Letter from the President
Welcome to the Afghans4Tomorrow (A4T) 2005 newsletter. Our goal is to share with you the great activities accomplished by A4T in Afghanistan. Thanks to you (our donors, volunteers, and supporters) A4T has grown significantly and it all happened because of your genuine interest in helping the people of Afghanistan.
Rotary Club. All this was made possible thanks to our donors and our volunteers. The messages I receive from our recipients could not be better expressed than the one from Rabia, a 12-year old female student, who lost an arm during the civil wars in Afghanistan: "Thank you for not forgetting us." I encourage you all to contribute to any one of our projects. A4T is aiming to bring positive changes to the education of young Afghan students and improve the welfare of many Afghans.
Your feedback is welcome. Best wishes and regards to all.
Wahid Omar supervising, from the rooftop, the building of the new greenhouse in Farza This year we saw an increase volunteers who supported the organization's projects. It is a wonderful feeling to see such dedication. The highlights of this year’s activities were the completion of four major projects: opening of the second A4T school in Kabul, completion of a water improvement project, the first greenhouse in Farza, and the opening of a large school in the Wardak Province. Recently we have completed the construction of a medical clinic in Wardak and it is scheduled to open later in December. We have also distributed the contents of our last container that was loaded with school supplies donated by the Denver South East
Wahid Omar President, Afghans4Tomorrow
Inauguration of the Janet/A4T School in Takhta Pul, Kabul
Afghans4Tomorrow inaugurated its second school in March of 2005 and opened its doors to the poorest of Kabul in Takhta Pul, which is located close to Shorbazar for those who are familiar with Kabul. The school is named the Janet/A4T Vocational and Training Center in honor and memory of Janet Wilcox. Wilcox’s son, Jim Wilcox and his wife Azin, made this project possible. Jim Wilcox is an economist
at the Business School of University of California, Berkeley. We thank them on behalf of A4T and the
children of Afghanistan.
In This Issue
Letter from the President…….………............................…....1 Inauguration of the Janet/A4T School ………......................1 Water Improvement Projects in Farza………………….........3 Construction & Opening of A4T School #3 in Wardak. . . … 6 The Abdullah Omar Clinic……………………………………..7 The Afghan Academy District of Jaghori……………………..7 Teacher Trainings……………………………………………....8
Distribution of Backpacks….…………………………………….…9 The Province of Khost…….……………………….………………10 Northern California Branch Activities……..……….………..……10 A4T Guesthouse/Office in Kabul….………………………………13 Events…….………………………..…………………………..……13 Donate Your Car……………………………………………………14 To Our Donors………………………………………………………14
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Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2005
Afghans4Tomorrow Vocational & Training Center # 1 The A4T Vocational and Training Center opened on February 16, 2004 on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan in a very poor area lacking schools. The student body has grown from 217 to 228 students and is split between morning and afternoon shifts. Early this spring the school moved about a half - mile to a new location and a building of six classrooms in addition to an administrative office and a gift shop. They also have a nice courtyard where volleyball is played. We have a new principal and a vibrant team of teachers leading the students. The school has students in grades one through seven who are between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Most students are girls and there are a few handicapped boys who were victims of land mines.
The Director of Education from the Ministry of Education, our A4T president, several A4T volunteers, a representative from Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), teachers, parents and eager students attended the opening ceremonies of the school.
Fifth grade students enjoying their Dari lesson The school has five classrooms, an administration office, a computer lab, a kitchen and a bathroom. The school operates in two shifts and has nearly 150 students. Most students are young girls and a few are handicapped boys. Most are poor and returning from refugee camps. The school has students in grades one through seven, and has 8 teachers, two guards, and one director, named Mahbuba Usman.
Pictured in A4T #1’s administration office are the new Director, Nuragha, on the right, and the staff who are teaching the same curriculum as the Ministry of Education Our two schools in Kabul both have computer rooms with five computers each thanks to a donation from Teachers Without Borders and the World Bank. The schools will not close during the winter because of our intensive program and we are hoping that the girls will catch up academically by completing two grade levels per year. Many girls did not attend school during the two decades of wars and the Taliban regime. A4T signed an Afghan Ministry of Education protocol that officially recognizes our schools. We are licensed to educate young girls through an intensive year-long program until they finish seventh
New students listen to Wahid Omar and other officials’ speeches on opening day ceremonies
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grade. After that, with their A4T diploma, they can matriculate to regular government schools. In addition to their academic program, the vocational program of the centers enables the students to learn skills such as embroidery, carpet weaving, and other crafts, which promotes the preservation of the beautiful handicraft work of Afghanistan. The craft products sold in the center’s gift shop both help continue the program and help students earn some needed income. Many of the students’ fathers were killed during the wars and their mothers struggle to provide for their children on very meager wages. To ensure quality, two general meetings with our directors and another with all of the teachers were held at the A4T office. A4T policy and school improvement were topics of these discussions.
