PARSA Web Journal

March Newsletter

2009-04-02T03:42:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

Click on the title to see the March PARSA Newsletter. Thanks! Marnie

Moving web journal

2008-10-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

Dear All,
I am reorganizing my numerous blogs at www.parsajournal.com and will be updating there from now on. Please join me at that location. Marnie
mgustav@mac.com

Nassim, the Orphan

2008-08-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

Journal August 2008
Chagcharran, Ghor Province
The “Healthy Child Program”
Chagcharran Orphanage

“Nassim” the Orphan

Last month I traveled with my son, Reese, my nephew, Will, and Connor, the son of dear family friends to Chagcharran to work for two weeks on our Healthy Afghan Child Program. These young American men had a remarkable education on all accounts but one of the most interesting stories is about Nassim, the orphan. The day I flew in I was hungry, cranky because as usual it had taken 4 hours of waiting to make a one-hour trip. I showed up to our office residence in a rare mood to also discover that Yasin and Dawn had recently taken in an “orphan”.

Nassim was so grateful for our attention. Yasin washed him and applied his medication. Dawn entertained him and mothered him. The arrival of three young men to play with was overwhelming and he was beside himself with joy and activity. Two years raising himself did not contribute to his social skills. At first,Will and Connor amiably attended to all of his demands, feeling tremendously sorry for young Nassim, the orphan. By the end of the second day I noticed that their mood had shifted. Nassim was taking full advantage of the compassionate foreigner’s. First Will came to me and asked me to please get Nassim out of his room before Will lost his temper. It seems that Will was trying to do his push ups and sit-ups and Nassim was mimicking him in a nasty way. Will finally pushed him out of the room only to find Nassim a couple of minutes later, outside hanging off his windowsill making faces at him through the window. I made the mistake of leaving Will in the car with Nassim for a couple of minutes only to hear Will bellow at me “don’t leave me alone with this kid!!!”. Nassim, as he attempted to figure out how to act in this strange family…went through Dawn’s purse and was found with $20 in his hands; and badgered the boys until they felt homicidal; disobeyed and disrespected everyone but Yasin which made his work very difficult as no one else would be with Nassim and Yasin had to take him everywhere. Finally, we all agreed to get him to the orphanage before we all lost our tempers over his antics. We celebrated his departure. On one of our last days the boys went out to Nassim’s village to confirm that the family could not care for him. Upon their return, all of them were white faced and sick by what they had found. The dislike that had developed for Nassim had transformed into respect and compassion for how this little boy had survived his life. In my experience survivors of any age are not usually very cute-they are tough because of how difficult life has been for them- but we are about the notion that they deserve a chance at a decent life and belive that under the right care they will grow into great people.

Connor wrote about his experience of this and I would like to share it with you.

“Nassim showed up on PARSA’s doorstep early in the morning before I arrived in Chagcharran. When Dawn and Yasin asked what he needed, he said that he had been told by some of the other children of Chaghcharan that we ran an orphanage. His face was bruised and slightly purplish, both of his eyes were swollen and there were dark rings underneath.

Nassim is about 14 inches shorter than I am, but he says that he's fifteen. We're still unsure whether this is because he's malnourished or because, like most Afghans, he has no idea when he was born. (As an aside, this is why a number of Afghan passports and ID's list the date of birth as January 1st, followed by the year. Even the years are often uncertain data). Either way, he didn't look like he could be older than 12.

Nassim was our guest for about five days as we worked to get him into the orphanage, and in that time we managed to learn some of his story, the rest of which we gathered through the unique displeasure of visiting his village a few days after that. For the sake of avoiding some tedious explanations and re-explanations of when we learned the chronology of events, I'll give you the full story rather than the pieces of it.

Nassim's father and mother divorced about a year and a half ago. Divorce in Afghanistan is a notoriously risky business as it is likely to result in allegations of adultery, which in turn can result in revenge or honor killings. Still, this one seemed to go all right--Nassim's mother moved back into the house of her first husband and his father quickly remarried. Nassim found himself left out of both arrangements however, and had an uneasy existence shuttled back and forth from his mother and father's houses, essentially begging for food and shelter and exchanging labor for meals. A year ago, his father beat him badly and told him that if he ever came back, he would kill him.

After that Nassim started the 45-mile journey to Chaghcharan. Because he had no money and no food, his progress was painfully slow. As he made his way there he was exploited for labor, exchanging work for two meals a day. Sitting outside on our porch at night, he told us how he saved up scraps of food so he had something to eat as he jumped from village to village. When we drove to Nassim's home it took us an hour and a half. It took Nassim six months to get Chaghcharan.

His troubles weren't over there. He found himself excluded from the orphanage because he lack and ID or and adult to confirm that his parents were unwilling to take care of him. For the following six months, in the harsh winter of Chaghcharan, he worked for two meals a day at a tire repair shop and slept in a garage. The bruises under his eyes explain the abuse, and the scabies infecting his arms and legs showed his living conditions.

This isn't a story designed to ruin your Wednesday or make you feel bad about your own life, in fact this story isn't particularly unique in terms of the way orphans and neglected children are treated here. That's the point. Labor exploitation has become systematized by three decades of war, hardship, poverty, and the destruction of familial and clan ties. These children, lacking the defense mechanism of parental protection, do hard manual labor to survive. The odds of receiving any kind of money are practically none; most wealth in Afghanistan is inherited, so starting on the bottom is a particular disadvantage. Being an orphan outside of an orphanage is to live a life without any hope for advancement or improvement. You will not be educated, you will not be paid, no one will help you when you get sick or hurt, you'll only be fed enough to keep you working.

Of course the orphanage isn't the only option, you could also do what Nassim's older brother did. Confronted with the same hopeless situation, he and a group of friends went to Pakistan to study in a "madrassa" the fanatical religious schools. There's little doubt in my mind that he'll be back on Afghan soil soon, working to shape his country into the same frustrated and angry mold that he himself was sculpted into.

There's a silver lining to this particularly dark cloud. Nassim is in the orphanage now and he says that for the first time in his life, he has hope for something better. He's getting an education, and he's being fed unconditionally. Afghanistan isn't a doomed country, just like Nassim, by taking his life in his own hands, has never been a doomed child. What our responsibility must be is to make sure that orphanages like these can continue to shelter the children stuck on the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder.

My trip to Nassim's village:
First the roads. They were dirt the entire way and I was expecting this, but I had also figured that they would have been purposefully made, smoothed over even to facilitate the transfer of people from Point A to Point B. Silly me. The roads were the natural result of cars following the same path over and over; we drove in the ruts that had been imprinted by heavier trucks and from time to time our car's tires scraped against the sides of the ruts, bouncing us from side to side. At first I imagined it was like being on a particularly cloying rollercoaster. Then I imagined it was like being inside a piñata. Then I stopped imagining things.

I sat in the back seat, sandwiched between the principal of the orphanage and Reese, Marnie's son. Somehow, in a way I'll never be able to fathom, Reese managed to doze through the unrelenting turbulence, waking only briefly when the bumps in the road knocked his head hard against my shoulder. The principal just looked carsick, and stared out the window. In the trunk was Nassim, who had decided to come along to see his family and village for what was almost surely the last time.

The scenery impressed me. Just like in the airplane ride over, I got the sense that the hills around us were an endless expanse. Cresting each ridge showed more of the same, and the further east we went, the steeper the slopes became, until off in the distance they blended into proper rock-faced, dry, barren looking mountains. There was an unsettling sense of deja vu as we drove on. The landscape was so unchanging that time bended. Two hours could have been five, or it could have been 30 minutes. Whenever I looked at my watch, I forgot what time it had been before.

As we got close, the road got narrower until our car could barely squeeze along the track cut out of a steep-inclined slope. In front of us on the road, men and boys drove donkeys out of our way, whipping them roughly with thin canes and staring at us like we were in an armored convoy rather than a beat up SUV. Whenever we slowed down, the cloud of dust that we kicked up in our wake surrounded the car and streamed through the open windows. We wrapped the scarves we wore around our faces, and by the time we got there we looked like we'd showered in dust.

Now the village. I stretched my legs, rarely having been happier to get out of a car, and looked around at the houses. Some of them lay in the valley below, where a thin river snaked its way west, but the majority were mud houses built into the side of the hill--seemingly held there by additional mud that provided a ledge underneath. There was a breeze. It was nice. The weather and vegetation reminded me of home.

Then the people. A man and his son approached us, and his features struck me. He had light brown hair, stubble instead of a beard, a square jaw and very white teeth. He wouldn't have looked out of place in the United States or (I imagine) Spain or Italy. He greeted Nassim like he hadn't been gone for a year, but had just stepped out for an afternoon. Yasin and the principal of the orphanage stopped and talked with him, and it was then that I started to feel uneasy. I'm still not sure what was said exactly, Yasin translated bits and pieces for us reluctantly, but I was shocked to find how, even in a situation where I couldn't understand what was being said, I could still feel that something was--very deeply, very fundamentally--wrong. It was the way the man with the white teeth reacted--there was something superficial about his movements, his smile was strange and the way he looked at all of us was like he was just staring, like there was no seeing or recognition involved. We sat for a while in the shade of the trees. Yasin would say something, receive an answer, shrug, and look out at the river.

Before long we were ushered into a low room that had a carpeted floor, walls, and ceiling. It was on the way there that we saw the dried poppies, and it was the first and only time I've felt afraid on this trip. It wasn't a panicked fear, or a strong one, just a gnawing feeling that sat in my gut and made me go over the worst scenarios again and again. We were isolated, I didn't think our phone was working, these people almost certainly knew what they were growing was illegal. And here we were, sitting in a room lousy with flies, stuffy with heat, and listening to these poppy farmers tell lying versions of Nassim's story. Again, I got the unshakeable sense that something was very profoundly flawed in these people. The way they laughed, the way they acted normally when telling Nassim's ordeal, the glazed over way they looked at us, and the way Yasin responded in turn showed their disconnect from reality. I was struck with the conviction that these people were acting, that they had somehow lost any kind of emotional direction and simply spoke out of custom, out of habit rather than thought, rather than empathy. The more they talked, the more I thought that inside they had rotted away.

Yasin was the first to express what we all felt, he turned to us saying, "I feel sick here." And it was true, during the rough ride I'd felt tired but fine, here I felt nauseous and claustrophobic. I realized gradually that the claustrophobia wasn't just the room, it was socially suffocating. These people, shorn of any kind of deeper reality, made me physically ill.

We sat there for at least an hour. There was a window facing west and I stared through it and tried to imagine myself zooming home across oceans and mountains. I tried to picture the oak tree at my house, the sunroom and screen door, the mailbox, but the tide of nausea made it too hard to concentrate. Finally word came that Nassim's mother and father wouldn't see us, we could take Nassim and officially put him in the orphanage.

We got out as fast as we could (which wasn't that fast, because turning the car around on that narrow track was difficult) and drove west, chasing a bright afternoon sun. I looked out the window at the rolling hills, and smelled the air. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to leave somewhere.
And that's that.

Connor Osteen
osteen@uchicago.edu

An opium village near Chaghcharan

2008-07-21T07:14:00.001-07:00

First the roads. They were dirt the entire way and I was expecting this, but I had also figured that they would have been purposefully made, smoothed over even to facilitate the transfer of people from Point A to Point B. Silly me. The roads were the natural result of cars following the same path over and over, we drove in the ruts that had been imprinted by heavier trucks and from time to time our car's tires scraped against the sides of the ruts, bouncing us from side to side. At first I imagined it was like being on a particularly cloying rollercoaster. Then I imagined it was like being inside a pinata. Then I stopped imagining things.

I sat in the back seat, sandwiched between the principal of the orphanage and Reese, Marnie's son. Somehow, in a way I'll never be able to fathom, Reese managed to doze through the unrelenting turbulence, waking only briefly when the bumps in the road knocked his head hard against my shoulder. The principal just looked carsick, and stared out the window. In the trunk was Nasim, who had decided to come along to see his family and village for what was almost surely the last time.

I was impressed by the scenery. Just like in the airplane ride over, I got the sense that the hills around us were an endless expanse. Cresting each ridge showed more of the same, and the further east we went, the steeper the slopes became, until off in the distance they blended into proper rock-faced, dry, barren looking mountains. There was an unsettling sense of deja vu as we drove on. The landscape was so unchanging that time bended. Two hours could have been five, or it could have been 30 minutes. Whenever I looked at my watch, I forgot what time it had been before.

As we got close, the road got narrower until our car could barely squeeze along the track cut out of a steep-inclined slope. In front of us on the road, men and boys drove donkeys out of our way, whipping them roughly with thin canes and staring at us like we were in an armored convoy rather than a beat up SUV. Whenever we slowed down, the cloud of dust that we kicked up in our wake surrounded the car and streamed through the open windows. We wrapped the scarves we wore around our faces, and by the time we got there we looked like we'd showered in dust.

Now the village. I stretched my legs, rarely having been happier to get out of a car, and looked around at the houses. Some of them lay in the valley below, where a thin river snaked its way west, but the majority were mud houses built into the side of the hill--seemingly held there by additional mud that provided a ledge underneath. There was a breeze. It was nice. The weather and vegetation reminded me of home.

Then the people. A man and his son approached us, and I was struck by his features. He had light brown hair, stubble instead of a beard, a square jaw and very white teeth. He wouldn't have looked out of place in the United States or (I imagine) Spain or Italy. He greeted Nasim like he hadn't been gone for a year, but had just stepped out for an afternoon. Yasin and the principal of the orphanage stopped and talked with him, and it was then that I started to feel uneasy. I'm still not sure what was said exactly, Yasin translated bits and pieces for us reluctantly, but I was shocked to find how, even in a situation where I couldn't understand what was being said, I could still feel that something was--very deeply, very fundamentally--wrong. It was the way the man with the white teeth reacted--there was something superficial about his movements, his smile was strange and the way he looked at all of us was like he was just staring, like there was no seeing or recognition involved. We sat for a while in the shade of the trees. Yasin would say something, receive an answer, shrug, and look out at the river.

Before long we were ushered into a low room that had a carpeted floor, walls, and ceiling. It was on the way there that we saw the dried poppies, and it was the first and only time I've felt afraid on this trip. It wasn't a panicked fear, or a strong one, just a gnawing feeling that sat in my gut and made me go over the worst scenarios again and again. We were isolated, I didn't think our phone was working, these people almost certainly knew what they were growing was illegal. And here we were, sitting in a room lousy with flies, stuffy with heat, and listening to these poppy farmers tell lying versions of Nasim's story.Again, I got the unshakeable sense that something was very profoundly flawed in these people. The way they laughed , the way they acted normally when telling Nasim's ordeal, the glazed over way they looked at us, and the way Yasin responded in turn showed their disconnect from reality. I was struck with the conviction that these people were acting, that they had somehow lost any kind of emotional direction and simply spoke out of custom, out of habit rather than thought, rather than empathy. The more they talked, the more I thought that inside they had rotted away.

Yasin was the first to express what we all felt, he turned to us saying, "I feel sick here." And it was true, during the rough ride I'd felt tired but fine, here I felt nauseous and claustrophobic. I realized gradually that the claustrophobia wasn't just the room, it was socially suffocating. These people, shorn of any kind of deeper reality, made me physically ill.

We sat there for at least an hour. There was a window facing west and I stared through it and tried to imagine myself zooming home across oceans and mountains. I tried to picture the oak tree at my house, the sunroom and screen door, the mailbox, but the tide of nausea made it too hard to concentrate. Finally word came that Nasim's mother and father wouldn't see us, we could take Nasim and officially put him in the orphanage.

We got out as fast as we could (which wasn't that fast, because turning the car around on that narrow track was difficult) and drove west, chasing a bright afternoon sun. I looked out the window at the rolling hills, and smelled the air. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to leave somewhere. And that's that.

-Connor

An opium village

2008-07-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Center for Creative Ability

2008-06-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the grand opening of the Center for Creative Ability at Marastoon, and there was a great ceremony to commission the building. We had worked hard to clean the area up prior to the occasion. We lugged hot metal pipes out of sight and handled a minor catastrophe when the ditch in front of the Center overflowed. After all of the effort, it was nice to see the place filled by smiling faces.

Before long, we were all taking a tour of the rooms with Andrew Patrick, the representative from the British Embassy, and Fatima Gilani, the head of the Association of the Women of Afghanistan. The before and after pictures of the building were truly amazing: what was once the ruin of a building has become something warm and friendly.

We all packed ourselves into a hot room for the speech section of the program. The sentiments were nice, and it was great to hear about the goals of the Center and the personal stories that make it so worthwhile. That being said, I could see a number of people fidgeting in the heat (myself included) by the time we were done. The drinks and food was a welcome reprieve from that stuffy room.

After the ribbon cutting, we all milled about for a while. I practiced my broken Dari with lots of people, and they in turn responded in much better English. What really struck me about the day was the feeling of kinship. The opening for the Center was a lesson in the infectious nature of PARSA projects. Of course they fill their primary purpose of improving the lives of those hit hardest by war, strife, and poverty, but PARSA also bridges a cultural gap. It brings together Afghans and foreigners in a way that few other organizations manage to do. It’s a valuable trait, to say the least.

-Connor

Hi Everyone

2008-06-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

My name is Connor O’Steen, I’m a family friend of Marnie’s and I just got into Afghanistan three days ago. To say things are moving fast here would be an understatement. Looking out the window at the dust covered mountains beyond Marastoon, it is impossible to believe that less than a week ago I was sitting at my grandmother’s house in Port Orchard wondering if I would ever get to leave. To say that this place is ‘a world away’ is terribly cliché, but there’s simply no other way to describe the shock, the rending difference from one place to the next.

One of the hardest activities so far has been driving around town. After getting over the initial knee-jerk panic of watching oncoming traffic pass within inches of your car door, dealing with the sensory overload of Kabul is a challenge. The city is so tremendously dynamic…every 20 feet is a unique scene, a vignette of life for some of the poorest people in the world. Just to watch it is exhausting. To imagine living it stretches the limits of empathy.

On top of this, it’s impossible to not be the center of attention anywhere you go. The stares wear you down and pile on the fatigue when you’re getting used to such a radically different place.

All that being said, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. I came here to work, I came here to make a contribution and I haven’t been disappointed. There’s so much potential and so much to do…you could fill a lifetime working to make a difference. It’s a wonderful feeling, and I can’t wait to become more involved.

-Connor

Healthy Afghan Girls Prgram in Alluhoddin Orphanage

2008-06-18T12:55:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the PARSA staff. Asia Foundation has just agreed to partner with PARSA to produce a "Healthy Afghan Girl" program in Alluhoddin orphanage. Below is a letter from one of the 20 girls currently in the program. This grant from the Asia Foundation allows us to serve all 150 girls...

