Ross (my grandsons call me "Rossie")

YFOParsa:Return to Homeland-Anoosha

Anoosha-
Return to Homeland

In 1992 when the civil war started in Afghanistan I was only one year old child that is why I do not remember the events of that year. But I came to know through my family that there were rockets everywhere and if anyone who left the house during the day, they were not sure to come back alive. People were disappointed and they were losing hope in the future. Every day hundreds of people were killed and that is why my family like thousands of others traveled eastward to Pakistan just to save their lives. It was a difficult and dangerous journey. And through Toor Kham border they went to Peshawar and started to live there. The early days were really difficult to find a home and work. One day we were so happy when we heard that my father found a job with a Charity called ‘Afghanaid’. Then slowly our life began to change. We were more happy and comfortable. First I went with my mother to an Afghan refugee school. In fact my mother was principle of that school where I met very poor refugee girls in the school. My mother was trying very hard to improve the school conditions. When my father’s salary increased, me and my sister got admission at a Pakistani school. We enjoyed studying there because we used to have good books, qualified teachers and our lessons were in English. I was so keen to learn English. Meanwhile, we were studying Urdu in school. We found many Pakistani friends in our schools. Slowly Pakistan was more like our own country and we did not know much about Afghanistan. But after many years when there was peace in our country my family returned to Afghanistan in 2003. But we found a different Afghanistan from which we left. It was all ruined and everything seemed of an early age. There was no electricity,no running water, bad roads and schools were at worst conditions and all people seemed depressed and sad. Coming to a new land was a big challenge.

And now we are living in Afghanistan for more than three years. me and my sister go to local government school. Schools in Afghanistan are not as good as Pakistani ones. But every day they improve. Slowly we are getting used to conditions of the country.

And we wish for a peaceful, civilized and happy Afghanistan for ever. I am sure we can reach this goal with the help and assistance of the world community.

Bye until my next letter.

Anoosha Wahidi

About My School in Kabul-Anoosha

My School
My school’s name is Laamia-e- Shaheed. It is located in Kabul City. The number of students is nearly 2000. It is a girls’ high school. Though most of our teachers are females but we also have a couple of male teachers. And our teachers really wish to get familiar with new teaching skills to teach. Female teachers wear dark green color uniform. But the students uniform is black dress and while scarf. All girls’ schools have the same uniform in Afghanistan. Students are really interested in studies but we do not have enough books for the number of students. We have a small computer room for nearly 2000 students. The main problem is that we do not have enough classes that is why students study in tents where during the rainfall leaking occurs. We have a small library with few old books. In our school there is a big gym but we do not have any sports equipment. We did not have any laboratories in the past but this year we have a small lab.

We students really wish for a day that we would have experienced and qualified teachers, good sports equipments, new study curriculum, study tours and to be in touch with students of other countries. And we wish for our schools to be in contact with the families of students so that parents and teachers can work together for brighter future of students. In spite of all these difficulties we are interested to learn as much as we can to be part of the civilized world.

Bye until my next weekly letter.

Anoosha Wahidi

Hi! My name is Anoosha.

I want to say hello to everyone who is reading this web journal. I am going to write a weekly letter in this web journal. I hope you will enjoy it. My date of birth is 24th of July, 1991. I'm in the 10th grade and I live in Kabul, Afghanistan. My hobbies are reading books and painting. I have a sister who is two years younger than me and my father. They live with me in an appartment. I have a best friend. She is also my cousin. Her name is Hamasa. She is a good girl. I would like to know how the schools are in America. I don't know enough about America to even ask questions but I would like to know more. Good bye until next time.

An Afternoon with Carolyn Firestone..

Carolyn Firestone, founder of the New Hudson Foundation, was in Afghanistan last week to do background work on her second book "Afghanistan Evolving". Mrs. Firestone awarded PARSA the use of two buildings in the Red Crescent compound and when they are renovated PARSA will be moving into those building this spring. Mrs. Firestone has a passion for Afghanistan, and in these pictures she met with Afghan Women Parliamentarians that Mahbouba Seraj and I have been working with over the past year.

Introducing "Young Friends of PARSA"

Anoosha (right) is our new volunteer in Kabul for the Young Friends of PARSA program. she will be posting a weekly letter in this web journal as well as facilitating our pen pal program with the orphans at Alluhoddin. Her e-mail is yfoparsa@yahoo.com. She is seen here with her father Wahidi and her sister Uranus, who will be helping her. Thank you , Anoosha!