Clowns Without Borders entertained in our schools and their performances brought smiles and laughter to the students. Laughter is the best antidote for these children affected by the traumas of war. The joyful clowns also performed in northern Afghanistan.
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Water Improvement Project and Greenhouse completed in the Village of Bustan, District of Farza
This project started back in the spring of 2003 when a group of A4T volunteers and Engineers Without Borders International conducted an assessment mission in the village of Bustan in the Farza District, located in the Province of Kapissa, 30 miles north of Kabul. The village suffered heavily due to years of drought and wars. We have finally finished the Farza Project which consisted of: a major water improvement design involving the building of a concrete reservoir, installing piping, digging a well, and the building of the greenhouse. Last March, construction began on a concrete reservoir and several pipelines bringing water down from a high spring. This was completed in May and resulted in turning the valley below it green from the irrigation. Against all odds, a 100-meter deep well was also dug close to a mountain range, and its water channeled to the village and to the agricultural areas nearby. These projects have made a significant improvement in the village economy thanks to increasing water supply. The Director of Economy from the Ministry of Economy, A4T president, A4T volunteers, members of the community, and the villagers, inaugurated the well. After recitation of the Quran and speeches, the villagers slaughtered a sheep in honor of the occasion and the meat was distributed to the poorest of the village. The crucial moment was when the first flow of water came out of the well and nourished the thirsty soil of Farza. This was an unforgettable moment because so much effort, vision, and patience were necessary to make this Project successful. We wish to thank Engineers Without Borders International for providing their expertise and the Dudley family for their generous donation to finance these water projects; the Fitzsimons Rotary Club for supporting our volunteers and financing the ticket to Afghanistan for Idriss Sayed; our long time partner Jennifer Heath, in Boulder, Colorado; and people of Farza whose collaboration was crucial in the success of this project. Last, but not the least, we wish to
All A4T schools received twenty water cones (filters) in order to diminish gastric intestinal diseases among children. Since the water cones have been installed, the sun's energy provides distilled water which is much safer than well water. We wish to thank the German company DISCOBED for donating these wonderful devices to the children of Afghanistan.
Water cones on A4T #1’s courtyard deck
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thank Idriss Sayed, A4T volunteer, whose dedication, patience, and mechanical skills were instrumental in making this project successful in a timely manner. Through the dedication of volunteerism it becomes apparent that it takes love, vision, and perseverance to achieve results. Last summer, the first greenhouse in Farza Province was constructed to reflect both traditional and modern methods for ultimate output and sustainability. The greenhouse is a gift from Jennifer Heath to the village elder, Haji Aman, so that he and his family of 20 can grow vegetables and flowers during the winter. Jennifer has also been donating seeds for this project through her Seeds for Afghanistan charity since 2002. Her charity continues to accept donations of vegetable and flower seeds that will grow well in Zone 4. A4T is very thankful to volunteers Devon Patillo and Idriss Sayed, who supervised the construction, and to those in the village involved with the building and maintenance of the greenhouse and plants
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Boys glad to see the spring water flowing down 400 meters of pipes to the reservoir
Idriss Sayed, A4T volunteer from California, unloading the pipes purchased from Kabul for the reservoir project in Farza
Villagers inspecting their new reservoir; boys see it as a new swimming pool
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Opening ceremonies of the new water well delivering water to Bustan, with Wahid Omar, Walizada, and Haji Aman, Community Leader of Bustan, next to boys on the right
Greenhouse construction in Bustan which will be covered in plastic and fabric this winter to protect the new seedlings
Left to rt.: Farzana Atayee, Shakila Khalje-Olave, Asma Eschen Nazihi, Jennifer Heath and Wahid Omar; A4T members on a retreat in Boulder presented Heath with a Certificate of Appreciation (Photo by Marsha MacColl)
Construction and Opening of A4T School No. 3 in Wardak
Local vineyards once again are green and bountiful with irrigation from the reservoir In mid-2005, Afghans4Tomorrow finished the construction of the 10-classroom school complex in Sheik Yassin in the Wardak Province. The school is named Ismael Mayar Primary School after the late Ismael Mayar, an important personality from Wardak, recommended by the villagers. This magnificent building was a collaborative effort between A4T, our donors, and the community in Wardak who helped with some building of the school and surrounding
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wall. A mixture of traditional architecture and modern technology, it took two years to build this school.