My name is Zainab and my father name was Hayatullah, I am fourteen years old and I am studying in seventh grade of school in Allahoddin Orphanage. My father and mother killed by internal war in our country when I and my younger sister were children. After that we were living in my uncle house for a while, but life was very difficult for us in those years. My uncle’s wife didn’t like us to grow up well and go to school, and she always oppression on us she and my uncle got us out from the house. We were sleeping in the bathroom, and we were sweeping the hallways and balcony. They always told us to go for begging on streets and my uncle’s wife told us she’d sale us to a reach man to get money. We referred here by a woman who, she was very kind. She told me that I can study there in orphanage and make our future better there. I worry about our life and our education. I am writing this letter and I am crying that I remembered our bad days. I never saw a happy time in my life, but I am feeling much happier in orphanage then my uncle house. I am studying a lot so probably having a good education will make my life better. Many time I wanted to kill myself but, unfortunately I am alive yet. Many thanks for my dear teacher Saleha Jan especially from PARSA organization to get us this occasion to share and solve our problems. I always pray and study a lot to have a good future for myself and my younger sister. Zainab

Jawzareen Valley-May Journal 2008

2008-05-16T06:27:00.001-07:00

Jawzjareen Valley, Bamyan
April/May 2008
Journal

April 27th
7:00 am our team loads into our battered SUV and we head for Bamyan. This is the first trip to Bamyan that I have taken without guests from out-of-country and although the road is worse than it was last trip, we are relaxed, happy to get out of Kabul and ready to get to work. I have Palwasha with me, 11-year veteran of PARSA and one of the Afghan directors. She has brought her mother as chaperon. It is very difficult to hire women who will travel, and most of the time tradition requires a chaperon. We have Sami-gak, (Little Sami), who has worked for PARSA since he was about 14 years old. He is one of the youngest staff members and everyone bosses him around. He is always happy for a road trip to Bamyan, where he assumes more responsibility and is treated as an adult. And then our great driver, Gul Achmad, who is quiet and competent.

We are headed up to Jawzjareen valley to hire our teachers for the “Community Village Schools” and get our programs started. Twelve teachers from my home, Seattle, have raised $12K to start this project. PARSA has other education projects in the Paghman district, but this is our first project integrating education, economic We We are headed up to Jawzareen valley to hire our teachers for the “Community Village Schools” and get our programs started. Twelve teachers from my home, Seattle, have raised $12K to start this project. PARSA has other education projects in the Paghman district, but this is our first project integrating education, economic support and health education (and hopefully later healthcare) under my watch as executive director.

We spent almost a year and a half traveling up to Jawzjareen, speaking with the villagers about what they needed before we launched this program. (The history of this project is posted on our web journal www.parsakabul.blogspot.com).

The nine-hour ride (150 kilometers) is bone jarring, but we have left early enough so that we arrive in the afternoon to our office/residence. Rides like this are the only time I wish that I didn’t understand so much Dari. Afghans have to be the most garrulous people in the world. They love to talk about anything and everything and my Afghans chatted non-stop while I tried to sleep, for the entire nine hours.

Taher and Zahra, a couple with children who are based in Bamiyan City, greeted us. They are tremendous and we are lucky to have them. But Zahra had month’s worth of complaints she was ready to take up with me the moment I arrived. I excused myself, scheduled a discussion for the morning and we ate dinner and went to bed early. A cat has adopted us, and he settled in with me for the night so I felt quite at home.

April 28th
This is our first day to go up into the valley with Zahra and Taher crammed into the car as well. There are four villages up there and we have quite a few decisions to make as we get started. On an earlier trip, Yasin had secured agreements from elders in the villages, to provide us with space to begin our school. We are hoping to walk to all of the villages, as we have to determine where to place our program so that it is not too far for any of the women we enroll. Our goal is to start with 28 women in our economic program and around 40 women in our literacy program. We also are prepared to start two Early Childhood Development Programs with 60 children under the age of 5. Additionally, we have to secure land for our “Kitchen Garden” program.

Jawzjareen is only 45 minutes away from Bamyan city, on a very bad road, but they receive no services and have a number of very poor families. Two families are orphaned and the oldest child, are providing for the younger siblings. We have met over 10 widows with children, who live high up on the mountains, where there is no water and bad soil. There are also disabled adults who are trying to care for their families. This area does, however, contain a number of wealthy Afghan potato farmers who are very miserly with their support to other community members. Where as in other communities, such as Paghman we will be providing economic development training to the entire community because the whole community is so poor-in this one I are very focused on providing just for the marginalized. The good news is that there are people in the valley that have money so our women won’t have to go all the way to Bamyan to sell their products.

Yasin has worked very hard to convince wealthy members of the community to provide land and school space for free. Today we will see how successful he was.

Palwasha, Sami, and Gul Achmad are quite light hearted, being out in the beautiful weather and spectacular landscape. We are stopped on the road up to the valley by a huge truck delivering rocks to an irrigation project and we opt to get out and walk the rest of the way. We walk by the public school, holding mostly boys. It is over a mile just to the base of the Jawzjareen valley over very tough terrain and most girls are not allowed to walk so far to school. Additionally, all family members are working the fields so education is less of a priority than providing for family. Projects like ours are being conducted by a number of agencies around the country as an interim education strategy while the Ministry of Education attempts to get public education going again. Still it is estimated that only 40% of the children in the country are receiving education, 80% of girl children are still not being educated. It was estimated that there is a shortfall of over 75,000 teachers to provide education to the children of the country. Over half of the Afghan population is under the age of 19 years old.

We hope that girls in our literacy courses will go on to a public school education, but we also understand-firsthand- the problem of distance.

We are met at the beginning of the path to Orashgosh village, by one of our teachers. Yasin tested over twenty possible teachers and selected Akil and his sister Negbah, as our teachers for this program. They had a high school education in Pakistan and both have a bit of English. However, they have no teacher training and teaching them to teach will be one of our objectives this year. At the public school, I took a picture of a proud teacher, stick in hand, with his students all lined up-and made a note to myself to connect with the teachers and see if they wanted to participate in our teacher training. Most education here competes in quality with schools in the middle ages.

We go through the hiring process, and then outline the plan for the next couple of days, including meeting with all the women that want to be in the program. Akil makes an appeal for a literacy course in his village and we say we will consider it as learn about the distance between the villages. I ask him where he was going to teach our classes for children and he take us up a sheer cliff to a little room teetering over a 200-foot fall. I ask him how he proposes to get his little students to the school, which he hadn’t considered. Much discussion and we are led to the mosque that he said they only use once a year. It is a great classroom. We tell him that he should gather the women of the village who would want to attend literacy courses at 10 tomorrow so we can consider whether to have an additional course in his village.

Akil, Negbah, Zahra, Taher, Palwasha, Sami and I set off for the next village to meet with the elders. We have forgotten to pack a lunch and are hungry. The “Wali” (leader) of the next area, is found quickly and we meet with him in his mosque. He is very amenable to having courses in the mosque. We are served a coarse but delicious country bread with yogurt as we talk. He tells us that he will gather the women the next day to meet with us about starting a literacy course. We are very tired and sore after our long drive yesterday, so we are happy to finish our work in the valley for the day….as beautiful as it is.
I have observed that as heartbreakingly difficult a life Afghans have, they can let their troubles all go and enjoy themselves immensely. My group was so happy to be in the country away from Kabul. Young Sami-gak, walked down the valley road holding my hand and swinging our arms, telling me that I was like his mother. I tried to think of a professional response as his executive director but gave into the lightheartedness of the day and let it be. He works his heart out for me and PARSA, as do I for him, and my western work style just didn’t apply today.

April 29th
We were out early and back up in the valley today. Lovely day. At the first village, Orashgosh, 50 women gathered to meet with us. Palwasha and I talked about the opportunity of learning to read, as well as have their children start to an early childhood development class. I made the comment that life is richer and sweeter for people who are educated. One exhausted looking woman told me “What life? I am like a cow. I have no life but work that I am born to and will die doing!”

A young bitter man, Mirage, was in the back observing. He chastised the group and asked them why they didn’t tell us really how awful their lives were. I asked him to leave, and I would talk with him later as I felt he was intimidating the women. I learned later that he was 21 and orphaned when he was 14. He had been caring for his brothers and sisters all this time farming on a small, rocky patch of land. I am going to see if I can hire him to help us maintain our kitchen gardens.

We left Orashgosh and moved up to our next village. We first unpacked our supply boxes so Palwasha could brief the teacher’s on the attendance and what the supplies were for. Unfortunately, she hadn’t remembered to check the boxes before we left and we discovered that our operations manager had bought over one hundred tiny aluminum cookware sets for the ECD classes-complete with plastic carrots and that we only had 10 literacy books. About 60 women waited for us at this location. Our original plan was for between 30 to 40 women from all locations. The women informed us that they would be moving to the summer grounds with the villages herd of sheep, goats and cows in two months and they wondered how they could be in literacy class if they were going to leave it. I said we would work out summer activities and visit them up in the summer grounds on my next trip…something I have always wanted to do.

|We made our scheduling arrangements. Akil is going to teach two children’s classes, and Negbah will teach two literacy courses. Then we went further up the mountain. Palwasha wanted to meet the widow I met a year and half ago that inspired the program. She hiked way up the mountain while I went with Taher to negotiate for land close to the river for our gardens. We hope to build a small two-room center down there…but have to work with the community because it is prime land.

Palwasha discovered that the widow had bought a cow with her earnings from quilting for PARSA over the winter…I try all our ideas out on her. She is a hard-bitten, proud woman who chews tobacco. Palwasha bought some “dogh” a special yogurty mild drink, from her and I was extremely pleased to learn how well she had thought everything through and invested her money. She has five beautiful daughters, and Palwasha invited them to the classes.

Taher and I met with the elder of the second mosque school to discuss renting land. All businessman, now, he offered to rent it to me for $200 for six months…a small piece although it would support the 14 families we want to work with on a kitchen garden. In Bamyan everyone grows potatoes, which they sell for a cash crop. Unfortunately they end up buying staples and vegetables from Pakistan and an exorbitant rate. We plan on working with our poor families to grow vegetables that the villagers would get from Bamyan city, to sell in the village, along with other products from the garden.

I refuse his offer as too expensive. This is a very short trip to be followed up in a week by a more comprehensive training from our team from Kabul. I am just establishing the perimeters of the program and making sure I have the right PARSA staff working on the project. Haggling over the garden land I will leave to Yasin or Palwasha, who have an Afghan’s love for bartering. Additionally, as young Afghan community leaders they feel passionate about wealthy Afghan contributing to less lucky community members, and do not mince words when dealing with the “wali’s”.

We all convene at the bottom of the valley and eat eggs and bread by the river. Sami has found a group of youth who are fishing and convinces them to give a try. We brief Taher and Zahra on their tasks in the following week but we have hit a snag with transportation. Local transportation to this area either requires an overnight if traveling by bus for $1.00, or will cost $20 by minibus. No budget for this kind of transport and if we don’t solve it our ability to monitor and support the economic programs will be severely limited. I would like to have Taher and Zahra work in the valley everyday. Another problem to solve this month. These kinds of costs are what limit the development community at our level of fieldwork from doing a good job.

We haven’t been able to visit the two upper level villages to recruit people into the courses but will do so in the next two weeks. All courses start tomorrow-and we will see how much enthusiasm the women have for education by how many of them take time out of their busy days to attend.

April 30th
It is time to travel back to Kabul. I have scheduled Zahra and Taher to visit the programs the following week, and then our training team will be up there for almost two weeks of intensive work. Word back from the villages is that 60 women showed up this morning for our second literacy course scheduled in the morning. The “Wali” responsible for that course has already asked a man in the upper villages to find a location for another course as he doesn’t have enough room for all of the in his mosque. So there is a request for yet another literacy course and for PARSA to work with over 160 women. This is way over the 30 to 40 women I had planned for, but I am going to go back to Kabul to figure out how to do so. Our next team will establish how many women are really serious about studying over the course of their time here.

Negbah, our teacher is undeterred by the fact that she only has 10 literacy books, and with Palwasha’s help she figures out how to conduct class using a blackboard and giving each woman a notebook and pencil. Palwasha gets a call back to Kabul to order 150 more from the Ministry of Education.

We load up our car, and pack my goat “Gul-lak” or “Little Flower”. She is part of our dairy project for livelihoods, but we need to work with her and her sisters back in Kabul to figure out our dairy program. She has wintered with another herd, and is pregnant, but she does remember me and is quite happy with some good snacks.

The nine-hour ride home is not enhanced by the smell of goat, I must say, although she traveled well. Nine hours of non-stop chatting and exhausted we hit the checkpoint just out of Kabul around 4:00. The Afghan officer there took one look at me and told me that I needed a registration card for traveling out of Kabul. I pulled out my Ministry card for “Foreigner’s” which he looked at and then said that was for traveling “out of country”. I need a traveling “in country” card. Over the years, having encountered every type of bureaucratic requirement, most an opportunity to collect a fee - I resist. I told him that I would be glad to come into his office to fill out the required paperwork, but I would have to bring my goat as she was a bit carsick and I couldn’t leave her. He smiled and wisely waved me on.
Marnie Gustavson
May 2008

Journal from Chagcharran, Ghor Province

2008-05-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Chagcharan Children’s Center
Ghor Province
Journal

Tuesday, May 6th
Yasin Farid, PARSA National Country Director and I flew into Chagcharan for the first time early in the morning. Dawn Erickson, and two of our national training team, Atiq and Mohsin has spent two weeks earlier in the month setting up what we call the “Good Job Program” with the orphanage staff and our Chagcharan office and residence.

Ghor is ancient and the light down here is other worldly…honey brown hills, green poplars and very green valley in honor of spring. The famous Minerat of Jam is three hours away-Herat and the Iranian border nine hours away. (Rory Stewart’s book “The Places In Between” is a good to book to read about this part of Afghanistan.)

Yasin and I walked through the bazaar as our way of getting acquainted with the area, finding good prices, and pleasant shopkeepers.

A quick trip to our PARSA offices/home and then off to our guesthouse where we are staying until our place is ready. Andy, an American working with CRS is in residence, the only international in Chagcharan outside of the military complex. A nice welcome from CRS staff.

Wednesday, May 7th
Yasin and I begin training orphanage staff today in the “Good Father/Good Mother Life Skills “ course. In the national orphanages there is no formal activities program or system of supervision for the children. The children attend school (in this case the public school) and the staff show up for work and mediate fights if there are problems but for the most part sit around, drink tea and talk for the day. This program is a pilot in Afghanistan and we have built in a performance based bonus system for the staff hoping that boosting their wage level above $40 a month will create some enthusiasm for our new program. In the earlier visit, Atiq and Mohsin had oriented the orphanage staff to their new job descriptions and Yasin and I were now setting up the schedule and training the staff in the new program.

The staff met with us in a dingy room in the administrative office, ready to go. We introduced them to our “case management” model of care, adapted to the Afghan culture that we call “Good Father/Good Mother”. Each staff member working directly with the children, including the cook and principle will be responsible for a group of 10 orphans. They will become the “parent”, and work with the children for a minimum of 1.5 hours a day following a “life skills” curriculum that we are training them to develop. We hope that this direct involvement with small groups of the orphans will change the work culture of the orphanage. Yasin speaks very directly to the staff, talking to them about the difference between an Afghan home and the orphanage as a place for a child to be raised.

“In the Afghan Family, children learn about life from being around their parents. Girls learn to cook, and care for the family or even how to aspire to a professional job by observing their mother, talking with their mother, and sitting with her female relatives. Much time is spent doing this.

The Afghan boy learns how to be a man from his father and male relatives. He watches them work, and care for the family and he finds his place, his value and his profession by following them.

For an Afghan child without a father or a mother who can care for him/her there is no opportunity to learn these things. In the national orphanages, children go to school for maybe 2-4 hours a day. The rest of the time of the day is spent sitting or playing with other orphans. There are no opportunities to learn about life from a loving Afghan adult or older sibling.

What happens is that girls are not prepared for being the mother of a family or a professional in the work community. If they do not know how to care for a household if they are married, they can be beaten, or ostracized from her husband’s family. If they have no support for developing themselves as professionals to learn how to work and make a wage they become dependent on others as an adult.

What happens when boys are not prepared for their responsibilities as fathers and wage earners is that they can be vulnerable to bad influences from adults who want to take advantage of them. They can live a failed life as an adult with no hope for a happy future.

The Healthy Afghan Child Program is a program designed to give orphan children living in an institution access to an adult who will care for them like a mother or a father. We call you “Good Mother’s” and “Good Fathers”. You become responsible for training the children assigned to them for life. Health, education, and discipline are your responsibility.”

To our satisfaction, the orphanage staff is quite inspired by the idea of this “Good Father/Good Mother” arrangement. Afghan’s are so family oriented. We chose this idea to see if we could elicit more compassion from the staff if they think of themselves as foster parents instead of government workers. Also, all staff members can participate, as the requirements are not education but the life experience of being a parent. Yasin is used to the resistance of the Kabul orphanage staff and is hopeful that their response indicates that they will adopt the new idea. It means a lot more work for them but they say that they know their work with the children is inadequate but have not known what to do about it.

Yasin spent the balance of the afternoon helping the staff divide the children into groups of ten and assigning them to staff. Orphanage “teacher’s will have 3 groups of ten as their time is dedicated just to being with the children.
We complete the day by touring the orphanage. Lithuania is building a new orphanage for the children this year, to be complete in September. After talking with the children we learn that they were evicted from the orphanage last November (winter) because there was no money coming from Kabul Ministry. A terrible time to be ousted from the orphanage. Apparently, they boys went to stay in the Mosques. We are hopeful that this year this won’t be the case but we make note to take this up with the Deputy Minister, Wasel Noor when we return to Kabul. We also learn that they do not even have an outhouse, and they are using the hallways as a bathroom during the day because of privacy.

There are only 150 boys enrolled in the orphanage and no girls. Yasin and I take a quick poll of the boys asking them if they have sisters and where their sisters are. Five boys had six sisters “back in the village” living with “uncle” working for the family. In our next component, Atiq and Mohsin are going to work with the orphanage staff to conduct assessments of each of the children to make sure that the children in the orphanage are the most vulnerable in the region. Plans for the new orphanage include a residence for girls.

Ministry strategic plans move away from residential orphanages and towards supporting families to keep their orphans in the villages. Unfortunately the public school system is terribly inadequate, especially in regional areas. No education for the children means no future. As orphans in the village they are often just relegated to labor, which can be their lot the rest of their life even without the possibility of marriage, as they have no immediate family to support them.

Thursday, May 8th

Yasin and I continue the training “Good Mother/Good Father” with the staff. The staff is very clear about their new roles but they say that the head of “DOLSA” –the ministry director for the region has rearranged their responsibilities and removed two staff members from the program. I stop the training and drive over to the DOLSA headquarters to find out why. I am prepared for interference and argument. I was delightfully surprised to meet with a young Mullah who listened very carefully to our case and then told us: “I am completely in support of your program. Having the staff work in this way with the children is the best way to have them be responsible for their care. I even want the principal to work with a group of ten. I just removed two staff members who are not directly accountable for the children and who only wanted to participate because of the bonus system you are providing.”

