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Update from Afghanistan
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Dear Friends,
I spent the month of May in Afghanistan checking on the various projects funded by the Afghan Women’s Fund. Below is a report of this trip to all of you -- our friends and supporters.
Logar Province: (south of Kabul) The Deh Now (New Village) girls’ middle school is open! The girls wrote and performed poems and songs at the opening ceremony. We provided school supplies and some furniture. (We didn't have enough funds to furnish the entire school.) This school created so much enthusiasm that the high school a few km away asked the Deh Now principal if they could use the new building as well. (It is currently renting a cramped house.) If the Ministry of Education agrees, there will be 1,000 girls using the school. We are now working to raise the $4,000 building contract balance, plus money to have it painted.
At the Sher Mohamad Khan girls’ school in Kulangar I delivered a gift of a peace quilt and some letters from the P. B. Smith Elementary School in Warrenton, VA. In response the students made a beautiful quilt of their own with a message of peace and wrote letters, both of which they sent back with me to deliver. We also donated school supplies and the students were very grateful for them.
Laghman Province: (Northeast of Kabul) The Mandawar School in Laghman, which gets some support from Garrison Forest School in Baltimore, is growing. There is a great need to build a school facility. Laghman is more than 100° F in the summer and most students study under tents or in the open under the sun. Their computer classes are doing fine.
While there I hired a new male teacher who believes firmly in women’s rights.
The women’s shora in Laghman is growing fast. A year ago they started with 82 members; today they have more than 200. It also now has the support of local men who were not enthusiastic about women’s education afew years ago.
There are hundreds of other women who want to form shoras and enroll in the literacy classes. After completing AWF literacy classes one group of teenage girls was moved to ask the local men’s shora to help them find funding to build a girls’ school. It was rewarding to hear how our assistance in starting the literacy classes inspired them to take these next courageous steps! The men’s shora did find funding, and construction of the new school building has begun. It should be complete by September. The men’s shora is very proud of their accomplishment and that the young women in their community are getting an education and want more. We also donated school supplies to more than 200 women in Laghman.
Wardak Province: (Southwest of Kabul) The Wardak shora is doing very well. They proudly showed me their beautiful bead work, embroidery, and other work. I put them in contact with another successful shora to network and get further guidance. Their accompanying literacy classes have already graduated more than 40 women.
The Wardak girl’s school is finished, but unfortunately we owe $39,000 on the contract. The school cost more than the initial 2006 estimate, in large part because construction could not start until 2008. By then the price of construction materials and gas had gone up considerably. The lack of security and labor costs also increased the total. The organization that raised the initial money for this school (Circle of Women) felt we should pay only the original estimate, but the factors driving up the cost are very realistic. Circle of Women eventually said they would/could not raise the money and left AWF with the debt. The contractor’s work was beautifully and honestly done and we need to honor that. Additionally, to not pay the balance promptly will greatly damage my and AWF’s reputation and will make future work there difficult. The school is complete except for the construction of the boundary wall which is on hold for now. Please contact us (see below) if you can help!
Kabul Region: The women’s shora in Mir Bacha Kot is doing so well that they asked the men to start a Rotary Club chapter. I attended their first meeting. The girls’ school in Mir Bacha Kot celebrated teacher’s day with dance and music and sent thanks for the support they received from Mount de Sales Academy International in Baltimore. This included computers that MDSA and Catonsville Friends Meeting raised money for. The girls spoke proudly of their telephone conference call with the Academy's students and are hoping to have more contact with them.
The Istalif shora was formed while I was there and started work. The leader of this shora is a women's rights activist who has given her life to improve the lives of women. I have a great hope for this shora.
During my trip, all the Kabul region women’s shoras (Wardak, Laghman, Istalif, Mir Bacha Kot, Khair Khana) met together under the wings of Khair Khana shora which is very successful and experienced. One women was wearing burqa when she arrived. She had started during the Taliban era and had continued out of caution and fear. When I asked about it, her husband spoke up and said it was time to take it off. She agreed. In front of us he helped her remove it and put it in the car for her. The symbolism was moving for everyone.
This regional meeting helped coordinate the shoras. The women made plans for increasing the quality of their products and beginning to compete in the global market. AWF wants to support their growth by putting them in contact with US business women and organizations who can help these shoras over the long-term.
The Guldara shora continues its literacy classes, but faces many challenges. The roads to Guldara, a beautiful valley 45 bone jarring minutes off a main road, are very bad. There is almost no public transportation for women. We must work extra hard to overcome these difficulties, but I am confident we will find solutions. One possibility is AWF raising funds to buy a car (and pay a driver) that the Guldara shora members would all share.
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Baghlan Province: (Northern Afghanistan) The women’s shora and literacy classes in Poz-e Eishan are working very hard. Women who couldn't read last year showed off their literacy when I visited. I interviewed a few women who proudly told me that for the first time in their lives they are earning money and providing for their family. Their enthusiasm was amazing and they repeated that they will keep going forward.
Herat Province: (Western Afghanistan) The many shoras in Herat are doing very well. Some are self sufficient and others are getting there. We are working on a plan to bring all these women under one umbrella business with the help of Suraya Pakzad, a local and amazing women's right activist. The preliminary work is done, we just need to get the business license. Similar to the Kabul area gathering at Khair Khana shora, we would like to hear from different US women’s organizations and businesses that can assist this new level of shora organization, and its noble cause.
I want to end with a brief story: At one of the shoras, a woman came to me, collapsed to the floor and started sobbing and thanking me. She cried so much that I got worried. I was also uncomfortable and embarrassed, thinking she is bowing down to my feet. I tried to help her get up. She held my hand and told me how grateful she is for what she has gotten from AWF and from all of you, AWF’s supporters. She said that she is now able to take care of her children properly for the first time in her life, because this is the first time she has ever been able to earn her own money. And, she said that because of both she finally feels like she is worth something.
Here at AWF, we all work very hard to bring changes to people's lives. We all work as a team, we all give. Some give time, some give money, other give expertise. Sometimes we do not see the results of our work right away -- but believe me, there is a positive result. I see amazing changes every time I see these women. I have seen their lives before we started to work with them and after a few years. What a transformation! To see them proud of themselves, having hope for the future of their children – these are the best rewards for me. We do change the lives of many. Helping even one woman will change the lives of many. It will change the society. It will empower them. This is makes me proud to be part of a selfless team who give so much. Thank you!
Fahima Vorgetts
Board Member, Women for Afghan Women
Director, Afghan Women’s Fund
To support our projects, please send a tax-deductible check to:
WAW/AWF
c/o Mary Ellen Bobb
978 Yachtsman Way
Annapolis, Maryland 21403
410.268.4012
304.867.3031