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third grades and the students are from 6 to 14 years old. They will attend school year-round to catch up to their peers and will also have some vocational training classes to give them an income opportunity in case they don’t continue with a higher education. In the future we hope to add higher grades beyond the third grade, if we obtain funding. The school can house up to 500 students in two shifts.
Just before its grand opening in mid-July, our guard discovered a mine planted in the school by an unknown group of terrorists. Fortunately, the explosive did not work due to a faulty connection. The investigation started by the Afghan police did not result in a conviction but certainly put everybody on high alert. We had to hire an additional guard for 24-hour security of the school. A4T’s project manager, Massud Mayar, and the local engineer, Yama, worked diligently with our chief engineer Dr. George Nez from Colorado and the A4T team worked hard to complete the project on schedule. After an assessment of the security situation we decided to open the school because the students had been waiting too long and we cannot give in to terrorism.
The school was inaugurated in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Education, the President of Primary Education, A4T president (pictured above), A4T volunteers, Compassionate Service International, members of the community, students, teachers and the police force. The inauguration was covered on national TV and was broadcast all over Afghanistan. We wish to thank Reverend Cloe Bryer, Dr. George Nez, Mr. Ehsan Mayar, Massud Mayar, The Rebuilding Afghanistan Foundation, Partnership for Children and Peace in Afghanistan, Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), Dudley family, the Afghanistan Foundation, Partners for Peace in Afghanistan, Denver South East Rotary Club, GW and GM Universities, the Episcopal Diocese of New York A4T, members and volunteers, and many individual donors for trusting in the success of this project.
First grade class with their new textbooks on the opening day The school opened discretely on October 12, 2005 for 61 girls the first day and 120 a week later. After some meetings with community leaders and suggestions from Dr. Rohsanak Wardak, the only woman gynecologist in Wardak Province, it was decided that the school would be for girls who had little or no education. The school is for first through
Wardak students listening to the inauguration speech
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Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2005
The Abdullah Omar Clinic in the Village of Sheik Yassin, Wardak Province
Another recent accomplishment of A4T is the building of a health clinic in Sheik Yassin. The clinic is named after the late Dr. Abdullah Omar, who served as Minister of Public Health in Afghanistan from 1973-1978. The people of Wardak knew about his life-long commitment to the public health sector, and upon the recommendation by A4T’s President, they named the clinic after him. The clinic has been painted and is opening in December. Dr. Rohsanak Wardack, the only mobile gynecologist in Wardak, (population 1.5 million) will be the leading doctor of the clinic. A4T has supported the work of this courageous doctor at various times over the past three years and we congratulate her as a newly elected member of the Afghan Parliament this year. More funds will be needed to build a guesthouse, surrounding walls and a well. However, it is imperative to open the clinic in order to save lives, especially those whose situation is critical, such as women and children who are vulnerable to many diseases. Initial talks with the Swedish Committee and Compassionate Service International are promising because they can provide supplies and materials. We thank Episcopal Relief and Development, Reverend Cloe Bryer and Fayaz Company for making this project possible.
The Afghan Academy, District of Jaghori in the Province of Ghazni
The Ministry of Higher Education has asked Future Generations and A4T to help establish The Afghan Academy with the assistance of partner nongovernmental institutions and donors to meet the educational needs of these citizens. Building human capacity through education is the key to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development. As the Afghan government seeks to restore formal educational systems, the educational needs of men who lost the opportunity to gain education and skills and of women and girls who were systematically denied educational opportunities during the years of invasion and war must also be addressed. This project establishes the first of 20 small regional campuses as a pilot campus to serve as a learning, experimentation, and adaptation center for Academy extension. The campus is located in Jaghori District of Ghazni Province and builds upon the work of Afghans4Tomorrow and Future Generations Afghanistan. Thanks to a grant received by the French embassy in Kabul, the Afghan Academy is training teachers in vocational skills, health, and literacy methods. In addition, potential young teachers will be trained by A4T with new pedagogical methods. The project was launched at the end of November, 2005.