I was delighted with his cooperation, again so different than our experience with Kabul orphanage staff. He completely comprehends the program, thanks to Dawn’s lengthy time with him on the prior trip and I feel that we have a real partner.
Yasin and I went back to work with the staff and today we talk about the difference between being a teacher and a “Good Father” (or Good Mother). Yasin facilitates the discussion:

“What is the difference between a teacher and a father or a mother?

The staff came up with these answers:
The teacher’s job is to teach the children:
How to read, write and how to be good citizens.

“A father’s job is to teach the children:
How to use reading, writing and to be a good citizen.”

“A teacher’s job is to teach the children:
How to be a good Muslim.”

“A father’s job is to teach the children:
To be a good Muslim.”

In the afternoon, Yasin works with the staff by himself, while I work on reports. With the head of DOLSA’s support and with the teacher’s apparent enthusiasm for the program we know have a means to distribute items to the children such as tooth brushes, clothing and school supplies. National orphanages are notorious for staff stealing these items from the children, but I am confident, as I watch the training unfold that the context of being a “Good Parent” the staff will insure that his/her children will get the items they need. Down the road we will reward the staff member with the best cared for children. Changing the context from a school model where the children fend for themselves, to a family model where the adults are responsible for specific children is going to be a great innovation in the orphanage social protection system. We have created “case manager’s”, but using Afghan family values so everyone can understand what is expected of them.

After the afternoon session, Yasin reports that the teacher’s worked hard to learn the seven parts that we expect them to conduct when they are spending the 1.5 hour with their group of children. He was inspired to demonstrate by working with a group of children directly, and teachers and children had a great time.

Time Activity
Step One 10 minutes Children sit quietly in a circle. Instructor tells them what the schedule for the afternoon is and what is expected of them.
Step Two 10 minutes Instruction on the objective for the day.
Step
Three 30 minutes to 1 hour Activity related to the objective of the day.
Step
Four 30 minutes Exercise or inside group activity such as kids yoga.
Step
Five 20 minutes Writing in journal or other creative project.
Step
Six 5 minute Clean up
Step
Seven 5 minute Sit in circle –Instructor complete session with story or acknowledgement of children.

He saw a forlorn beggar child watching from the sidelines as Yasin was playing with the children. Yasin asked him if he was part of the orphanage. Apparently, the boy and his brother were from another province. They were living with a man in Chagcharan, who told them to beg and bring him the money in exchange for room and board. Yasin is going to try to get them enrolled in the orphanage.

Teachers appear to be on for the work and excited about the new program. They finished the day by “brainstorming” on the theme for the month “Healthcare and Self-care”. We will have them start their program next week when Mohsin and Atiq can support the initial week, but we need to find toothbrushes and soap, as lessons about brushing teeth without access to a toothbrush are pointless. Dawn is working with Afghan Red Crescent Society to locate some hygiene supplies for the teachers to distribute to the children.

Friday, May 9th
Today is a day off and Yasin and I take a trip into the villages to locate rugs for our office and to see how the people are different from other regions. We had a great time in the village. The people are pleasant, tolerant and pleased to spend time with us. The countryside in springtime is beautiful with lush green valleys juxtaposed against the desert hills.

Saturday, May 10th
Our last day of training for this trip. Yasin is working with the teacher’s to develop a day-by-day plan for the month. He reported to me that the teacher’s had a big discussion about the program. They realized how important it was going to be to the children that they do the program everyday. Yasin was delighted with their realization, and feels that now they really understand the program. He also, created another level of accountability, through the journals that the children are going to write in everyday. He told the teachers that PARSA would review the children’s journals randomly as a way of monitoring whether they are working with the children. The teacher’s did not resent this but seemed to feel that it was another indication of how important the program is. Yasin also teaches the children how to make a plan for the day in their journal. He is very satisfied with the work of the training and feels that the staff will take the program on.

Yasin and I finish up arrangements for our office and prepare to leave for Kabul.

Sunday, May 11
Yasin makes an unscheduled trip to the orphanage before we leave for the airport. He has promised to check the children’s journals. He reports that the teacher’s were very busy getting organized and doing all of the right things. We prepare to turn over our work to Mohsin and Atiq, who will be arriving Tuesday for a two-week stay. They will start the “Good Mother/Good Father” program and begin detailed assessments of the children as well as train the staff to make “training plans” for the children.

We are very satisfied with our trip, especially the response of the staff and the head of DOLSA….
Marnie Gustavson
Chagcharan
May 2008

Report to Betty Tisdale and Helping and Loving Orphans (HALO)

2008-05-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

May 6, 2008

To: Board of Directors of HALO, Betty Tisdale, HALO Founder
Fr: Marnie Gustavson, Executive Director, PARSA

Re: Update on HALO’s contribution to PARSA

HALO has been contributing to PARSA for over four years. During my tenure as executive director, HALO has been contributing $1,000 a month toward our work with orphan children in Afghanistan. This steady support from HALO has allowed us to develop a groundbreaking program for orphans in the national orphanages. The money supports four Afghan staff members who work in our “Well being clinic” specifically on the “Healthy Afghan Child Program”. HALO has seen us through very difficult years as PARSA challenged the Ministry responsible for the welfare of the children. PARSA initiated an investigation into the practices of the Ministry staff, and the orphanage staff and their aberrant and neglectful care of the children.

This spring, based on the foundational contribution of HALO over the years, PARSA was awarded a contribution by the country of Iceland to pilot the first complete “Healthy Afghan Child Program” in Ghor province, with the orphan children and orphanage staff. Ministry staff is hoping that this program will be replicated around the country throughout the 32 national orphanages. Staff supported and developed throughout the last four years is now traveling to Ghor every two weeks to train the orphanage staff there.

At the same time, PARSA staff is working in Tai Maskan, and Alluhoddin orphanages in Kabul. Overall, PARSA is directly working with 900 children and over 100 Ministry staff. HALO’s steady contribution over the years is what has made this possible.

This year, during Betty Tisdale’s trip to Afghanistan, she identified a project that she committed HALO’s support for, called the “Center for Creative Abilities” (CCA). CCA is a vocational training center for specifically for disabled people and orphan children designed as a program that develops economic paths for marginalized people helping them to become economically independent. In the case of the children that PARSA works with institutionalized in national orphanages, there is no training available to them to develop them into income earners as adults. The tragic outcome of this is that orphans end up “institutionalized” or habitually dependent and are vulnerable to exploitation by adults in the criminal elements, or to Taliban influence as they mature and as they are sent out of the orphanage. Distant relatives will marry off girls who do not learn any job skill for a healthy sum, or by corrupt orphanage staff.

CCA is developing “earning paths” that can be taught to teenagers that will insure their ability to continue their education if they choose, as well as their economic independence. Additionally, PARSA is developing programs that can be transferred to the orphanage teaching staff, such a Camilla Barry’s science learning center. These types of programs will enrich the education of the children and support them in job skills trainings.

HALO has funded the renovation of the original “Depot” at Afghan Red Crescent Society for $12,000. This building will house training rooms for vocational skills training such as furniture painting, cosmetics making, products made of recycled materials such as the fuel bricks made of twigs and discarded paper. Additionally, there will be a science laboratory, and kitchen for orphans, as well as a library. PARSA plans on pioneering over 10 products that are from waste materials found in Afghanistan’s towns and cities.

Afghanistan’s challenge with its orphans is complex as most issues in Afghanistan. Yasin Farid, national director and I are in Ghor province working with our Healthy Afghan Child Program as I am writing this report. Yasin is starting to assess the problems that the children are facing. The cultural strength of Afghan families is that it is required that extended families assume responsibility of children with no parents. Unfortunately, the economic situation here makes this a heartbreaking situation as additional children added to a family means economic hardship.

Yasin was working with the teachers and children, demonstrating an hour and half “Life Skills” program and he noticed that a very dirty, forlorn child was observing him. He asked him if he was an orphan in the orphanage and he said, “No, my brother and I are orphans from Badghis province.” Yasin asked him why he wasn’t in the orphanage and the child said,” A man brought us here to work for him. In exchange for a place to sleep and food, we work for him and he sends us to beg. He takes all of our money so we can stay with him.”

There are over one million orphans in Afghanistan. 9000 have the opportunity to be educated in the orphanages. The problem is overwhelming but HALO has provided us with long-term support that has allowed us to grow and develop solutions for these problems that we are now implementing in partnership with the Afghan Ministry accountable. This is the kind of support that will make a difference to the future of Afghanistan. On behalf of PARSA I thank all of HALO’s donors and especially Betty Tisdale for her vision and commitment to these children.

PARSA Community Village Schools in Paghman-Cheryl Campbell

2008-04-21T00:37:00.000-07:00

I asked Cheryl Campbell to visit our Paghman programs and to report on them. Our funding for them through CRS has run out and we have been trying to decide whether to continue. Her is her report for me. Marnie

PARSA runs a programme in the sweet little village of Paghman, some 20 minutes towards the mountains from Kabul.

Girls and women have been being educated in the homes of the teachers, who were recruited at the inception of the programme 3 years ago. Before that, the village men prohibited women from engaging in formal study. Now they permit them an education, albeit with restrictions - they are allowed to go to a neighbour's home for the programme lessons. Not a school. Not just yet.
Every women wears a burqa out of doors.

One of the women teachers was married off at the age of 10 by an uncle to a 30 year old stranger from a distant village. He needed the money to pay off some debts he had, so he sold his unwitting niece. The formalities of the marriage were that he gave the man's family sweets, and together they fired a gun in the air. She was then formally and incontrivertably married, as per pashtoon custom. Neither she nor her parents even knew of the arrangement, and despite their protestations and grief, she was bundled off to this village hours and hours drive away to live with these strangers whom she had never met, to be wife before she had even reached puberty.
She recounts tales of the routine beatings she was subjected to for 5 or 6 years before they accepted her. The beatings were on account of her not knowing "how to be a wife properly".
Her mother died without ever seeing her lost daughter again. It has been 6 years this time since she last saw her family.
Her struggles and worries persist, though in different form now. Her daughter she fears, is at risk of being killed by her son-in-law who is a wealthy landowner but wants his wife's share of the legal ownership. She couldn't bear more than this one child, and so she adopted a relative's newborn baby boy, partly to ward off the likelihood that her husband would take another wife. Now she worries that the villagers will tell her boy that she is not really his mother. She cries as she talks. She has one eye which doesn't close and waters freely. She has to wipe both eyes now as she talks on and the tears pour forth.

Another teacher, Laila told me her story. When she was 13 years old, mujahideen raided her home accusing her father of collaborating with governmental factions. During their torment of him in order to get him to reveal his 'indiscretions', the brutalists shot her under the chin. The bullet exited her head under her opposite ear, and she managed to survive, after a long stay of recovery in the hospital.

In an unlikely second misadventure with gunfire, some years later she was shot 29 times by her enraged cousin after she intervened in a fight between him and her brother - both young recruits for the jihad and newly in charge of weaponry. She spent 2 and a half months in hospital this time recovering from wounds in her abdomen, thighs, wrist and arms, each wound she displays as she talks.

Teaching with the village education initiative has enabled these 2 women, and twenty?something besides, to have a life outside the confines of their homes. It has given them the chance to be able to contribute positively to their wider community and it also provides them with a salary, however trifling, with which they can buy such items as needle and thread without having to ask their husbands for the money.
Although teaching classes in both the mornings and afternoons mean they may have to work at nights to get all her housework done, the women I spoke with were insistent that the work contributes only positively to their lives.

Four men knocked on the door today requesting the chance for discussion of the future of the Accelerated Learning education programme. Three of them were teachers.
They spoke movingly about the importance that the schooling has for their community as a whole. They fervently hope that the programme will continue.
One of the men was young, and disabled. He wants the opportunity to work as a teacher should the classes continue. He hopes he can get the chance to give back to his people something of what he has himself has derived such benefit from - education.

The men also have a further hope - that there be another programme initiated. They want vocational training in their village as a way of moving towards developing sustainable small industries there. Specifically they would like to have carpet weaving, carpentry and tailoring classes made accessible to residents. They attest that the village people have roundly given their support for such a venture. (The village has set up a committee for education of which these visiting teachers are all participant members).
The Kuchi people of the district, they said, are unwilling to let their daughters go to school, for the school is too remote from their homes, but would have them join vocational training programmes in the bazaar.

It would be more than a disservice to allow the teaching programme to end. It would be a little tragedy.

We are putting together "Giving Groups" that will work to fundraise for these villages. We would like to find one "Giving Group" to sponsor each village. The cost per year will be $6K per village. This is working well in Hazarajat-we keep the "Giving Group" updated everytime we go up to do work and they are even considering coming here and working in the village. Let me know if you are interested in this kind of contribution! Marnie

From an outsider's perspective-By Cheryl Campbell

2008-04-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

Cheryl Campbell is a physiotherapist from New Zealand who has been volunteering and living at PARSA...in her own words-

"I have been in Kabul with PARSA for some 6 weeks, and still cannot get enough of the place. It is just so fascinating.
The people I work with, for “fierce, implacable, ruthless, savage, brutal” Afghanis as they're commonly described in the texts, are unerringly nice.
They each have a compelling story.
They tell me things like that they cannot marry the person they love because their family is unaccepting of their choice. That they met the person they were arranged to marry at their own engagement party when, some hours into the celebration they had to sit down next to their betrothed and 'meet' them by looking at them in a mirror. About their growing up as one of twelve children in this, one of the poorest countries in the world.  About their having multiple wives and the burden / responsibility that that entails. About the trials in getting a bride’s family to accept the price you have offered in marrying her – not so low that you offend their honour.
One day a group of women discussed with me the current dilemma of one of themselves. The woman has talked twice more by telephone now to a man she met briefly at a public exhibition. She is wondering if she should "marry with him". Her family are liberal and educated, so she gets to choose (or at least help choose) who she might want to marry.  I suggested she go for tea and cake with the guy first, before rushing headlong in. I said I'd be her companion. (Helpfully I don't speak Dari, so they could have a whole lot of private conversation). They all gasped and said no! that just wouldn't do. They have their values, you know. so there is no question of her fraternising with him as boyfriend/girlfriend. It is all or nothing... fiance or marriage-prospect reject.
It can seem a pretty desolate place when you get into the detail. Remarkably though, the spirit of the people beams out of each of them. They're unfailingly courteous and cheerful.
 In the beginning days of my stay, I went to a grand event for the promotion of women’s rights at which President Karzai spoke. Amongst other horrors he told how a 4 month old baby was recently sold to a 70 year old man as a wife, and how he has stepped in to try to prevent this type of thing which is reasonably prevalent in the remote, poorest areas.
The officials had seized on me as a horoji (foreigner) and had me sit with the ambassadors and ministers of the cabinet. I was wearing a coat made from a blanket that some aid organisation had given to PARSA and that the sewing women had thought could be satisfactorily re-constructed into an actual garment. I had thought that quite hilarious of them. I didn't know that I would be on telly with all the UN and government officials or I may not have chosen to look quite so bohemian.  The security was staggering. I went with 3 afghani women from here. we had to pass by four checkpoints where we got sniffed by bomb-sniffing dogs, frisked by women, our bags searched by soldiers. There were snipers on the rooftops all around us and helicopters hovering above. Luckily, I didn't look too progressive or threatening in my blanket-coat and they let me in.  
Here in the compound the predominant noises are muezzin (call to prayer), occasional helicopter rangers overhead and the police academy at target practice in the next door compound.   The broken people of the insane asylum are variously pacing patches of earth or gently rocking back and forth under a tree, for it is a fair-weather day in Kabul.
The dirty children play in the dirt, and the one-legged men lean on their crutches and look forlornly on.
Five or six tents of kuchi people (nomads) and all their animals are living for the spring season on the hills behind the compound, and shepherd their flocks of sheep and goats daily out to grazing grounds on the city's fringes. or rubbish dumps.

I spent a week in Bamiyan province a week or so back. PARSA headed out there to work towards opening a new school in the region. We hiked way up to a remote village in the mountains from the 4WD track-end. It snowed. we squatted on earthern floors of mud houses in negotiations with headmen, and potential teachers. Eventually the headmen agreed to our starting schools in their two (neighbouring) villages. Though in one village the girls won't attend because of a lack of a female teacher...

 The Bamiyan army soldiers whom I met and sat down with for some earl grey tea and solid homeland reminiscences, said that someone was mutilated by a mine just last week in one of the old tourist sites (the city of sighs, which is so-named because Genghis Khan and his marauding hordes made a vengence attack on the city back in history with the objective of killing every living thing there, sparing none). It is a fortress town built on a hillock - all ruins now and very melancholy.

We hiked up to a different impressive fort city built onto a cliffside promontory down the valley a little. I found a human skeleton. There were mine warnings all around it too (rocks painted red), and we came upon mine-esque bits of wire and bits of shiny metal at one particular point so had to skirt a long way around to get safely up to the site.

On the 10 hour trip back to Kabul, on an unpaved surface that shouldn't really qualify as a 'road' it's so rutty and scored, we passed huge long convoys of de-mining vehicles. the de-miners were out on the hillsides next to the road de-mining at various points. (It's never prudent to stray too far from the road verge on a toilet stop).
I hope the de-miners get to those tourist sites before tourists come back in numbers...

A few weeks ago I travelled up north to Mazar-i-Sharif. I went as a guest with an afghani organisation in kabul whom I had visited when first I arrived in the country. They work to provide orthotics and prosthetics, and I had been keen to learn what resources the country has to deal with the amputee patients. They were opening up a new health clinic in Mazar.
At the opening ceremony I was sat right in the front with the most pivotal people to the project. The speeches went on for 4 hours, in Dari which I do not understand. I was desperately trying to fend off somnolence because the TV cameras were insistently panning onto me, thinking I was someone of status. How awful it would have looked if I was looking bored or fell dribblingly to sleep. I had to try to be alert to pick out the Dari of when the speakers welcomed me specifically as 'honoured, esteemed guest' so I could nod and smile for the camera. It was a kind of torture.
 Toothbrushes were this week handed out to the kids at the hopelessly grey and awful government-run orphanage for older boys. The plumbing is not working, so the boys defecate outside. The smell in the dormitory is gag-inducing. They need the electrical system overhauled. (they have no electricity). There are no pictures on the walls and no carpet in the corridors. The classrooms are filthy and barren. But the boys are lovely. They want to learn and learn.    From time to time I sit in on the afternoon lesson for the mentally ill (the afghanis cheerfully call them "the crazy people classes"). Currently the focus is washing oneself with soap. There is a fair bit of repetition in these classes I note, and the students remain thoroughly unwashed, so I imagine they'll be persisted with for some time yet.
They have started on their gardening project. Yesterday they weeded and started planting out the volleyball court in carrots... 
I was invited to go to an afghani family's home for dinner the other night. It was a looong saga of going to the aunt's for snacks and tea, then to another relative's for more snacks and tea, then finally - the climax - a big feast of kabuli pilau (rice cooked with carrot, raisins and meat) and meat and leek-filled bread with about 15-20 family members all eating together down on the floor. First though, before the feasting, Hamid's wife, bless her misguided heart, sat me down in front of the whole extended family and painted me in the most garish and god-awful make-up. complete with glitter applied by the fistful. I felt for the rest of the night like a cheap clown. It was so nice of her, but terribly humiliating for me also.    Earlier in the week, a group of International security force soldiers wanted to see around one of the orphanages we have some involvement in, and Mohsin and I were assigned to take them. We had to meet them in their compound first (at 0800 hours and after succumbing to a thorough frisking each) for a full briefing - to map out the exact route we would take getting there and back, to learn the radio password, get the alerts on nearest hospital and know precisely what to do in the event of an attack on our convoy, what to be vigilant for in case of suspicious tailing vehicles etc.   The commander then barked "action's on!" (I'm not telling lies) and the soldiers turned to a bench to briskly load their humungous machine guns and stash loads of ammo into their vest pouches, then leapt into their protected vehicles each with body armour and ballistic glasses and helmet on. Meanwhile I climbed unremarkably into our tinky little van with Mohsin and our driver, and put my scarf over my head (the limits to my own personal maximum protection plan). And as a focussed unit we burst enthusiastically out of the compound to charge through Kabul in convoy, me spectacularly obvious as the best target choice by anyone keen to diss us.  I rather prefer travelling out of convoy, thank you just fine.
After-all, that is what I love most about working with PARSA - the unglamourised engagedness of the experience. I feel like I have had a chance to see some parts of afghanistan from an un-veneered perspective (as compared to what must be the case when one has a security cordon in situ). It can't be the real thing just yet, as restrictions on foreigners still prevail because of the safety threats that remain, but this is as close to afghan living as foreigners might realistically get at the moment.
Thank you Marnie and PARSA for that."

PARSA's trip to Bamyan and Jawzjareen..

2008-04-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

This is our dining room in our offices and residence in Bamyan. Our PARSA team was lucky enough to be joined by Camilla Barry, her son Nicholas (reading) and photojournalist Ginna Fleming. Camilla is a San Francisco based science teacher that routinely travels to Afghanistan to teach teachers scientific inquiry and working with simple experiments she teaches people to think. She and Nicholas have been working on PARSA projects for the last two weeks and we are very appreciative of all they have done. Ginna is the genius behind the pictures shown here and generously is letting us use them. Cheryl Campbell, a physiotherapist from New Zealand, has been visiting for two months helping in our physiotherapy clinic. She will work with Yasin to formulate a project for developing physiotherapists in Bamyan as there are no physiotherapy services currently.

Thank you to our Northwest group of teachers who are sponsoring this project!!!!!

Program Update for the Jawzareen Funding Team;
Yasin, PARSA national director ,traveled to Bamyan last week to begin the process of setting up the school. We begin the process with one of our senior staff members meeting with the village “shura” or elders. They recommended villagers to be hired by PARSA to teach the literacy courses and Early Childhood Development Courses. Yasin took up testing materials for the teachers so we can select appropriately. Many of the candidates are quite young and have been schooled in Pakistan. We have an excellent candidate for the literacy course for women.
The village elders selected a home to start the literacy courses in for the women. We will be using that until summer when we can negotiate with the villagers for land that will be donated to the project and then we will work with them to build a two room school house in a central location. We are being careful to include everyone interested to insure that the villagers develop “ownership” of the project and contribute as much as they can to the process.
Next Steps:
In this next month I will be traveling to Jawzareen with our teacher trainer, Naheed and our economic director, Palwasha to hire and train the teachers and to set up our economic program. We will select 28 women to be in our program and over 60 children in two locations for our Early Childhood Program. Classes will start as soon as we hire the teachers and distribute the school supplies.
We already have some women quilting for us, and doing a great job but we will be taking up a number of projects for the women in the program to work on as a start to the economic component.

May/June we will have land donated and begin work on our school and women’s Garden.

"A Safe Place"-Rehabilitation for the Chronically Mentally Ill

2008-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today we start our rehabilitation program with eight women from the "Deawana Khana Zan" which loosely translates to "The Women's Crazy House". The understanding of mental illness has a ways to go here for a more politically correct name. We like to call it "The Safe Place".

Below is a bit of writing I did about it last year:Marnie Gustavson June 2007
PARSA moved into our newly renovated building about four weeks ago, and my staff greeted the residents as if they were old friends. In fact, when Mary MacMakin, the founder of PARSA, started her work in Kabul PARSA worked at Maristoon also. Yasin, our national director, is a physiotherapist and he found some of his old patients still residing at Maristoon. There hasn’t been much of a turnover here in this, last place of safety for the disabled in Kabul. I stood at the door of one of the many buildings that make up the Maristoon and realized it was a house that makes few Afghans want to come into Maristoon. It has many names but the most common is the “crazy women’s” house. Fatima Gailani, president of ARCS, told me that one of the reasons that she took the job of being president of this agency was to somehow make a difference for these women. During the wars, soldiers would come to this house and commit unimaginable violations. Fatima told me that she has been able to keep them safe but no more. For four weeks I worked with my husband, a clinical psychologist, and director of American Friends Service Committee, my staff and the ARCS doctors and medical staff to assess the women inside and come up with medical therapy that could do more than merely sedate them. For years the illiterate attendants had been giving them a sedating anti-convulsent simply to control their behavior. As a result of our new plans these medications had been taken away so that they could be started on medication more likely to help them.

My staff member, Salia had been chosen by our ARCS/PARSA team to dispense medications for the next month while the medical team “titrated” the medication so that it worked for the patients. Salia and I faced a thin, angry female attendant; arms crossed who was refusing us entry. She was throwing time honored Afghan curses on our heads, and telling us that Allah would punish us for us for distressing her-a widow. Behind her I could hear shrieks, wailing and the breaking of glass. We had had a tough few days removing all previous medications from the attendants and it was imperative that Salia and I begin the new medication therapy so that the attendants could control the inmates. I called the supervisor, the supervisor’s supervisor and finally Fatima to gain entry as the attendant was simply doing what she had been trained to-protect her women. Any change in routine was highly suspect especially by a foreign agency. Three hours later, we finally walked through the doors, and as inured as I am to suffering I realized I had been avoiding visiting this house with its chaos of human minds gone awry. Salia, very comfortable with these women professionally set about medicating them. The attendants were affectionate also but had various tough methods of restraining the agitated ones. A number of the women were naked, talking to themselves in a language that only they can understand. But the images from this first visit there still haunt me. Salia and I and the attendant walked out to the courtyard to the far back corner where the attendant took out a key and unlocked a door. Into the doorway stepped a beautiful, unclothed young woman, with startling blue eyes and long black hair. She stared at us, took her medication and juice and the retreated back into the dark hole that was her room and the attendant closed and locked the door after her. Two months ago, she had bitten off another inmates lip and now this dark room is her life.

My husband says that we may experience some “miracles” with our new therapy because they have never been treated. Salia and the ARCS attendants are beginning to add “activities”. Salia has designed a pretty uniform with Velcro fastening for the inmates that feel compelled to rip off their clothing from time to time. We collect small gifts for the attendants and try to make their work easier. This has to be one of the darkest most unconfrontable corners of Afghanistan. We hope that if we can change something in the quality of these women’s lives, it will provide inspiration for other changes, giving hope to the Maristoon residents, and the Maristoon staff-so many who have worked for so long during the impossible conditions of the wars. We hope to support Fatima Gailani’s vision of a compassionate social protection program- Afghans caring for Afghans.

Bamyan and the Community Village School

2008-04-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we send up a crew to start our Community Village School in Bamyan-it has been funded by a wonderful group of school teachers in Seattle. The following is a story about how this project came to be:

The Village of Jawzjareen “The Village of Golden Oats”

Last fall I was traveling through Bamyan province on a survey project and on my day off, my translator, Hassina and I decided to tour up a valley that was recommended to us, near Bamyan City. We stopped our car at the point the road ran out and started up the valley on foot. Halfway up the pathway we encountered two little girls, and a donkey carrying 200 pounds of flour, stopped in the middle of the path. The girls were tugging, pulling and beating the donkey that was not to be persuaded to move one inch. Upon examination we discovered the donkey was very sick. Reluctantly, I decided to get involved and sent Hassina up the hill to find another donkey. We unloaded the sick one and waited for Hassina to get back. I asked them where their parents were. The older girl said “ Our father was killed by Taliban, and we live with our mother and two other sisters at the top of the valley by ourselves. Our brother is a sheepherder high in the mountains and we are able to live because of him.”

Hassina arrived with the other donkey and a young boy; we loaded up the donkey and walked up the mountainside, stopping at our benefactor’s house for tea. I decided at this point to continue on up with the donkey to see where these two little girls lived. Discussion over tea with the Afghan man about the community situation revealed that about 60% of the families were trying to support widows, war victims and orphans. I asked if the girl children were able to attend the public school 2 kilometers down the valley and he just laughed. Of course! He said, but they are needed by the mother to do the work of the house and to tend the animal’s -if there was time for them to go-they had no male relative to escort them!

After tea this gentleman escorted me up the mountain introducing me to various families, giving me an account of the people of his village. A father without legs from a war wound struggling to support his family, a fourteen year old girl taking care of six siblings living in the ruins of a house-both parents dead from the war, a man caring for his own family and three widows with their children-his three brothers dead from the war. I was very moved as I walked through this village, not by pity but by pride in these people as they struggle after such loss to care for one another.
At the very, very top of this community was a little tiny house. We panted our way up to meet two beautiful older sisters of my two little girls. They ran to get their mother, who was younger than I but looked twenty years older-a no-nonsense, snuff eating, hard working woman who was astonished to see me show up on her front door. As I sat with these women my resolve to work in the Hazarajat crystallized and I promised to come back in the spring with a program and work for the women. Hassina and I distributed what money we had with us to the poorest women, which is something I just do not do here any more. I did it that day because I was so present to the imminent harshness of approaching winter and so impressed by the sweet strength of these families.

Descending the valley, Hassina and I extracted a promise from the leader of the shura for land and a place to make a community garden.

Last month I returned to Jawzjareen with my son, Colin with a sun oven donated by the New Hudson Foundation. The little girls, faces so hardened by work and responsibility had a smile for me. Bibijan, the hard bitten mother looked at me as if I was nuts, bringing her this contraption as well as showing up to keep my promises to her. (The sun oven reduces their work by hours everyday as well as expense) We spent a leisurely afternoon, learning about the sun oven, discussing plans for the Community Village and the garden, negotiating with the shura leader for land to build. I told Bibijan that it was her responsibility to learn the sun oven so she can teach others when I came back. She noted that I was putting a lot of responsibility on her. I agreed with no apology. The two older girls drew me aside to ask me for face cream. They addressed me as ‘auntie” and as “auntie” I answered…”Help your mother figure out how to use the oven and I will teach you to make face cream, and you will go to school!” Jawzjareen is now part of our work, our community, and our family. We have begun it together. Our first Community Village School.
Marnie Gustavson, Executive Director, Spring 2007

On Our Work in the Orphanages

2008-03-07T00:28:00.000-08:00

Marnie Gustavson:
A Friend to Afghan Women and Children
by Colin Hume

I sat behind her, a middle-aged American woman, in a conference room at the Ministry of Martyred and Disabled in Kabul, Afghanistan. I was amazed at the poise and confidence with which she addressed the Afghan officials and leaders of several important international organizations who were sitting before her. This remarkable meeting had been coordinated by Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Support for Afghanistan (PARSA), for which Marnie Gustavson serves as executive director. The importance of the day’s topic, conditions in the government-run orphanages across the country, was not lost on any of the attending Afghans and internationals. Gustavson’s focus was on the living conditions in the national orphanages where more than 8,000 children live. She was trying to get the children the care they deserve. And she was putting her professional reputation on the line.

A social worker and Seattle native, Marnie Gustavson has been working in Afghanistan since 2003, following the fall of the Taliban, and living there with her husband, Dr. Norman Gustavson, since 2004. After starting an educational and well-being program in the large Alluhoddin orphanage in Kabul the previous fall, Gustavson and her Afghan staff members found conditions so upsetting that they began a movement to overhaul the inner-workings of government-run orphanages.

This day’s meeting was presided over by the deputy minister of Martyred and Disabled. In attendance were leaders of at least five other domestic and international organizations that work with orphans, including Save the Children and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). The meeting came about in response to the circulation of a report Gustavson had written which detailed what she and her PARSA staff members had found in their six months of working in Alluhoddin. The conditions described in the report were distressing: inadequate access to hygienic facilities and medical treatment, allegations of abuse by staff members, and a lack of night-time supervisors in girls’ dorms were just a few. Once circulated, the report and the conditions described in it could no longer be ignored by Afghan officials.

The report achieved exactly what Gustavson wanted: A hearing before the ministry. After officially welcoming the meeting attendees in English, her colleague Mahbouba Seraj presented the findings of the report in Dari. Seraj is the once-exiled granddaughter of King Habibullah, a progressive Afghan king who reigned at the turn of the century, and her presence lent weight to the findings. Finally, Gustavson and Seraj acknowledged that the report was unofficial, but that the findings warranted further investigation by the ministry. They asked that a committee comprising domestic and international representatives already working in the country’s orphanages be formed to preside over an official investigation into government-run homes for children across the country. And they wanted continued oversight by this same committee to ensure long-lasting systemic changes.

After listening to supporting statements by other representatives in attendance, the presiding minister acknowledged the report. He agreed to the recommendations and promised to form a committee. He then went on the defensive and began attacking the allegations that had been made, calling into question the integrity of Gustavson’s organization. He stated that as PARSA had not been given permission to write a report, the problems documented had no concrete basis.

After listening for 15 minutes, Gustavson interjected. She stood up and stated that the meeting had begun to turn in the wrong direction. She was unwilling to defend the work of her organization or the veracity of the report, as it would shift the meeting’s focus. She thanked the deputy minister for agreeing to the formation of a committee to undertake an official investigation into the conditions of the government-run orphanages. She stated that she expected the minister to abide by his word and with that, walked out of the meeting.

As I followed Gustavson out of the conference room, accompanied by her husband and Mahbouba Seraj, I looked back to see the stunned faces of the deputy minister and other Afghan officials. Though not diplomatic, Gustavson had certainly made her point. As we found out later, the report she had circulated almost got her expelled from Afghanistan for the stir it raised. I had never felt more proud of my mother. It was the spring of 2007 and I had just arrived in Kabul for a month-long visit with her and my stepfather.

Gustavson’s love of Afghanistan stems from the four years she spent there as a child from 1964 to 1968, during the “Golden Years” of relative calm in that historically turbulent country. Her father, looking for adventure, had packed up his wife, three daughters and cat, and accepted a teaching position there. “As a child, Afghanistan was wonderful, mostly because there was such a sense of community and relationship with Afghans and other internationals,” she recalls. “We made our own entertainment, and I enjoyed a wonderful childhood of adventure and learning in an amazing culture. I still enjoy living here because of the sense of close relationship with people that we don’t have in our own culture.” The experience shaped each member of the family in lasting ways. Exposure to the lives of the truly poor and vulnerable at such a young age clearly left an impression on the 9-year-old Gustavson, who has since spent much of her adult life as a social worker in Seattle.

Married with two children by age 25, Gustavson began her social work career in her early thirties in Seattle, becoming the executive director of the “youth at risk” program Steps Ahead at Rainier Beach High School. In 1991, she cofounded Washington Works, an organization that specialized in helping welfare mothers transition back into the workforce. In 1996 she cofounded Creative Economic Opportunities, which focused on helping the most “hard-to-serve” people, including addicts, the mentally ill, teenage mothers and the developmentally disabled integrate into their communities and find employment.

It was not until the Taliban regime fell that Gustavson fixed her attention on Afghanistan. The living conditions of women and their children are especially important to her. Since returning to Afghanistan she has worked for a number of organizations, including Refugee Women in Development and Equal Access Radio. At the helm of PARSA, she directs work on issues such as the development of economic capacities for widows, education for women, as well as physiotherapy and rehabilitation of war wounds.

In a report on the conditions of the Alluhoddin orphanage as of this fall, Gustavson had this to say: “….we made a difference in Alluhoddin ... you wouldn’t recognize the place ... kids are clean, have uniforms, TV in every room, kitchen brand-new ... some toilets work ... “
People always ask my mother why she has chosen such a difficult place to work. Her response is, “In spite of how hard it is in Afghanistan ... I believe in the Afghan people and their ability to make their country right ... and my work reflects that. Most people just go around the Afghan government. I challenge them because I want Afghans to run this country well ... and I believe they will do it ... and last week that man I walked out on invited us back to work in the orphanages ... we are now good working partners.”

For more information about PARSA, visit www.afghanistan-parsa.org.

Colin Francis Hume has volunteered in Russia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan and has been a wildlife researcher for various government agencies in the U.S. He is also a top-ranked snowboard instructor

2007-09-05T01:34:00.000-07:00

Visits to Maristoon’s area

I visited Maristoon area twice where Parsa’s office is situated. It is a beautiful green place. The area is situated at the foot of a hill.
In this place poor and needy families live with help of Afghan red cresent society.

In Maristoon children are more comfortable. The cause is that they live with their families.

The other good thing is that in Maristoon, children can attend local schools outside of the Maristoon area and this helps them not to feel themselves different from the others, they can also visit their relatives by taking permission.

The most important factor is that Maristoon’s area is too green, clean with really fresh air and I think if the environment is clean and calm people can be less stressed.

I also don’t say that there are not any problems THERE ARE.

The main problem is that the families can’t live here forever as the children of the families grow they have to find work and have to move from here. But I think there is a solution because the families have the chance to educate their children. And the
education can brings happiness and good fortune to a nation.

Maristoon's stories

2007-08-24T01:10:00.001-07:00

My name is Mary. I am 6 years old. My father’s name is Abdul Mohed. At the time of civil war our house was bombed by an airplane and my father became disabled. My mother was injured too and my grand mother died. People took my mother to the hospital but they didn’t know that my father was injured badly than my mother. My mother was admitted in the hospital for 3 months and I and my brothers and sister were at our uncle’s home. After my mother came home we went to Pakistan. We had a very hard time there. So we came back to our village in Tagab. But the life was difficult here than Pakistan. Then people told us about the Maristoon. After three and four months we came to live in the Maristoon. It is good to live here because we have enough food to eat and a good place to live. The good thing is that I go to school here and I am in 3rd grade. After school I like to help my sister in house work.

I am Shah Khanom. My father’s name is Mohammad Zaher. I am 8 years old and I study in second grade. Twenty or twenty five years ago my father was disabled by a land mine and he married my mother who is mentally ill. My father took a shop and sold things. But during civil war our shop and house both were destroyed. So my father applied for living in the Maristoon and after some time we got the chance to live here. We are happy to live here because it is better than nothing.