Afghan officials & A4T President visit the completed health clinic after the school inauguration in Sheik Yassin
Seventh graders being trained by our partner Future Generations to become future 1st grade teachers in Jaghori
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Teacher Trainings
A4T conducted several teacher-training workshops and seminars in Kabul and Jaghori this year. In Kabul, all the trainings took place in our office where 12 teachers from our own schools, one supervisor from Jaghori and four teachers from Bamiyan received training in Learning Style Inventories. The teachers from Bamiyan were part of a program called Learning for Life (financed by USAID) and they received additional training in health by our partner Future Generations. In addition, A4T volunteer Mohammed Ali Raonaq went to the district of Jaghori and trained 30 young teachers with new methods for learning Dari (Farsi). The University of Kabul also received training by A4T where nine professors from different departments were trained in consultant skills and Learning Style Inventories. This two month seminar to "train the trainers" and was supported by the French Embassy in Afghanistan. On October 31, the trainees received Certificates of Training in the presence of a representative of the French Embassy, University of Kabul French Department professors, A4T president and A4T volunteers. In addition, thanks to a partnership between Engineers Without Borders International (EWBI), A4T and the University of Kabul's Faculty of Engineering, students and professors from that department can now receive taped classroom lectures and seminars from the University of Colorado at Boulder. The Center for Advanced Engineering and Technology Education (CAETE) at the University of Colorado, Boulder has a large library of materials that may be used by engineering faculty in Kabul. The CAETE Course Library, available online at http://caete. colorado.edu/courses/library.aspx offers access to over 100 University of Colorado graduate engineering and technology courses taught in previous semesters. Thanks to EWBI and A4T, the Faculty of Engineering received a TV, VCR, laptop, and computers to support this project. Last, the French Department at the University of Kabul received two $250 scholarships from A4T and many books donated generously by the French Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
A4T teachers receiving training in Learning Style Inventories from Wahid Omar, A4T president Our two A4T Vocational & Training Centers in Kabul were fortunate to receive a week of teachertraining workshops last April. These were led by California volunteers Camilla Barry, a Marin County science teacher, and Elsie De Laere, a kindergarten teacher at Marin Elementary School in Alameda County, who took time off from their teaching positions to train our teachers. This was Camilla's third consecutive year and Elsie's second year to volunteer teaching science to A4T students and teachers. Elsie and Camilla alternated between science and English lessons. While one of them led the teacher seminar, the other one led a separate lesson for the older girls. There were about a dozen teachers from both schools and about 25 girls. When Camilla asked them the previous year what they wanted to learn next year, they replied they wanted to learn how to care for plants and use them. So this spring, they dissected seeds and learned their needs; dissected dahlia tubers and planted them, made herbal medicine (very popular), distilled rose water for cooking and learned about chlorophyll and the food cycle of plants. Camilla bought seeds and tubers in both Marin County and Kabul, suitable for private gardens, and distributed these to all the attendees. Dahlias, which grow well in Afghanistan and reproduce readily, were chosen so the women and girls could start their own dahlia garden, either for personal enjoyment or sale of flowers. There is a demand for ready-cut flowers in Kabul's flower market, especially for the booming wedding business. Elsie brought a variety of English Language materials for the schools, for which she raised money in her own elementary school in Albany. She demonstrated, using these materials, different ways of teaching
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English (sight word Bingo, opposite picture cards, vocabulary flashcards, tapes of songs and poems, etc.) She found both the students and teachers quite excited about these games. Elsie also introduced both groups to new reading techniques such as a daily morning message and discussion groups. She looks forward to continuing her teaching with A4T. A4T greatly appreciates the contributions of Camilla and Elsie whose dedication to teaching Afghan youth has meant a great deal to our students and teachers. We thank the Marin Elementary School in Albany, Redwood High School, in Larkspur, and many individuals that donated funds for their teaching supplies and expenses.