My name is Khan Wali. I am 13 years old and I study in 5th grade. I have the third position in the class. My father’s name is Abdul Mohed. At the time of civil war our house was bombed by an airplane and my father became disabled. My mother was injured too and my grand mother died. People took my mother to the hospital but they didn’t know that my father was injured badly than my mother. My mother was admitted in the hospital for 3 months after she came home she took us to Pakistan. After spending a poor life there we came back to Afghanistan. Here we tried really hard to get the permission of living in the Maristoon. Now at the Maristoon we are happy but my father’s health is getting worse day by day. I wish for a day that we will have our own home and that my father become well again. I wish to be a doctor to help the needy people like us in the future.

Maristoon's stories

2007-08-24T01:10:00.000-07:00

I am Rahmatullah, and I am 8 years old. My father’s name is Zaro khan. Many years ago my father’s car was crashed by a land mine and he became disabled. So we came to live with our uncle. He was a poor man so he couldn’t afford to keep us. That is why my father worked at a water mill. Though he was disabled but he worked hard to feed us. After some time, drought came and my father was not able to work at the mill so we moved to Kabul. In Kabul my father took wheel borrow and sold small equipments. It was not a good work and our problems were increasing day by day. One day my uncle came and told my mother about the Maristoon. During taliban’s regime we came to Maristoon. It’s good to live here. I go to school too; I am in 3rd grade I wish to be a doctor so that I can help the sick and needy people.

I am Nazia. I am 6 years old. My father’s name is Yar Mohammad. We lived in Kandahar years ago. My aunt’s father in law died and they blamed my father for the death of him. So my father was put into prison for two years and because we were left with our mother and she was pregnant too and we didn’t have any place to go so we came to live in a prison with my mother .My sister was born in the prison. After living one year at the prison we start to live in Kandahar’s Maristoon. Then we came to know that our father was transferred to Kabul that is why we came to Kabul’s Maristoon. My mother visits my father at the Prison but it has been five years since he is in jail though his penalty was for two years but we can’t do anything because we don’t have enough money to release him. Now I go to the school and I want to be a teacher.

My name is Niaz mohammad. My father’s name is Yar Mohammad. I am 8 years old and I am in 1st grade. My father was put in jail because he was blamed for my aunt’s father in law’s death. Then we came to live at a prison with our mother where my mother born my sisters. After knowing that my father was transferred to Kabul we came to Kabul too. Even after spending five years in the prison my father is still not released. I wish for a day that my father will come back home. And we start the happy life once again.

My name is Jan Sayed. My father’s name is Obaidullah. I’m 7 years old. Many years ago my father became sick of stomach’s cancer and we took him to Pakistan. After coming from Pakistan my Uncle told my mother not to waste your money on your husband because he is going to die in ten days. And my father died after ten days. I have three brothers and two sisters. After we were left alone my uncles tried to take us to the Maristoon and they brought us here. I go to school here and I want to be a teacher so that I can teach people and make doctors and engineers out of them.

My name is Hanifullah. My father’s name is Obaidullah. I’m 8 years old. Many years ago my father became sick and we took him to Pakistan. After coming from Pakistan my Uncle told my mother not to waste your money on your husband because he is going to die in ten days. And my father died after ten days. I have three brothers and two sisters I go to school here in the Maristoon I want to be teacher like my brother. And I like to live here always

Maristoon's children-Anoosha

2007-08-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

My name is Farzana and I am 12 years. My father was drug addict that is why my mother divorced him and went away with her brother. She wanted to take me and my sister with herself and my father also allowed us ,but my uncle’s wife didn’t agree she said if me and my sister live with her, she will divorce her husband. So we were left with our father. Shortly after my mother left, my father also died. We started to live with our uncle his wife and their three children. After sometime my uncle was lost and we didn’t know where he was. We didn’t know where to go and what to do, that is why my uncle’s wife worked to feed us, and we waited for one year till we came to the Maristoon. This is a good place to live but the problem is that we can’t go outside the Maristoon’s area without permission. I wish to be a Journalist so that I would live a better life.

My name is Marina. I am 12 years old. I have three sisters and a brother. My father died many years ago and we were left with our mother. We came to live with our uncle. My uncle’s family was not happy to have us at their home because they were very poor and couldn’t keep us and feed us. Then my mother start working as a cleaner, till we had the chance to live at the Maristoon. We are happy here because we have home and food. I want to study hard to have a bright future.

I am Zohra and I am 12 years old. At first my father didn’t worked but then he got a job of keeping animals, though he was disabled but still he worked hard, till he got TB from working with the animals and died of it. My mother was disabled too so we came to live with our aunt. My aunt was a teacher at the Maristoon she tried to take us to Maristoon. We came here after one year. .
I go to school here and I am in 6th grade. I got the first position in my class and I want to be a doctor in the future.

Anoosha's weekly letter....

2007-06-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

My opinion about the letter exchanging process

Through last months I have been exchanging letters between American children and Afghan orphans which is one of the most experiencing works in my life. I came to know through this process that what these children think. Many of them really do care about others happiness. For example in her letter Carly said to her pen pal “always remember that there is hope for you in life and that you are being heard by people”. Even Blake a 12 year old American girl said to her 8 year old pen pal Shabana “I think what we can really do about the war in Iraq to stop killing and to make our point” . Sally because of a problem she couldn’t get her pen pal’s mails so she was really worried and she said in her letter to her pen pal” I couldn’t write because of a problem; don’t think that I am not interested in writing to you.” This means that these children really do care about others happiness.

When I read letters to the orphans they listen carefully and think how different things are in the U.S and Afghanistan and how the American children have lots of opportunities in life. As one of the kids Jone said in his letter. ” I really don’t know what I wish to be in the future because there are lots of possibilities in life.”

I think that exchanging letters is one of the ways to exchange thoughts, ideas and imaginations with which we can promote the orphans to think about themselves and the others and how to use opportunities in life so that they can be assure of a secure future.

Anoosha Wahidi
Kabul, June 2007

Alluhoddin Orphanage -Colin's Journal

2007-06-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

Other journal entries by Colin about his visit here are posted at www.marniegustavson.blogspot.com..5/16/07
Yesterday’s big adventure was a visit to the Allahoudin orphanage in Kabul. This is the orphanage that the staff of PARSA has been working with for the past eight months. It is because of the conditions found here that we had a meeting earlier with the deputy minister in charge of Martyrs and Social Affairs, along with several other international NGOs in the first week of my trip. PARSA staff, with my mother at the helm had “blown the whistle” on the conditions at the orphanage, inciting a larger investigation into these homes in Kabul and throughout the rest of the country. I was curious to see first-hand what these poor children are dealing with.
When we arrived the PARSA Well-Being staff headed off to start their children’s program of health education and yoga with the boys that has been going on for a while. Yasin, my mother and I toured around the common area and the boy’s dormitories with a woman from the European Commission, who was here to see first-hand the conditions of the orphanage. The European Commission is in control of 30 million euros in donations to Afghan social causes. This woman will be presenting her findings and could possibly recommend that use the information gained here to leverage the ministry in acting swiftly and concisely on the recommendations of the recently formed committee investigating conditions throughout the country. The dispersal of this funding could be conditional and tied to the ministry acting on the recommendations of the committee formed to investigate the problems. This is potentially the leverage that my mom has needed, helping to legitimize PARSAs role in the matter as the initiating voice for systemic, long-lasting change.
As we toured through and our presence became known I could see the children running through their rooms straitening up their beds and making it look nice. There looked to be fresh new sheets on all of the beds, which Yasin said was a very recent change. He commented that it appears that the pressure they had put on the minister had started to pay-off a little. On the surface things looked to be in better order, much nicer than previously described. To me it seems like the orphanage staff are trying put a cleaner face on the problem, yet Yasin and I agree that it doesn’t matter if they are doing so just to try and keep their jobs, as long as the children are getting the care they need we are happy, this is why PARSA is working so hard. However, the smell of dirty bodies and unclean facilities permeates the buildings. It’s much harder to disguise these things and this tells the real story of the orphanage. I could see this is what the woman from the European Commission was overwhelmed with. She has seen many orphanages and probably knows what to look for, it’s hard to cover up certain basic needs going unmet.
At one point we stopped in and observed what the PARSA staff were doing in their program. It started with some discussion on basic hygiene; washing hands, brushing teeth, covering your mouth when you cough etc.. The children would be asked a question and given turns to answer. They very proudly stood up and presented what they knew on the topic at hand, obviously loving the attention and commendation this brought. The program then continued with some basic yoga presented by a new PARSA staff member, an Afghan American named Molly. She was a Yoga teacher in the States and has a Masters in education. She has great ideas and will be a great contribution of knowledge to PARSA. She has developed a children’s yoga program that will probably bring good benefit to the kids here. At first the boys were a little “squirrelly” and self conscious about the class, but as it went on they became more centered and serious about trying to do the moves right. They were obviously having great fun, despite any initial embarrassment. My presence with the camera was contributing to the embarrassment so I didn’t stay long.
As I exited the room I came out into the dark hallway where Yasin, mom and the woman from the EC were talking with about 15 little boys. She was asking questions such as, “when was the last time you were allowed to bathe? how do you like it here?”. The boys had no problem voicing their complaints, though they said that the staff had threatened to “kill” them if they did so. I’m not sure if this was a literal threat, an exaggeration by the boys or a misinterpretation of a phrase, but the intent by the staff was clear. The kids were not to talk of their problems to outsiders anymore. They said they weren’t afraid of this, likely because they have learned they have support from outsiders that will watch out for them. Several had medical problems that were unattended to, one boy had blood in his urine, and several had foot problems. When asked about the last time they bathed they said that the shower facilities were now working, but when they had requested access from the staff they had been denied. The boys said the last time they had bathed was when it had snowed (months earlier). I could see myself, when entering the compound that children were using the water pump in the middle of the courtyard to wash themselves, though obviously not completely, or with soap. . There was laundry hanging off of playground equipment in the courtyard and girls washing clothes in the shade of slides, apparently they still have to do this themselves. Hopefully they are not still being forced to do the boys laundry as had been previously discovered.
I kept watching the EC consultants reactions and could tell she was distressed. I had at first thought she might be duped by the tidiness of the rooms and clean sheets on the beds, thinking that all was well. But in conversation afterwards she was more appalled at the conditions than I was. Again, you can’t cover up the smell, or ignore the complaints of the young boys we talked to. Despite the small changes there are so many more needed. The buildings themselves look terrible, the outsides and all the rooms need re-painting. Though there are more pressing needs, I believe this to be important too. It is crucial to a child’s feeling of self-worth to be in a place that is comfortable and looks nice. When this is the case they valued, that people care about them and what happens to them. This is especially important to a child with no family.
These children deserve to be treated well. I was not allowed to visit the girl’s dormitory so most of my interactions were with the boys. They were gregarious and fun. They loved having their picture taken and getting to see themselves on my camera. They jumped around, walking on their hands performing all sorts of acrobatics. They started getting more adventuresome, jumping off beds and I started to worry they would hurt themselves so stopped taking pictures of them. Instead I tried talked with them, they loved displaying all the English words they knew.
Today some breakthroughs were made. Enough pressure has been put on the minister that he is apparently starting to enact some changes, even without the Committee’s report. The National director of the orphanages has been moved into the orphanage to intervene and monitor the goings-on more directly and to begin implementing what changes can be made immediately.
I watched a conversation with Yasin yesterday with one of the supervisors of the orphanage where she told him that she didn’t want PARSA to be in the orphanage. Yasin stated that it didn’t matter if she forced PARSA out of the orphanage, he is a citizen of Afghanistan and will himself fight to improve conditions for the needy children of his country. He was not going to go away. She in the end agreed to continue to allow PARSA access to the orphanage. It is my opinion that if this supervisor continues resisting outside intervention and help she would eventually lose her job, there is too much momentum for change at this point, too many people know about the problems. If she embraces the outside help and works hard to become part of the solution, she will retain her position and will likely be a very positive contribution. Though I have not met with her directly, she appears to be a strong woman. It’s better to have her on your side than to fight against her.
It appears that through all of the difficulties, positive change is beginning to occur, at least in the Allahoudin orphanage. This is only the start of what is needed, but it’s something. I am so proud of my mother, Mabouba and PARSA staff for taking the problem to the Ministry and not relenting, despite what was at times strong opposition. Though a small organization they have gathered enough international pressure to start things rolling in the right direction. At the heart of it, through all the political wrangling, everyone really does want the children to be well taken care of. But first people had to admit there was a problem. Bureaucrats, afraid of losing face, and likely their jobs were resistant to do this, but forced to in the end. It is a testament to what power a small grass-roots organization of concerned people can have when they are invested in making a difference.

Honoring an Afghan Leader--by Mahbouba Seraj

2007-06-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Afghan woman radio head shot dead
A female owner of a radio station in Afghanistan has been shot dead.

Mahbouba:
I met her a month ago in Jabal-Seraj ( north of Kabul in the Shamali plains, Parwan Province) a very beautiful area of Afghanistan, green and gorgeous. She was an amazing lady she had so much light and beauty about her, strong , kind and full of laughter and energy. I first heard her radio station broadcasting great programs in the Kohband District of Kapisa Province, the name of her radio station is "Radio Peace" a great station, with wonderful programs.

She is originally from Badakshan Province, she came to Jabal-Seraj and got married there. She has 7 children. All of her life all she has done is work for the women and the people of this country, getting their voices and concerns out to the community and authority, all she ever has done was to love Afghanistan and like so many other courageous women of this country she loses her life for it. It is so unnecessary it is such a waste and it is so so SAD.

I don't know what to do about this yet, but I know one thing : we should do everything in our power as the women of this country and the world to stop this. The people who have done this should be brought to justice, we can't be indifferent about this, they are killing all of us, anyone who wants to do something for the good of these people gets punished by loosing their lives. This is not acceptable this is wrong, we should not let Zakia's death go unnoticed and her Shahadat in vein. We need these women, Afghanistan needs them, we should not allow some ignorant tugs whoever they are kill them, just because they can, and because there is no justice in this corrupt system and they know they can get away with it.

I am so sad and so angry....

My heart is breaking , all I can do at the moment is to pray......

Mahbouba Sera

An account of her death From BBC News...

Daughters and relatives of Ms Zaki weep by her coffin

Zakia Zaki was shot seven times, including in the chest and head, as she slept with her 20-month-old son at her home north of Kabul, officials say.

The governor of Parvan province, where the attack took place, told the BBC he did not know who killed her. No one has admitted carrying out the attack.

Her murder came just days after a woman newsreader was killed for reasons which were described as "family-related".

'Act of terror'

The Parvan governor, Abdul Jabbar Taqwa, visited the scene of the killing in the town of Jabal as Siraj, about 70km (40 miles) north of the capital.

Ms Zaki (centre) was a rare female voice in Afghanistan

He said the attackers were three men armed with pistols and rifles, who broke into Ms Zaki's house and got into the bedroom.

An older son, aged three, was with her at the time of the attack, but none of her six children was injured.

The Interior Ministry condemned what it called "this act of terror" and said it was trying to track down the perpetrators.

Zakia Zaki, was 35 years old and worked as a reporter and a schoolteacher.

She was one of the few female journalists in the country to speak out during the Taleban's rule.

She had also headed the US-funded station, Radio Peace, since it opened after the fall of the Taleban in 2001.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul says that at times Ms Zaki criticised the former mujahideen, some of who have been implicated in war crimes.

Observers say that the motive behind the murder is far from clear, and a massive police operation is now underway to identify and arrest the killers.

'Freedom of expression'

Zakia Zaki started her radio career eight years ago. At the time Parvan province was one of the few areas in the country to be controlled by anti-Taleban forces.

New hopes of Afghan media

The Independent Association of Afghan Journalists has condemned the murder, describing it as an example of how difficult the working environment has become for journalists and especially for women.

"She believed in freedom of expression, that's why she was killed," the association's head Rahimullah Samander told Reuters.

The group said she had received threats in the past but had no personal enemies.

The killing comes six days after the shooting dead of another Afghan woman working in journalism, a 22-year-old newsreader from a private television station, Shakiba Sanga Amaj.

According to senior police sources in Kabul, her father has blamed two male relatives and one person has been arrested.

Freedom of Speech

2007-06-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

We all know that human beings both men and women have equal rights. Every body should have the right to free speech and to reflect their ideas and thoughts.
We should pay respect to the opinions of people from different walks of life. Every body should feel free to say and to share their ideas with the people of a society because the thoughts and ideas of different people can promise the world a brighter future.
.
We should not feel sad or angry if anybody shows us our mistakes and weaknesses that we have but instead we should listen to them carefully and should try to improve our selves.

We should start it from our own selves we must not wait for somebody else to star. If we promise to change our selves if we have any weakness then we can be assure of a brighter future.
Therefore we have to promote freedom of speech from childhood so that the children have the right to express their feelings freely. Afghan youths can play an important role to promote the freedom of speech with the help of civilized societies.

Opening of New PARSA Office-by Anoosha

2007-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last week on a beautiful sunny morning a happy group of people comprising of Afghans and expatriates took part in the opening ceremony of the new PARSA Office in Kabul. People from different walks of life were invited for the opening ceremony. After a couple of PARSA staff members delivered their speeches on the occasion, I was also asked to talk about my pen pal project. I read a letter from an orphan by the name of Gulmina and a letter from her pen pal called Jill. We have learnt many lessons from the letters. For instance, nothing bad will last for ever. Or Afghan orphans think about their immediate material needs while American youths think more about human feelings because their material requirements are almost fulfilled.

After speeches the participants took a tour of the new office which is located in a very peaceful and green area. The offices looked very tidy and well furnished in an Afghan traditional manner. The whole ceremony was such as lovely welcoming event. Though the office is relatively small but it is a huge hope for the future of Afghanistan. While we congratulate PARSA for opening the new office, meanwhile we wish them the best of luck for their humanitarian assistance to the needy people of Afghanistan.

Anoosha Wahidi
Kabul, May 2007

Mahbouba's response to our meeting at MoLSA-April 30th

2007-04-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Letter from Mahbouba to her network of friends.....

Dear All:

Well today was another one of those disappointing days in my Afghanistan life, hoping for something, wishing for a change, for a new way of looking at our problems, but NOooooo.......and once again it was the dream of a forever optimist in the face of Afghanistan's reality ,"despair",. For once in my life I was hoping, at the meeting today that The Deputy Minister 0f Labor Social affairs Martyr and Disabled, after being presented with a full report on: neglect, human rights violations, cruelty and endangering health and welfare of orphanage children, who have no one, absolutely no one to look after their interest- I was hoping he would say " Ladies and Gentlemen, lets stop our usual nonsense of what we have accomplished, how many laws and bylaws have we created, how much money we have spent ( by we, I mean the world ) and how we turn the blame around and put it on somebody else's shoulders, discredit honest NGO's and International organizations and instead let's SAY: we do have a problem! lets put all our energy and resources together and solve this. For God's sake there are more than five million AT RISK children in this country and we are already five years too late in looking after their interests, so let us do something and let us do it now".

But unfortunately my friends this was not what I heard. What I heard was more of the same, more blame more excuses, more discrediting and more excuses and more blame.
Well enough of this. Thanks for listening I needed to write to you all about this.

On a happier note: The Deputy Minister did decide to create a committee and look into the orphanage situation in Kabul as well as all over Afghanistan. And on that note I promise you that I will follow up and keep you updated on what happens to our children.: THESE ARE CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, SO LET'S PUT ALL OUR EFFORTS TOGETHER AND KEEP THEM OUT OF HARMS WAY. IT IS BAD ENOUGH THEY ARE ORPHANS!!!!!!

Love and peace keep your chins up I am not done yet!

Letter to the Deputy Minister

2007-04-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

April 26, 2007

Your Excellency Deputy Minister,

It is with great pleasure that we recognize the outstanding work that this ministry and the members of Child Protection Action Network have accomplished over the last couple of years, culminating in the document “National Strategy for Children “at-risk”. The challenges of creating a social safety net are difficult in all cultures, and especially difficult in post-war Afghanistan. We are gratified to recognize all involved with creating this document as the formulation of strategy and policy are so imperative to a successful social program and it gives us a starting point for the report we are submitting to you.

It is with confidence in this ministry’s desire to improve the life of the children under its care that I bring the attached report to your attention. PARSA staff has spent the last eight months in the Alluhoddin Orphanage, implementing a pilot program for children who have been identified by the orphanage staff as especially “at risk”. Our staff members are trained caregiver’s in physiotherapy and psychosocial training. Over the course of the last eight months they witnessed first hand problems at the orphanage that deeply concerned them. We have taken steps to bring these problems to your attention and to the attention of individuals within your organization to have them rectified. However it has only been in the last six weeks with the direct intervention from Vice President Khalily that significant improvement has been seen at the orphanage. Input from other organizations who have direct experience of Alluhoddin and other orphanages indicate that in fact over the course of the last five years, intervention in substandard conditions for the children has taken place but not been sustained by orphanage staff. This indicates that there is a need for a comprehensive investigation of existing orphanages and that changes need to be made at many different levels of the system of management, oversight and monitoring. Change that is only made after intervention from the president’s office will not be sustained.

We submit the following reports documenting the conditions at the orphanage in an effort to initiate an investigation of the conditions of the orphanages in Afghanistan and the management systems in place. We do this not to create problems but to assist in the clarification of the problems so that you and your staff can take effective action. We do not consider this a poor reflection on this ministry. All countries struggle to care for their most vulnerable people appropriately. These conditions are understandable in the current struggle to develop Afghanistan. What is not tolerable is to know about these conditions and to not investigate and address the issues so that the children under your care have the quality of life they are entitled to. We have confidence that you and this network will do so expeditiously.

Our report is not designed to initiate direct change. It is a simple account of problems my staff witnessed. It would be unfair to all involved to take systemic action on this report alone. The staff at the orphanage has worked there through the wars, often without pay. The orphanage staff needs to be protected from untrue and malicious accusations as much as the children need to have a voice and reports such as this need to be taken seriously and given due process. However, we need a venue for NGO’s, donors, parents, children and staff to bring their concerns and issues that they have with the proper care of the children, to ask those accountable for intervention and improvement. Having such a venue will create great confidence in this ministry and create support for its programs. We are bringing my report to this group of invested people in hopes that the issues we raise will be investigated and changes will be made at all levels of this ministry so that these conditions are not tolerated and that these children are given the best possible chance for a good life.

On behalf of PARSA staff

Marnie Gustavson Mahbouba Seraj
Executive Director Community Education and Advocacy

List of issues as of December 2006

2007-04-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Caution: This is a list of issues as we are reporting them from Alluhoddin orphanage. Some of these issues have been addressed successfully. We are not asking for change based on this report. Instead, We are asking for an investigation into all parties responsible for government run organizations in the country and recommendations for deep and sustaining change that will alter the way orphanages are run-so this condition will not exist in the orphanages ever again. We are not the first organization to attempt to change this-we would like to be the last.
Issues as of December 2006-
Degradation of the environment at the orphanage to the point of being a health hazard and the children’s hygiene and physical well-being.
Toilets outside are overflowing. The children are not allowed use of the inside toilets.
The wood has run out. Many rooms are not heated.
The stoves are improperly installed.
There is not adequate laundry facilities.
There is not running water.
There is no showering or bathing facilities
The children have not bathed. As of January, PARSa began taking groups to the Himam’s.
The children have fleas and lice.
The children are not clothed properly against the cold.
The girl children do not have feminine hygiene products-nor are they taught about that change in life. We witnessed staff scolding a girl for hiding rags.
The girl children do not have underwear.
We bought new clothes for 40 children as there clothes were falling apart.
Last year children were receiving meat once a week. Since November no meat was given.
Our staff take a minimum of 5 children to the hospital (CURE) a week. There is no systemic medical care and apparently no one is making sure that they see the Dr. and no one is following up.

Inadequate Staff and untrained staff-
There is one supervisor for day and then night for the girls and one for the boys. Which means at times one adult to 200+ children. Upon visiting the orphanage…these supervisor’s are not a presence in the rooms. A situation was brought to our attention where it is reported that in the girls dorm…five older girls are given the responsibility for disciplining the children. One girl was severely beaten-reported on by her handicapped father upon a visit and also locked out in the hallway overnight during the winter. More details available.

Contributions are not getting to the children
We assessed the situation in December and came up with a budget of $4,500 to repair the orphanage and get the water going. We found a donor who began delivering the items and working on the repairs. The donor’s staff was so put-off by their interactions of the staff re: the items being delivered that they cancelled the effort.
Our staff witnessed:
Money being given to the children for baths-and then the money was taken away.
Clothing, shoes, toys and blankets disappearing from the orphanage.
Orphanage staff is willing to discuss this issue and give details that need to be investigated.
There is no system for distribution. More specific details available.

System of intake and release:
Who is responsible for the approval of release for the children? How is it decided? For the children, the threat of being released is considered a discipline measure and it is called “CIC’ing….which is a program Children in Crisis conducted in the orphanages two years ago. The orphanage staff said that money is involved in the release of children to their families and there is a question about whether all of the money that the families are entitled to is getting to the families. (to be investigated). It is unclear under what circumstances children are being released to their families. Girl children are being released to their families after puberty, a marriageable age. This may be a larger legal issue. This is an area where there is a real concern for whether there is a human rights violation that is policy within the Ministry.

From Save the Children-US-thank you....

2007-04-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

National Children’s Manifesto
We are the children of Afghanistan. This week we have come together from all over our beloved country to speak as a united voice on behalf of all Afghanistan’s children. We represent children’s groups from all over Afghanistan. Through our groups, we have discussed problems that we face in our communities and provinces. This week, we have had the unique opportunity to share these concerns with our brothers and sisters from other regions in Afghanistan. Not only have we had the opportunity to share our concerns but also the many ways in which we can solve our problems. We have learnt from each other and created friendships across the country, no matter what color we are, religion we have or language we speak.

Through our groups we have been able to prevent teachers and parents from beating us, we have facilitated the construction of schools and bridges to get there; we have convinced children and their parents about the importance of education for all children in Afghanistan, boys and girls. In our villages, returnee camps and communities, we have formed networks of children’s groups. When children in our communities have a problem, we work together to find solutions. We do this all over Afghanistan so that we can contribute to the future of our country and our brothers and sisters.

In order for us to contribute to our future, we need the adults to make a promise to us: We need our government and honorable President to promise that they will work with us so that we can together improve our lives and those of our families and generations to come. We ask the government to listen to our concerns and ideas now and to take a leading role in improving our future:

We ask the government to establish a department that prioritizes children’s issues. This department should have an office in every province, to which we can turn too with our concerns. This department should raise awareness on issues affecting us: discrimination based on gender, language, ethnicity or physical ability. This will help adults understand our problems and rights better. This department should ensure that the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which our country is a signatory, is implemented.

We welcome the democratically elected President and ask our President to make sure that the government consists only of persons who have not committed crimes and are good citizens. The government should prevent girls being forced to marry when they are still young. We ask the government to enforce a law that prevents marriage of girls and boys younger than 18. We ask our parents to ask our consent with the partners they identify for us. People, who harass or abuse children, should be punished for what they do: whether it is child trafficking, sexual abuse of children or violence against us. Children who are with commanders should be released. The commanders don’t treat us well and don’t allow us to go to school. The government should take weapons away from commanders and others who don’t protect us but instead threaten and scare our families and us.

Through employment programs, our parents should get work and earn an income, so that we don’t have to go out to work but will be allowed to go to school. Our government should make sure that children in all districts and villages can go to school and that our teachers are good teachers, who understand teaching methodologies, treat us with respect and don’t beat us. The government should construct schools for us – now we learn in tents, where it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. More educational opportunities for girls should be established.

We want to live a long and healthy life and to do this; we need clinics and basic health care in our villages as well as clean drinking water.

If the government promises us to priorities the above issues, we promise to do the following:
We will do all we can to rebuild our beloved country; we will use our education to reconstruct our country, we will promote peace amongst our brothers and sisters; we will continue to help children in need in our communities and include them in our lives. We will listen to the government and help it improve our lives.

Today you are looking at children from all over our country – the future of Afghanistan. We are committed to making a lasting change so that our future is safe and secure and our children will grow up in peace. We hope that you are committed to the future of the children of your country, who are the leaders of tomorrow.

Thank you.
The Children of Afghanistan
Kabul, December 14th 2004

Last meeting of informal consortium...

2007-04-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

Dear All,
I thank you for taking time out of your day to meet with us yesterday. This is a brief recap and a reiteration of the requests that I made in the meeting.
On April 30th we will have the opportunity to meet with MoLSA and CPAN for 20 minutes. I am preparing a report of our experiences in Alluhoddin that is very specific. The report will conclude with a request for an investigation into how the national orphanages are being managed and a request for intervention that is systemic. Our report will also include information from other organizations about prior failed efforts to make changes in the orphanages. This information will underline the systemic problem and disallow the notion that this problem is specific to Alluhoddin or to PARSA's viewpoint. As a courtesy, I will be providing the deputy minister, and Soraya Hakim a copy of the report before the meeting and we will be copying Dr. Khalily. As I stated, in the meeting I intend to simply report. I will not debate our report or engage in discussion. I am not asking for changes based on the PARSA report. I am asking for an evenhanded investigation that will result in changes and so will ask for a response in writing to our group.

Requests from you:
This is an informal consortium and I would like to know if your organization will endorse our effort. May I include your name our list of organizations calling for change?
Do you have anecdotes that I may include in the report?
Can you have a representative at the meeting? This is "for show" as we do not intend to do anything but present but it will underscore how important we feel the effort is.

Finally, it has taken us over 6 months of very intensive advocacy work to bring this issue to the attention of authorities in such a way that we are being listened to. I do not expect much out of this meeting and would like to begin thinking about "next steps", and I would welcome your ideas. It is difficult to organize this as such efforts have such a history of getting lost in rhetoric, talk and reasons that nothing can be done. I welcome your ideas.

I will send the report out to you no later than Sunday. Again, thank you.

Role of children in Afghanistan-Anoosha

2007-04-24T03:06:00.000-07:00

Every body knows that children are like flowers. If we look after them well, they will be very beautiful in the future. But if we pay less attention in looking after them they will fade away and will be of no use to the society.

As we can see in many backward countries including Afghanistan the children are involved in hard works to feed their families. You can see dirty, barefoot children with their weather beaten faces who are washing cars, begging or forcing you to buy what ever they are selling in streets. Because many of them have lost their family members in civil war and they are forced to earn money to live.

Many of children in Afghanistan do not attend school, do not have enough food to eat and have no clean drinking water.

But on the contrary, we see civilized countries give equal respect to the children. And try to improve their imaginations and pay value to their ideas.

But unfortunately in Afghanistan especially in provinces less attention is being paid to what children think or what ideas they have. Not knowing that one day these children with their world changing ideas can take their countries to the higher stages of civilization and modernization.

And if we want to reach this goal we have to provide the children with good education and meet their basic needs such as clean drinking water, safe place to live and secure them with health insurance.

We are sure solidarity of world children can give great hope to Afghan children to have a better life in the future.

Obaid-son of Gulam Jilany to Will-son of David

2007-04-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hello, Mahmoud, my name is Will, son of David. I am 15 years old and I am in class ten. We do not have positions in our classes but if we did I don’t think I would be very high up. I live with my mother and I have a brother named Joe. He is 12 years old. I live on an Island called Bainbridge. We take large boats called ferries to travel into the city. Above is a picture. I attend many classes but my favorite is art and math. In the future I want to be an architect or artist. What kind of doctor do you want to be??

Dear Will, Hope you are fine. Mahmood is transferred to other orphanage that is why Obaid is your new pen pal. Here is his letter. Anoosha

My name is Obaid son of Ghulam Jilany. I am writing you from the
Allahoddin orphanage. I actually wish to meet you one day. It is really nice to have a pen pal in America. I
also wish to be a doctor in the future to serve my country. I like to play football with my friends. My favorite food is mantoo [gound meet stuffed into dough cones and steam cooked]. What about you? In Afghanistan there is no sea. I haven’t seen large boats but I have seen small ones. I attend music classes with my school. I can sing and play Harmonium too. I have 2nd position in the class. I have 3 sisters and 5 brothers. My sisters are living with my uncle and my one brother is in Iran but I have not seen him from many years. But my other brothers are with me at the orphanage. I would love to hear from you back. Regards, Obaid

Update on our initiative for orphans....Marnie

2007-04-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

Dear All,
Our meeting this past Monday was productive and we have agreed on the following:

We are an informal "action" committee of nationals and internationals whose formation's only purpose is to request that existing commitments made by the government be implemented such as the National Plan of Action for Vulnerable Children. And that networks such as CPAN be alerted to our report that in the last 6 months of working in Alluhoddin Orphanage we have a very specific eye witness account of serious abuse, neglect and possible human rights violations that we want investigated by which ever organization is designated to do this.

In the last two days the deputy minister has responded to vice President Khalily's directive that the issues at Alluhoddin orphanage be corrected, much to my gratification. But PARSA is not an advocacy organization nor are we an appropriate oversight mechanism. We wish to see systems in place that address the issues we have encountered systemically so that there is a movement forward on this, and an authentic effort on the government part to care for these children. The people that joined the meeting are directors and Afghan community leaders who have an investment in fundamental change in the lives of Afghan children who are living in orphanages and who have direct experiences of the current problems with the lack of oversight.
Please feel free to attend our next meeting on Monday, April, 23rd, 10:00, PARSA offices at Maristoon. In this meeting we will finalyze plans to present a report to MOLSA /CPAN. Thank you.

A letter from my mother back to Anoosha....Marnie

2007-04-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

I have to share some of these exchanges, especially from my mother, who was here in Afghanistan. These letters mean everything to these kids. I was int he orphanage the other day...I don't spend much time with the kids because my job is funding and paving the way for my staff to get their job done...increasingly difficult right now as we are making policitcal waves...but the girls lit up when I introduced myself as Rosses daughter....they wait breathlessly for her group letters...here is her latest.

Dear Anoosha....I just read your piece on pollution in Kabul with interest, because here we are very aware of the cost of our way of life in pollution, destruction of
our natural resources. It is a worldwide problem. Here in Seattle and the northwest part of the country, many people are becoming concerned....we have a great wealth of resources in our Puget sound waterways and the fish that come from them, as well as heavily wooded forests that many builders want to cut down to make room for more houses, businesses. Washington has a strong agricultural interest....on the west side of our Cascade mountain range, there are fruits, berries & vegetables (flowers too) while on the east side of the mountains, which is drier & hotter, the farmers have large acreage of wheat,potatoes, orchards of fruit, nuts, etc.

In fact the eastern side of the state reminds us of Afghanistan with bare but beautiful hills and dry, arid climate, more sun etc. It is hard for me to visualize Kabul with 4.5 million people but I can imagine what damage the wind does with the shortage of trees. When we were there in mid 60's I think it was closer to 500,000 + people. And spring was a lovely time, with the new growth on all the trees. Crops being planted.

I just wish we could send some of our trees your way. But thinking and talking about these concerns is the first step to making change, then ultimately people around you become aware. Education is the first step. You are right about the government not being able to reduce pollution alone. It will take many people thinking about it and planting some trees in their compounds, then some vegetables & flowers for the families needs, then perhaps a tree planting program to start replacing what has been lost through the wars. It will take time, but I can see you have such an interest in making life better around you....sometimes we can only take little steps to begin with.

Also I can see the difference you have made with the children in the orphanage....there are more happy faces! The past weeks I have had some health issues, but I haven't forgotten the children and hold you all in my heart daily. Will resume writing when possible. I would like to continue (I like to write) but now must get ready for a dentist appointment this morning. More later. Lovingly, Ross
This is a picture of when we were here as children with our parents...this is a graveyard.

POLLUTION IN KABUL CITY-ANOOSHA

2007-04-17T03:22:00.000-07:00

Pollution in Kabul City

Citizens of Kabul City can feel the footsteps and beauty of spring after a harsh winter. But meanwhile, with regret spring has started with heavy dust and pollution. Each and every road is dusty especially when a car passes with a full speed creating a huge army of dust. Sometimes even breathing is impossible. People can hardly walk on the streets during day time. I think the main cause of this problem is the war which has ruined every thing and the huge population of this city growing now up to 4.5 million though Kabul was made for 1.5 million people. Severe shortage of trees is also a major factor for pollution

Even though pollution is a global issue, still people can do much to reduce pollution and protect their cities. I am sure there might be many ways to reduce pollution. For instance, we need to keep our communities clean and tidy. We can plant more trees. Perhaps in Kabul we can create voluntary youth organizations to clean our city on a regular basis because the government can’t reduce pollution by itself.

Prepared by Anoosha Wahidi

Kabul, April 2007

On finally taking broader action on the condition of the orphanage-Marnie

2007-04-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Colleagues,

My name is Marnie Gustavson, and I am the executive director of PARSA, a small international NGO headquartered in Kabul. I and my staff have been working intensively in Alluhoddin Orphanage for the last six months-conducting an afternoon program for children who need intensive care-from medical attention to psychosocial therapy. Over the course of the six months my staff have brought me disturbing reports about the management of the orphanage, abuse, neglect and practices that could indicate deeper problems. Last fall, my colleague, Mahbouba Seraj and I, began an effort to bring these reports to the attention of the Ministry and to government officials. In our attempt to bring about change we repeatedly met people who knew about the problems but felt helpless to do anything about it-including a donor who has put over $20K into repairs, and parliamentarians who have brought the problems to the minister. This winter the difficulties for the children were acute. Mahbouba managed to secure the attention of vice president, Dr. Khalily, and accompanied him on a surprise visit to the orphanage a month ago-where he discovered no staff present other than door guards at 9am in the morning. He, again promised change. We have not heard from him since that time-and although there are superficial changes, my staff is now being harrassed by the management at the orphanage-as we have been identified as the whistle blowers.