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The backpacks that came to our office were counted, sorted out for content and stored. They were distributed immediately to the following: Ariana high school (500), Pulasky Academy (220), Maktabe Hayati no 7 (500), Future Generations literacy courses in Jaghori, (500), Kalam Institute (150), Jalalabad schools (620), A4T schools (500), Lalandar school (280), Literacy Course of the Ministry of Higher Education (250), and Sarandoy Literacy Course (150). The following supplies were also delivered: Abdul Ali Mustarni High School (750), Ministry of Education (15 boxes of stationary), University of Kabul (8 boxes of stationary/papers), PARSA (10 boxes of sewing materials.) A special thanks goes to Idriss Sayed, Nadjib Sedeqe, Rabia Mojaddidi, Ali Raonaq, Abdul Hamid, and Gulam Hazrat, A4T staff and volunteers who worked very hard in the distribution process. In addition, thanks to Nadjib Mojaddidi, 500 clothing items coming from Japan were distributed to A4T schools. A4T is also grateful to Joe Howard and the New Hope Men Fellowship for shipping all the donations to Afghanistan during this and past years.
Practicing the ice cream making experiment lesson (for the A4T school) with A4T guesthouse staff in Kabul by rolling the ice cream bag over 11 times. Pictured above from right to left: Camilla Barry, Abdul Rhaman, Abdul Hamid and Farid
Distribution of Backpacks with School Supplies
The most challenging operation A4T had to accomplish in Kabul this year was delivering thousands of pounds of school supplies from Bagram Air Base to our office. This included monitoring, loading and transporting the supplies from Bagram on eight full trucks. We also received a 4x4 Jeep donated by the New Hope Men’s Fellowship in Castle Rock, Colorado. This vehicle will be used for the Jaghori project due to the rugged terrain and road conditions.
Abdul Hamid, one of our guards working at the guesthouse loading school supplies in A4T van
School supplies at A4T guesthouse in Kabul
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Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2005
The Province of Khost
A4T and Partnership for Children and Peace in Afghanistan (PECA), joined together to build the external walls for Da Doornamio School of Ismael Khel, district of Mandozai, in the Khost Province, south of Kabul. This project was implemented along the protocol we signed with PECA when they supported our school project in Wardak. We wish to continue our relationship with similar groups in order to help Afghanistan.
Northern California Branch Activities
2005 has been a very active year for our team on America’s West Coast. One of our main accomplishments was in our Agricultural Department:
Bare Root Trees Project
A delegation traveled from San Francisco to Kabul March 11- 28, 2005 to plant and donate five thousand pine and assorted fruit trees and seeds to the people of Kabul and some nearby towns. This delegation was lead by Asma Eschen Nazihi, A4T Director of Agriculture and California Representative. She facilitated the purchase, from a Kabul nursery, and the donation of the bare root trees, the travel arrangements and itinerary for the nine delegates, who are members of First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, California. The visionary behind this project is Ashford Wood (pictured on the left with Asma) who has been developing this vision over two years: for people from Marin County to establish a connection with the people of Afghanistan through planting bare root trees together and help Afghanistan recover from decades of war. Marin County residents contributed $8,000 for this project. Working with 16 Afghan gardeners, the volunteer group planted two thousand pine trees in three days
on the Tapa Marinjaan, one of the large hills above Kabul, next to the tomb of Nadir Shah, a former monarch (as shown on above). The Americans and Afghans had a picnic during their lunch break on the top of Tapa Marinjaan. They also bought a three hundred-meter hose for the area to be watered by three gardeners who are hired by the Bare Root Project at the rate of $30/month for a year. At last report, 80 percent of the trees are thriving. Twelve Afghan women gardeners helped with the planting of 500 hundred trees and twelve rose bushes in the Women’s Garden and were paid $5/daily for two days. Again, the Americans and Afghans enjoyed a picnic lunch together. Two of these gardeners have been hired at $30/month to water and care for these plants for one year and recent reports indicate that the trees and roses are thriving. Then, the delegation delivered one thousand trees to the town of Istalif outside Kabul. They also planted or distributed many fruit trees (pomegranate, quince, apricot and plum) at A4T’s schools and others, mosques, 40 widows’ homes and farms. Asma worked together with Najib Sedeqe, the Country Director of A4T, in Kabul to obtain approval from the Ministry of Agriculture to plant trees in the public hills. He was instrumental in arranging official meetings for the group with the Minister of Agriculture; with Dr. Masouda Jalal, Minister of Women's Affairs; with other officials and with A4T Board Members Wahid Omar and Najib Mojaddidi. Sedeqe also arranged transportation; a tour with Wahid Omar of the A4T Vocational & Training Center #1, where they saw the graduation of the students to their next class; and many other needs of the California delegation.