I approached the US Embassy this week, and the Human Rights Office, has heard of other complaints about orphanages that are government run-and they have agreed to work with me to bring pressure on the government to bring about change. I would like to invite other interested parties to meet with us this week and to join with us to do so.

I want to establish my intent as far as this action goes.
Social Welfare programs for children are problematic in all parts of the world. I have worked with them for 15 year in the US and encountered gross abuses there as well. This is not a problem specific to Afghanistan. Raising public cry about child abuse can initiate short term changes- and create a degree of hysteria and knee jerk responses but I have not seen that it provides long term change very often. Our children around the world are still terribly vulnerable for all the outcry about it. I am very clear that Afghan's do not want their orphans in this environment-but reconstruction being where it is-there is a certain resignation about being able to change it.

In this initiative I would like the international community to to promote a program of capacity building-teaching the government systems of intervention that are democratic and that honor the rights of the government workers-as well as the children. Removing certain individuals from their posts, however much I would like to, will not create any long term change. Having the government take on a program of democratic intervention will. Supporting them in creating this protocol will start to by pass the current political considerations clearly in place. I am interested in this effort addressing all government run institutions that care for children in this country. I would deeply appreciate assistance from experts in this type of policy setting and intervention.

As an international community we need to have no tolerance for institutionalized abuse and neglect of children. I am not sure how this will play out but I am dedicated to seeing this through until the Afghan authorities involved join us in this commitment. We need to establish a baseline for the children's care and be very loud and insistent about the accomplishment of that.

Our first strategic meeting for this inititative will be in PARSA offices-10am on Tuesday. Please let me know if you would like to join us and I will send a map. My best to all.

This weeks visit...Marnie

2007-04-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ariane took photos that capture the avidity with which the children listen to Anoosha, right, as she reads the letters. Ariane told me that she was amazed at how carefully they listened to a hygiene lesson today....with no water or cloth to practice the lesson, Ariane said "they were listening to a world they can only imagine-but so intently.

We have 12 pen pal partner with four girls still needing pen pals. Tahera, Shakera, Fariba, Farida...I have loved seeing 16 year old Anoosha confront the sadness of the orphanage and then delight in the correspondance
with all of you as well as having the amazing job of delivering your letters. She has loved every minute of it...

A NEW HOPE FOR THE ORPHANS

2007-04-08T03:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to the orphanage to give the orphans their first letters from their pen pals. They were so happy to have the letters and especially the pictures of their pen pals. A couple of the orphans told me that now they have hope and know that there are other people who listen and care about them.

During this visit an American lady by the name of Ms Julia Bolz also accompanied us to the orphanage. She was keen to meet the orphans to become aware of their living and learning conditions. She was very pleased with the pen pal project. Because when I gave the letters to the orphans, a great hope was visible in their faces which pleased me too.

Meanwhile I visited the new PARSA room at the orphanage. In this room I saw a group of children sewing and drawing by the help of very active PARSA staff. I believe they really enjoy the help and assistance of PARSA staff. But still we have not found pen pals for all of the orphans that is why some of them were a bit unhappy. But I assured them that soon we will find pen pals for them too. We need pen pals for: Haleema, Tahera, Fariba, and Farida.

This week I am going to give the boys their first letters from their pen pals. I wish to see the same happiness and hope on their faces as of the girls.

I am so happy that with the help of this project we can expose these children to different experiences from other parts of the world, new skills and meanwhile we can bring a smile and joy on their faces.

Anoosha Wahidi
1st April 2007

To Ahmad from Pierre....

2007-03-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Ahmad,
My name is Pierre. My parents have been married then divorced and are now remarried. On my mom's side I have tow sisters and on my dad's side I have 3 brothers and 1 sister.

I think you have lived a very hard life and I am very sorry. I would never have survived like you. You are very tough. I hope things get better and you enjoy your new school. It's amazing that you made rugs, what did they look like? What type of teacher do yo uwant to be? What is your favorite subject in school so far. I wish I could meet you in person.

I am 11 years old and I'm in the 5th grade. My favorite subject in school is math. I play football, baseball, and basketball. I like to eat hamburgers and candy. I like toread books, most of them with humor. I llike to hang out with old friends and with my new friends.
Your new friend.
Pierre

New Year's celebration in Afghanistan

2007-03-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

In Afghanistan New Year is celebrated for the past five thousand years. The first day of the New Year falls on the 21st March. It is called Nauroz which means a new day. Because after a lazy and snowy winter the nature gets a new life and turns green. Afghans celebrate this day in many ways. For example, everyone cleans their home and tries to wear new clothes. But the main part of celebration is to make special dishes and a special drink. The drink is made out of different nuts and dry fruits soaked in water for several days. Even though families prepare seven different dishes to enjoy Nauroze cooking spinach is compulsory. In addition to the seven dishes, women make another dish which is called ‘Samanak’. Samanak is made of ground wheat grass. It is mixed with water and some wheat flour. Cooking of Samanak is a big event. Women and girls start cooking Samanak at night and finish early in the morning. The most interesting part of making Samanak is that women and girls sing a famous traditional ‘Samanak Song’ while cooking this dish. A well cooked Samanak looks like brown pudding which is very tasty and sweet. Likewise, on the New Year Day people go on picnic and women specially like to walk on green pastures.

In spite of all ups and downs of life Afghans are keen to keep this old tradition alive in the coming ages too.

From Blake to Shabana.......

2007-03-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Shabana,
My name is Blake. I’m a girl and I am 12. I have a brother and a sister. They are 18 and 16. So of course I am the youngest. I live with my mom but I sometimes stay at my dad’s house. I go to middle school and I play soccer, basketball, volleyball and swim.

When I read your letter it made me sad that your have to live like that. I have never been purposely hurt which makes it even worse for me to hear about what your uncle did to you. I wish you weren’t all alone and that you still had your parents but I can’t do anything about that. But I can be a friend to you. If you ever feel sad or lonely or just need someone to talk to, write to me and I promise I will write back.

I think I should know that I really do care. I don’t think anyone should be treated like that. But don’t worry nothing bad lasts forever.

Love,
Blake

Introducing Shanon Faulk-by Marnie

2007-03-20T23:40:00.000-07:00

This is Shanon Faulk and her daughter Annaliese. Shanon has worked with me as a trainer in programs for women for almost ten years now. Her special interest and talent is working with young women-developing their capacity for leadership. She and I have worked together closely and it was very, very hard to leave her in the US. I miss her wisdom and energy in my work here. She also has a passionate interest in different cultures and international work-and would love to come here -but for now her place is in the US taking care of her beautiful daughter and working with young American women. I have asked her to work with me on the Alluhoddin pen pal project. She has developed this request into a learning opportunity for the young women she works with in a group bi-monthly. I wanted to share with you her program. Let me know if you would like to correspond with Shanon.

Building a Common Fire: Your Global Community
Shanon Faulk

“We don’t set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people’s hearts”1
-Pema Chodron

This is an opportunity to feel connected, make a difference, and to step into your role as a leader in the global community. This is an invitation to build a relationship that will provide learning, insight, inspiration and opportunity for contribution.

As a group of leaders this is your first step in building a common fire.

You will be writing to a young girl at the Allauddin Orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan. The intention of the dialogue and relationship is:
• To provide the experience of being seen, heard and recognized
• To ask questions that create new questions
• To look for and create a common ground
• To embrace the differences with compassion
• To look to your penpal as a source of leadership and inspiration
• To recognize your own gifts and contributions as a leader

To build this relationship you are asked to commit to the following:
• Write to your pen pal two times per month, or more if your wish!
• Agree to write for one year
• Read the updates about Allauddin Orphanage on the blog at http://parsakabul.blogspot.com
• Work together as a team to create other possible ways of supporting and/or educating people about the orphanage

Please email your letters to your chosen pen pal to shanonaf@hotmail.com. Please send letters on the 1st and 15th of every month. You may also include pictures, images, poetry and song lyrics.

“Through shared talk we engage with voices different from our own and take them in, creating a diversity in our inner conversation that corresponds with the diversity in the outer world”2

Introducing Sally Schultz-by Marnie

2007-03-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Dear All,
I would like to introduce Sally Schultz. She is the niece of a good friend of mine, Allan Freedman , who lives near us in Kabul and is country director for NDI (National Democratic Institute). He and his staff work with the new parliamentarians training them in democracy. Sally has decided that she wants to fundraise for the orphanage. She has been working with me for the last month making plans and helping me find pen pals. She has decided to make bracelets as her donation venue. I have suggested that she put the name of an orphan from Alluhoddin on each bracelet. When she is ready with her design we will develop the next stage of the project. When I talk with adults here or in the states -so often the conversation is full of anxiety and a sense of helplessness about the situation in Afghanistan. My correspondance with Sally and the other young women who have started working with the orphans from afar is simple and refreshing...they just ask me "what can I do?" And Sally has found a way to do something she enjoys and is good at while working on this project. If you want to touch base with her let me know and I will connect you.

Qualities of a good teacher-by Anoosha

2007-03-19T03:16:00.000-07:00

Qualities of a Good Teacher

As we all know a teacher plays the main role in the education of a new generation in a society because she transfers her knowledge and expertise to others. In my opinion the qualities of a good teacher are as follows:

A teacher at least should try to know the strengths and weaknesses of her students. She should behave politely, friendly and respectfully so that the students feel free to share their problems with their teachers. A good teacher should have a strong command on the subject which she teaches and should be keen to learn general knowledge so that she would be able to answer any questions of students. A good teacher should always give equal attention to all students so that no student feels ignored. A good teacher should make students focus of the learning process. A successful teacher should know the modern teaching techniques such as role plays, group work and peer work. As a result a good teacher can make a healthy society.

At the end I would like to say that a good teacher is like a candle which burns itself and gives light to others.

Prepared by Anoosha Wahidi
March 2007

Salaam, my dear little Afghan girls of Allahoddin,

2007-03-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Salaam, my dear little Afghan girls of Allahoddin,

My heart goes out to you all who have come through much loss and suffering at such a young age. I will not be able to write to each of you individually, but know that you are very much on my mind as I go about my days here in Seattle.

Reading over your letters, I am aware of the courage that shows through the sad stories of how you lost loved families before coming to Allohoddin.

It is hard to think about school, when you are sad or lonely but "learning" is a very important part of growing up. It can give you skills and open your minds to new possibilities that may not have been available until now. Hopefully the chances for education are going to increase at Allahoddin as more people become aware of what is needed.

It appears that you have some good teachers that care. And that you appreciate them. Just living with many people can be difficult but if you can practice being kind to each other, and sharing, it may help with the loneliness. See, this sounds like a grandmother talking, which I am. And a teacher, which I have been.

I wish I could visit Kabul and give you each a hug. But for now, I will write notes when it is possible. I have your pictures on my desk and will be sending loving wishes your way, each day. Ross (Marnie's mother)

To Zainab from Kirsten-Alluhoddin

2007-03-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

Zainab,

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful friend. I would be honored to be like an older sister to you, and you will be like a younger sister to me. I will always try to stay in touch with you, do not worry. Tell me more about your friends at the orphanage. I, too, hope for you to be successful in all of your adventures in your life, and that you will have courage, love, trust, and wonderful friends around you. My favorite colors are purple, orange, pink, and green. I like being happy, I usually do it well. J I would love to hear about what you are studying in school too. What is your sister like?
We just got a few inches of snow and ice. Have you ever seen snow? It can be very pretty, but I can make it very hard to travel because the water on the roads freezes and the tires on the cars are not able to work.

Can’t wait to hear from you,

Kirsten

Stories from Allauddin Orphanage

2007-03-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

My name is Walina and my father’s name is Mohammad Aref. I am 12 years old. I study in the 6th grade. I have been living for six years in the orphanage. One day when I was small, me and my family went to Shamalee area in the north of Kabul to visit our relatives. On the way our car was stopped by a group of armed and masked men. They shot and killed my mother and beat my father. He became unconscious but after a couple of hours when he came back to his sense, he buried my mother with the help of some local people. The armed men took our money with them. We did not have money to come back to Kabul. That is why we begged for 10 days and earned four hundred Afghanis. So with the money we returned to Kabul. Here we stayed for a couple of nights at an ordinary local inn. When we ran out of money, we did not know where to go. A man who owned a shop next to the inn showed mercy to us. He took us to his home and we lived for one year with him. Though my father was paralyzed, and the man was not very rich, so he brought me and my three brothers to the orphanage. One of my brothers is mute. I am happy here but still I feel lonely sometimes. I wish to have a friend with whom I could share my problems. And I also wish to become a doctor in the future.

Stories from Allauddin Orphanage

2007-03-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

My name is Sheela and I study at 3rd grade. I am 12 years old. I have only one brother who is 10. My father died of stomach ulcer and shortly after him my mother also died of cancer. Then we used to live with my uncle. He was a very good man when my parents were alive. But to our surprise he became so cruel after my parents death. He used to beat my brother. His wife was more cruel than him. Because they could not feed us, my uncle brought me to the orphanage and kept my brother to work on him. Here at the orphanage, I can’t learn anything because I always think about my brother. But I am happy here because I have two best friends who are Nasreen and Hazrat Bibi. I love to study to become a doctor one day.

Stories from Allauddin Orphanage

2007-03-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Firs of all I want to say my Salam to the people who are helping us. My name is Fariba. I am 13 years old and I study in the 6th grade. I have very bad memories from my life. I was so small when my father died in civil war and my uncle also left us. I was living with my mother and four brothers. We did not have anything to live on. Therefore, my mother used to beg with one of my brothers. One day when my cousin came, we were so happy not knowing that he was a selfish man. He wanted to marry me. But I was so small and my mother cried a lot and then she thought of brining me and my brothers to the orphanage. In fact she took us here and she started to live alone. Since she was a young woman my uncle forced her to marry again. When she did, she was sad because her husband used to beat her and shortly after that she was divorced by her husband. Now she lives with my aunt and she is spending a very bad time but we can’t do anything about herself. I am happy at the orphanage. I wish to be a doctor in the future.

Stories from Allauddin Orphanage

2007-03-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

My name is Tahera and I am 7 years old. I study in the 3rd grade. I have four sisters and two brothers. My father is alive. But my mother is dead. I was so small I do not remember how my mother died. My sister told me that my father beat my mother and killed her. After death of my mother, my father took us to our grandfather and he married again. But after sometime he killed his second wife too. My grandfather was a good man but he did not have his own house therefore he brought me and my brothers to the orphanage. He made my older sisters marry. I am happy here and I want to be a doctor in the future.

stories from Allauddin Orphanage

2007-03-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

My name is Haleema. I am 12 years old. I study at class 2 because I have never been to school before that is why when I came to the orphanage they admitted me to the 2nd grade. When I was in Nuristan my mother became sick and died. Shortly after my mother’s death my father was also killed in an air bombardment. After his death me and my brother were left alone so we began to live with my uncle. At that time my brother was not more than two years old. My uncle was so cruel because he used to beat my little brother. One day my other uncle came from Kabul to visit us to Nuristan. When he saw that we were not treated well so he asked me and my brother to come with him to Kabul. But my first uncle refused to give my brother to him so he took me here to Kabul and after living for sometime with him, he told me that my first uncle has killed my brother. I was so sad and my uncle brought me here to the Allauddin orphanage. I am happy here because I attend school and I want to be a teacher in the future.

To Zainab from Kirsten

2007-03-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Zainab,
My name is Kirsten and I am 14 years old. I am in the ninth grade and in High School. I live near Philadelphia, which is in Pennsylvania, in the United States. I am so sorry that your parents died. One of my best friends is from Africa, and both of his parents were killed in a civil war and I understand how difficult it is. My parents got divorced and I don’t see my dad anymore and it’s very hard for me. I am so sorry that your uncle did not treat you well. That is terrible. But I am very glad that you enjoy the orphanage. I’m sure you have a lot of friends. You sound very smart. Congratulations on getting the first position in your class!!! That is great! I want to become a doctor one day too and hopefully be able to travel to help kids like you. We are the kids who are going to grow and be the next generation. I feel lonely too sometimes. It’s a terrible feeling. We all need to stick together so that no one can feel lonely because it is one of the most awful feelings in the world. What do you like to do for fun? What do you do with your friends? What are your friends like? What is your sister like? I have an older brother but he his much older. He is 27 and he lives with my dad. I cannot wait to hear from you!!!
Take care
Kirsten J

2007-03-10T03:23:00.000-08:00

My name is Sayed Mansur Shah. My father’s name is Sayed Haider Shah. I study in the 5th grade and I am 13 years old. I got the 4th position in the class. I have been at the orphanage for the past 5 years. I was not more than five years old when my mother died. I lived with my father and brother who had his own family. But my problem was that my right hand does not work and it is paralyzed. At that time we were in Pakistan. But when we came to Kabul, after two years, one day my father was cutting wood and he suddenly fell down as a result he also became paralyzed. When this accident happened, my brother was angry and he told us that I can’t feed you both because I also have a family so he brought me to Allauddin Orphanage. Here I attend English and cultural classes. I want to be a doctor in the future.

2007-03-10T03:02:00.000-08:00

My name is Mahboob Shah son of Shukruddin. I study at 4th grade. I have been at the orphanage for the past two and a half years. My father died at the time of civil war and my mother died of an illness. I lived with my grandmother. I have a sister who is married and I do not know where she is now. After living sometime with my grandmother, Taleban came and my grandmother was not able to feed me. She took me to Tahia Maskan Orphanage. There a teacher brought me to Allauddin Orphanage after sometime. Here at the orphanage I attend the cultural, painting and English classes. I want to be a pilot in the future.

2007-03-10T02:38:00.000-08:00

This is a boy who does not talk much. I came to know from his teacher that his name is Gul Hassan and his father’s name is Mohammad. When I asked him of his age, he told me that he was two years old. Of course I do not believe that because he is at the 4th grade and he seems 11 or 12 years old. His friends told me that he is very intelligent in his studies and he got the 3rd position in the class. When I asked him of his lessons if they were easy for him, he shook his head as ‘yes’. He did not speak when I asked him of his parents. He did not answer but his head was shivering which seemed that he was thinking of something but could not remember it. The teachers told me that he was brought to the orphanage by a policeman who found him on the street and knew nothing about this boy. But on holidays this boy goes to the policeman’s home for a break and then comes back to the orphanage.

2007-03-10T02:27:00.000-08:00

My name is Mahmood Shah. My father’s name is Shukrudin. I am 13 years old and I am in class seven. I got the 8th position in the class. I was two years old when my parents died. Then I lived with my grandmother and uncle. One day it was raining and the heavy storm damaged the house of my grandmother. Because they were so poor with a mud house my grandmother told me that I can’t feed you now and you should got to the orphanage which is a very good place. They brought me here to Allauddin Orphanage. I am very happy here because it is a very good place. I attend the painting and music classes at the school and I want to be a doctor in the future.