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Through the group’s recent efforts, an American Company has donated 200,000 trees to the Bare Roots Group. They plan to raise the funds necessary for a return trip to Afghanistan in the spring of 2006 to plant and distribute the trees in Afghanistan in conjunction with Asma and the A4T organization. For further information you may contact: Asma Eschen Nazihi, A4T Director of Agriculture — Bare Roots Project Asma804@yahoo.com 415-461-5228 (Marin County, CA)
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for the A4T school. Pictured on the bottom left are some of the organizers with their check for the Afghan Sister School on March 9, 2005. Guest speaker Maryam Asadullah, an Afghan high school exchange student, spoke to students and teachers during a lunch meeting of the Interact Club about student life and education needs in Afghanistan. Asadullah attended Mercy High School in San Francisco during the 2004-05 school year. Pictured above from the left are Michelle Aschwald, Maryam Asadullah and Marsha MacColl on 2-9-05 in front of a large Redwood High School’s display case with photos of A4T schools, Afghan clothing and embroidery, jewelry and facts about A4T and Afghanistan borrowed from Camilla, Asma and Kim.
Additional A4T California Branch Activities
Marsha MacColl and Asma Eschen Nazihi launched a Sister School program at Redwood High School in Larkspur (Marin County) with the A4T Vocational Center #1 this year. The program was approved by the Redwood’s Leadership Class and included presentations about Afghanistan, Pen Pal letter exchanges between Redwood’s Asia Club and Interact Club and the Afghan students, and several fundraisers. Educator Camilla Barry, (see Teacher Trainings), talked about the need for education in Afghanistan to the Leadership Class in the fall and spring and showed photos of her science lessons with A4T students in August 2004 and April 2005. They learned about their A4T sister school from Asma, who visited the school last March with the Bare Roots Group. A4T member Kim O’Connor also gave a slide show presentation of her 2004 trip to Afghanistan with Global Exchange, including a visit to A4T #1, to the Interact and Asia Clubs to kick off their Pen Pal Letter exchange. T-shirts with the A4T logo were sold during the fundraiser.
Redwood’s student leaders presented the Sister School Program to Redwood students in their homeroom classes and held a successful fundraiser
A small group of Redwood music students held a free outdoor music festival of six high school rock bands to benefit the A4T sister school in Kabul last June 10th. They chose to help this charity because music was banned and education denied to girls during the Taliban’s regime. Volunteers collected donations from the audience and proceeds from a barbecue. The McNear’s Beach Music Festival Benefit for Afghans4Tomorrow (pictured above) was publicized in several newspapers in Marin County and the San Francisco Chronicle. We appreciate the coverage of A4T events by these newspapers over the past two years.
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Kim O'Connor and Marsha MacColl presented a PowerPoint presentation to the "Afghanistan Reconstruction Networking Session" in Fremont California in January 2005 describing the various projects, accomplishments and goals of Afghans4Tomorrow to a large group of Afghans and others interested in rebuilding Afghanistan. Kim O'Connor (pictured above with her poster) gave a presentation, updated with new photos of recent projects, to another group in Oakland last July. These networking sessions are a beneficial way of educating people in the Bay Area about A4T projects, recruiting volunteers and donors. Kim was joined by Michelle Aschwald who talked with individuals about A4T and enlisted their support for future events.
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Tashakor
We would like to thank: Marin County residents for their continuous support; members and friends at Westminster Presbyterian Church, especially Philip Economon for his numerous donations; First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, for their support of the Bare Roots Project through A4T; Redwood’s student body, Leadership Class, Interact and Asia Clubs, and the Redwood Boys Tennis Team for their support and donations; Spencer & Eric MacColl and Max Abrahams for organizing the festival benefit; Marin County Parks Department; Camilla Barry, Elsie De Laere; Dana King, anchor of CBS-5 in San Francisco, for her TV coverage and presentation about A4T activities in Kabul, and particularly Jim and Azin Wilcox for their founding of the Janet /A4T Vocational & Training Center. We hope to inspire you to join us as volunteers for A4T and become one of our donor participants, Asma Eschen Nazihi, Marsha MacColl, Michelle Aschwald and Kim O'Connor
A4T Guesthouse/Office in Kabul
The A4T guesthouse and office, in west Kabul, has a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding the city and is only 15 minutes away from downtown Kabul. This year it has improved significantly because we now have partial electricity supplemented by a solar energy system that we installed one month ago. The guesthouse is now furnished, has a computer, printer, and a TV/ VCR set for training purposes. The fullservice house is now capable of receiving up to 15 guests at a time.. Thanks to a close cooperation with Global Exchange and other connections, more than 110 people have stayed at our guesthouse since the beginning of 2004 and have had a wonderful experience. The guesthouse staff includes three cooks, two guards and our office staff: Najibullah Sedeqe, Country Director for Afghans4Tomorrow in Afghanistan and Rabia Mojaddidi, accountant. The room charge of $45 per night includes breakfast, dinner, and laundry. Discounts are available for large groups. A4T can also arrange for transportation during your visit in Afghanistan. For reservations
A4T was sponsored by the Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC) Men’s Group to participate in the Annual Alternative Christmas Faire for two Sundays in November. At the Faire, shoppers purchased “gifts” from among nine non-profit groups that will benefit people in great need here and around the world. They will give this gift in honor of a loved one. A church calligrapher inscribes their gift on a special card for the Faire in which they include a description of the charity and a Christmas ornament they may personalize for the recipient. Nearly $6,000 has been donated from the last three Christmas Faires to A4T education projects. Marsha, Camilla (WPC members) and Asma are pictured above at their A4T booth at the Faire with posters of A4T projects.