2007-03-10T02:11:00.001-08:00

My name is Ahmad. My father’s name is Amir Gul. I have never been to school. But I studied religious subjects. I do not have any brother or sister. When I was one year old, my mother died and my father married again. One day my father took me out of the house but my uncle who did not have any family took me with himself. After sometime my uncle gave me to my aunt who lived in Pakistan. I was left there. When my uncle was returning to Kabul, he died in a car accident. My aunt had two young sons. My cousins and I used to make carpets. One day my cousins went to Iran and I was left alone with my aunt. My aunt got angry with me that why I also did not go to Iran. She told me that I can’t feed you and she drove me out of the house. In the middle of disappointment one of our neighbor’s boys told me that he will take me to his home in Kabul if his father accepts me. We will live there like brothers. But when I went to their home, his father became angry and did not accept me. I was left on the street. Then I spent two nights at a local ordinary guesthouse. When I run out of money, I used to spend my time at a shrine. After that I went to police and he took me to Tahia Maskan Orphanage. After spending a night there one of the teachers brought me here to Allauddin Orphanage. I am happy here because I will be going to school in a couple of weeks and I wish to be a teacher in the future.

A wonderful experience with the orphans

2007-03-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

A wonderful experience with the orphans

I have been to Allauddin Orphanage two times. First I went to the orphanage with PARSA staff and the second time my sister Uranus was also with me. We enjoyed being there. I interviewed five girls and five boys at the orphanage. And we are trying to find pen pals for them. I was so sad when I saw their sad and unhappy faces. The whole orphanage looked like a prison to me. The children looked stressed and demoralized. They do not have anything for playing except for a couple of swings at the yard of the orphanage and a couple of balls. It seemed that the children were bored but I also noticed that the girls were bold and intelligent than boys. The girls were more talking about their problems than boys did. I should say that all children were respectful and well- mannered. A couple of things which made me happy was that they all loved to study to learn and to know about the world. Thing which interested me that one of the girls was acting in a film. She seemed happy and joyful. I was also pleased to see them at attend different classes after school such as music, painting, cultural and English as well as computer. But the sadness was that they did not have clean and proper clothes. They had beds but their mattresses were not comfortable and tidy.

Let’s help these young unhappy faces to enjoy the beauty of life.

By Anoosha Wahidi
Kabul, Afghanistan
March 2007

Dark nights of Kabul

2007-03-04T02:22:00.000-08:00

Dark nights of Kabul

Since civil war in Kabul almost all power sources began to fail. Electricity system has suffered the most. As we all know electricity is the main source of civilization in the world. But here in Kabul most parts do not have access to natural power. Only some people use generators and that is why Kabul is called generator city because after evening the whole city smells of diesel and smoke. People do not have any electricity during day as a result they can’t use electric equipment such as computers, TVs, heaters, ovens and etc. In Kabul city we get five hours night electricity every other day in winter. But still most parts are deprived from electricity benefits as a result the life becomes boring for people.

Electricity has a big value for the Afghan children. Whenever, electricity comes to the houses all children immediately shouts happily in the streets “Electricity! Electricity!”. This means that electricity is now the main part of the modern life and it gives hope and pleasure to the people. The children of Afghanistan wish that their nights turn light with the support and assistance of their friends in other parts of the world. Afghan children need to read their lessons in the light of bulbs at night. Our message to the children who have regular access to electricity is to value this asset and be careful in its proper use.

Bye until my next letter_Anoosha

Stories from Alluhoddin Orphanage-Shakera

2007-02-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-02-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-24T04:36:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-24T03:30:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-24T03:10:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-18T03:14:00.000-08:00

(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

2007-02-18T02:45:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-12T03:19:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-02-05T02:43:00.000-08:00

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..

2007-02-02T00:07:00.000-08:00

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"

2007-02-01T01:03:00.000-08:00

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!

The Story behind the picture-Marnie

2006-12-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

Last week I left Kabul for a badly needed holiday in the US with family...However I prepare for it travel out of Kabul takes a year off of my life...In anticipation of difficulty I started confirming my travel arrangements the Saturday before Monday departure. I found out at Air India the schedule had changed and I had to leave the next day. This group picture of all of our staff in the Kabul office...was taken just before I left for my flight after a frantic 12 hours of preparation...and the usual unexpected antics on my staffs part such as Wasse, our gardener, caught 3 rare parrots in our fruit trees. On top of leaving all requisite authorization papers...Wasse wanted to discuss detailed plans for the parrot cage to be built. The look on my face captures my accurate feelings of the moment. I did manage to leave inspite of the snow. Miss them all now I am gone although I am of course getting a plethora of enigmatic e-mails about banking business where it appears that the Kabul Bankers have frozen our accounts because we still have Mary as a signator...and I am getting increasingly complex instructions as to how to conduct our finances, including a long list of ministries to get signatures from to be able to access any funding. All Items I could deal with easily in Kabul but impossible from here.

There is a phrase in Dari that goes "Zendagee de Afghanistan moshkeel ast"..or "Life in Afghanistan is trouble"....Going on my second year in Afghanistan...I have alot to say about that phrase -my retort is "Afghans make trouble not life!" Reflections upon coming home to my well-ordered civilized country? Living and working in Afghanistan is like having a prolonged stay with nosey, bossy loving relatives who think they are really funny and who spend a lot of time thinking up ways to irritate. Miss them already. Marnie

PARSA branches out into Balkh and the restaurant biz! (Not really)

2006-09-04T00:35:00.000-07:00

During a trip up to Mazaar-i-Sharif this weekend, Norm, Jim and I headed out to the town of Balkh and stumbled across a local restaurant, pictured at left that shares PARSA's name. We ended up having lunch there, the food was great, and I even got to play a game of Carrom board with the some of the other patrons (I lost pretty soundly, though, those guys were good!) Everybody was really friendly, and the owner of the restaurant posed for the picture as we were leaving. It was a great trip in general and the Parsa restaurant was definitely one of the highlights.
--Guru Sewak.

Much needed surgery.

2006-08-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

One of the things that PARSA has taken on with the boys at the Allahoddin Orphanage, is to make medical referrals for the kids that need medical care beyond the orphanage's means. The orphanage, as it turns out, has very little in the way of medical resources, and can really only provide basic first aid. We talked to the staff doctor and he told us that four of the boys had been diagnosed with herniation and needed surgery. The kids varied in age from five to twelve, and all of them had had their hernias for over a couple of weeks (painful!) PARSA staff was able to take the four troopers to the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital, here in Kabul, where they were examined by Afghanistan's leading pediatric surgeon, Dr. Mustafa. Dr. Mustafa agreed to perform the surgery free of charge as long as PARSA could cover the costs of whatever medical supplies and medication the boys would need after the surgery. We booked the boys into the hospital's ward and they are scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Here's a photo of the rather pensive looking bunch, right before they were booked into the hospital for the night.

The Orphanage-Guru Sewak begins his work.

2006-08-12T01:58:00.000-07:00

I spent last week going to the Allahoddin Orphanage everyday. Above is a picture of two PARSA staff- Atikula and Zarguna, who are working with me. During the week I got to meet some of the orphanage staff, got to know some of the boys, attempted to find out about some of the facility's procedures and policies and otherwise just tried to determine what PARSA could do to assist the kids and the staff. The boys and the girls live in different sections of the orphanage, of course, and as it turns out, unfortunately, no one other than orphanage staff is given access to even so much as talk to the girls, much less develop programs to assist them. As such PARSA has been, by default, working only with the boys.

The boys are a great, though, and a lot of fun to hang out with. The orphanage is incredibly under staffed, with only one staff member to supervise the entire group of 230 boys that live there, and they boys have very little to do in the way of activities, sports or games. PARSA is examining the possibility of raising donations to hire another staff member who can assist the current supervisor as well as engage the kids and provide them with some much needed mental and physical development activities. Working with Marc Gold, from the 100 Friends Project, www.100friendsproject.org, we've determined that we can hire a full time staff member for a year, as well as supply the kids with plenty of activies and games for $1000. Marc has already donated $500 towards this goal and asked that PARSA match his contribution. If you are interested in donating to the orphanage through PARSA, please click the Donations link on the main page (or go to http://www.afghanistan-parsa.org/sub/donations.html). The donations category is "Physical Therapy Clinic and Psychosocial Services" or just write Allahoddin Orphanage.

For my own program, I've selected 20 boys, two groups of ten, that I will be working with directly for the next 5 weeks. The idea for the program is to try to find out which counseling techniques will translate into the culture, which ones will prove to be most effective for the boys at the orphanage in terms of treating them for trauma related mental health issues, and then training the staff and the teachers who work with the boys on a daily basis in those techniques.

The next five weeks should proove to be very interesting, for myself and the boys, but if nothing else, I hope to learn a lot from this rambunctious bunch and maybe even have a little fun. Here are some picture of some of the kids I've met so far. The first photo is Parsa staff Zarguna working one-on-one with one of the boys and the bottom two are some of the girls I happened to run across one day as they were walking across the orphanage grounds.
--Guru Sewak

A Day off in Istalif

2006-08-02T04:29:00.000-07:00

Susan (red head covering), Rosemary (interesting head covering) and Dawn joined Norm, myself, Yasin and family for a lovely trip to Istalif. When Rosemary, Dawn and I lived here befor the war, Istalif was a fovorite place for expat. and their families to picnic. Devastated during the war, Dawn and I have seen Istalif come back to life- and we love to visit. A great break from the dust and heat of Kabul. We are so enjoying our guests and the interesting community that we make.

We are back at PARSA...

2006-08-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Norm and I arrived back here in Kabul three weeks ago to a whirlwind of activity, two lovely volunteers, Susan Moodie who has come to train our staff in how to incorporate yoga into our rehabilitation programs, and Rosemary Jeffcott, ateacher here in the 70's who speaks Dari and will be traveling to Panjab to distribute household goods to poor households. Dawn has been doing an incredibel job of revamping our financial systems and supporting the directors.
Pictures here are of Yasin Farid, our new Director-in-Training, with his wife, Salia and son Osman. Yasin has know Mary for over 10 years and is a physiotherapist by training. He has been running the physiotherapy clinic and is learning how to manage all of PARSA. He started work when he was twelve as it was during the war-and his father had to go into hiding. Yasin supported his family for years until Dad could start working again. Ironically, his wife Salia, spent two years in the orphanage that we just started working in...Allahodin, and some of the teachers still remember her. Of course, young son, Osman. He is simply one of the most compassionate Afghan men that I have met. We are all invited to dinner with Salia on Wednesday.

The 'Official' PARSA & the Eagle

2006-07-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

Today amongst other things, PARSA has gone official. Van is making new badges for staff which Yasin, Director of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation said, had to look more official. After some thought, Van added a bar code to the badge, which will now be needed to enter the PARSA compound. With our high technology we have an invisible sensing devise that can detect the validity of the badge. In addition, the security hologram was added to the badge to keep us safer.

After a visit to the vet, the PARSA eagle appears to be getting better. The vet appeared to be a little confused as he thought that the bosha (eagle) might be a boom(owl). As the bird is awake all day and has eyes on the side of its head, we're still voting eagle despite the vet's assessment. If you think that Bosha is something other than an eagle, please let us know.

To make Bosha happier, Van and I splurged on materials for a huge cage. If you get a chance, come visit the PARSA Aviary.

As for the name Sahar*Dawn, it came from my Afghan friends who told me that Dawn means Sahar.

Another angel-Van Auburn

2006-07-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

In Kabul, Van Auburn is called by his Afghan friends "Chil Sal Pesh" or Mr. Forty Years Ago. He also lived here during the sixties as a teenager and he loves Afghanistan. We have met up over the last couple of years, and this trip he has been living at PARSA quietly and calmly providing an amazing level of volunteer support. He has built databases for our programs, worked on our website, created brochures and pretty much done whatever asked...skating through our chaotic days with a cheerful smile. We are so grateful to have him and will miss him when he returns to the US this month.

About Allhoddin Orphanage and PARSA...one of the projects Dawn is working on

2006-07-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

In January, 2006 PARSA hired two psychosocial trainers who have been certified by Dr. Patricia Omidian in a culturally specific psychosocial training that she has developed specifically for teachers who work with young children. In June 2006, I asked PARSA Director, Yasin Farid to visit neighboring Allahoddin Orphanage to see what support PARSA staff can begin to provide during our process of piloting psychosocial programs for adults and children. Yasin wrote me during my brief visit to the US to report. “I visited Allahoddin Orphanage this morning and there were some children with physical disability and lots of children with psychological problems, and there were not any physiotherapy facilities yet...the thing which they want from PARSA is that we should start physiotherapy and psychosocial program inside their school and work with children directly. Now, I made an emergency plan to do some thing for those poor children right now.. So from tomorrow one of our PT and two psychosocial trainers are going to that place and they'll start working with them…Yasin.
I have worked with Yasin for over a year now, and he is a remarkable 31-year-old Afghan who was the wage earner for his family during the war starting at 12 years old. Competent, compassionate and unflappable he is a professional now, a psychotherapist and director of our “PT” clinic. I could tell from his letter that he was shaken by the condition of the children in the orphanage. Dawn Erickson, our organizational consultant, went to the orphanage and reported the following.

“Allahoddin Orphanage has approximately 600 orphans that live at two locations. In Afghanistan a child is considered an orphan if they have no father. Some of the orphans have families that they go to see every two weeks, or once a month, but most of the orphans have no family. Many of the orphans have psychosocial problems due to the wars, being left an orphanage, not knowing if they will ever leave it, or what kind of future they have. Some of the orphans are disabled and the orphanage only provides treatment for first aid, not for disabilities. In Afghanistan, adoption is limited. Law dictates that orphans only be adopted by Muslim’s and international adoptions are very rare.” Dawn

June 2006, PARSA did an initial survey asking the teachers to find children that could be helped by physiotherapy and psychosocial care. Currently, PARSA is sending two physiotherapists and two psychosocial trainers five days a week to the orphanage for two hours to help the children with their problems. PARSA is seeking funding now to pilot a program with the teachers at Allahoddin orphanage that provides intensive services to support the orphans. PARSA will then look to replicate this program through other agencies and communities with vulnerable children.
Sair- an 8-year-old boy
“Sair’s parents left him in a container, because he has a big head and they knew that he had a problem that could not be cured. Someone found him and brought him to Allahoddin Orphanage to stay. Sair was diagnosed with hydrocephalus.
He had surgery to assist fluid flows in the body. He also has contracture in his limbs that currently, PARSA physiotherapists are helping him with through physiotherapy designed to increase his movement”. Dawn
Sair’s prognosis is poor as he lives in Afghanistan. PARSA’s staff will develop a treatment program for him that will include advocating for additional medical treatment as well as including him on our psychosocial programs designed for children.
“Ajmal does not know how long he has been living at the orphanage or how old he is.
We were asked to work with Ajmal because he demonstrates symptoms of trauma and stress. PARSA’s psychosocial trainers are starting to assess him and develop a plan for helping him.” Dawn

PARSA’s work of the next six months will be to develop simple assessment tools and strategies for treatment and to find therapeutic methods that can be integrated into school lessons, vocational training, “life skills” training, arts development, exercise and supervised play and one-on-one counseling that are culturally appropriate and effective with different age levels. Allahoddin Orphanage will also participate in a “pen pal” program connecting the children in this program with children in the US dedicated to being in touch and supporting them through the Internet.

If you are interested in this aspect of PARSA’s work please e-mail me at mgustav@mac.com. We are interested in all levels of support. For this program we are developing a volunteer program for trained professionals who are interested in contributing to program development. We are also dedicated to providing the intensive support for a pen pal exchange program for the orphans to connect them with schools in first world countries through the internet- as these programs can help children develop more advanced skills while also making them feel special through individualized contact with children of other countries.

PARSA-viewingDawn Erickson at work- from 12,000 away

2006-07-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our journal. I am in Seattle, my home in the US for the first time in a year-away from Kabul. I lived at PARSA until the end of this March and I have been managing PARSA since Mary turned over the reins last fall. My girlhood friend, Dawn Erickson also grew up in Afghanistan and she has been with me on many trips back and forth since the Taliban fell. She visited in the spring and I begged her to come back and stay awhile. She joined another PARSA angel- "scorpion" (alumni of the old American International School of Kabul) Van Auburn-a couple days after I left Kabul in June. I have been corresponding with her since-as she has been trying to manage PARSA in my absence. I find her e-mails fascinating and cryptic-and imagine her-much like when we were girls in Kabul- sleeping in my bed-raiding my closet and making a wonderful creative mess. Her e-mail read in some kind of code...I am afraid to have her clarify.

Excerpts from Dawn's e-mails:
..."Did you know that somehow an eagle arrived here. It looks a little beat up, but, is getting better. However, it is in a too small containter that Van and I helped buy. I am willing to help buy the supplies to make the bird a bigger cage after I get to the bank if you think it should stay ...

..."I am relaxing some, but, I am not good at sitting still, I never have been. So far have read two books, played my Scrabble, had some wine, watched movies on Sat. night at your house ...

My schedule so far for next week:
Sat 8:30 Director Training for Non-Accountants
Sat 1:30 Yasin Pictures & Stories Allaudinn
Sun 8:30 Director's Meeting
Sun 1:00 Allaudinn with Yasin & therapists
Mon 11:00 Widow's Garden with Zarguna taping and pictures of woman making
money
Tues. 9:00 Monthly Report Planning Palwasha

..."So that leads me to Guest House issues and clothes:
Palwasha knows the clothes part, but not all of it, do you want me to talk to her, or you?

..."I did not bring that many clothes, and wash day, wash wasn't done because of the problems with the electricity. Today it will get taken care of, but no washed clothes for nine days has left me totally scrounging and buying new shirts from the gift shop every day. They were out of large shirts by yesterday, and Zarguna acted immediately without me asking and amazingly enough I have a new pink shirt to wear to the meeting this morning...."

"Van's clothes were forgotten, so he was going to be really out of luck also."

If the Guest House is busy, once a week clothes washing does not appear to be enough."....

"The impact of the bombing here was not severe. Barq seemed to be off most of the day yesterday and then today. Zarguna was upset for a while because the bomb went off near the school her sister teaches at.Actually, July 4th was scarier because the helicopters kept circling Karte Se with shooters aiming out the open door. They were flying low. Generator problems today, but, may be solved."

....."Started a long Email, that crashed when I tried to put on attachments so no attachments to this one.

1-Eagle -Saw vet and is sick, got shots there and came here. No one discussed release at present."

2-...After scratching my head at the inconsistencies in titles, format, etc. on the spread sheets for January, I realized also that what is being called the Income Sheet is actually a Summary Sheet."

My advice to her: "You are the boss. Make Rules. Scowl. Write them down so I know what they are. See you in a week."
Below-Picture of Dawn and a picture of her and I up at Bandimir Lake with friends-ealier trip...