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please contact: Wahid Omar President, Afghans4Tomorrow wahidomar@comcast.net 303-432-0048 (Denver) 07028-3755 (Kabul)
Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2005
The Chicken Street Sale in Boulder, Colorado
A4T guard beside the A4T guesthouse/office which is close to the University of Kabul
Events
George Washington University’s Afghan Student Organization and George Mason University’s Afghan Student Union with special assistance from musicians Sayed Daoud & Sayed Masood held a successful benefit concert for Afghans4tomorrow's Vocational School in Afghanistan in November 21, 2004. We raised $35,000+ with the help of our friends and many generous people who donated toward the future of Afghanistan.
Our long time friend Jennifer Heath organized, at her house, on May 15, 2005, an exhibition of exquisite Afghan embroideries, clothing, and craft from A4T schools. The sale profit went to support the Afghan girls who produced the materials and to the schools to help with their educational and vocational programs. The exhibition brought also donations such as clothing, patterns, tread, fabric, pins, needles, scissors, bobbins, measuring tapes, and much more.
Radio Kabul Concert at CU Boulder
A4T and CU Concerts invited Afghanistan's greatest female vocalist Ustad (Maesto) Farida Mashwash for an evening of music on February 21, 2005. The concert was a great success and more than 1200 people attended this memorable event. Thanks to A4T volunteers in Colorado (Zarlacht Parwanta, Ariane Parwanta, Nasrin Sayed, Massuda Omar, Ehsan Omar, Jennifer Heath, Sheryl Shapiro, Any Ansary, Soraya Omar, Haroun Omar, Sully Omar, and Sabrina Omar), Afghan food, pictures, and display tables caught the attention of many people. An informative panel discussion entitled: " From Boulder to Kabul: the Reconstruction of Afghanistan" was also organized before the concert.
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Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2005
Donate Your Car to A4T
Now you can donate your car and receive a tax deduction for you donation as well. It will help A4T fund its many programs while allowing you to receive a tax deduction for a good cause! Cars, boats, trucks and vans are all welcome, working or not. Let the Vehicle Donation Center deal with the paperwork and vehicle removal while you receive the tax benefit! Please call them at 1-800-320-0476 if you are considering a vehicle donation.
Board of Directors & Members
Najib Mojaddidi Wahid Omar Farzana Atayee Tooba Mayel Hassib Amiryar Asma Eschen Najib Sedeqe Rabia Mojaddidi Shakila Khalje Ellen Francis Marsha MacColl Kim O'Connor Michelle Aschwald Mia Smith Diana Smith Michael Raulli Corrie Raulli Founder President/Dir. of Education Vice President/Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Country Director Accountant Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Member
To Our Donors
Dear friends and supporters, Afghans4Tomorrow (A4T) has come a long way and is still working hard in Afghanistan, as well as in Washington DC, Denver, New York, San Francisco Bay Area, and Texas to make a real difference in the lives of Afghan people. Once again, on behalf of A4T's dedicated volunteers and the people of Afghanistan, we wish to thank all our donors with special recognition to the Dudley Foundation, Episcopal Relief and Development, the Rebuilding Afghanistan Foundation, The New Hope Men Fellowship, Pencils for Peace, the Denton Program, Engineers Without Borders International, Teachers Without Borders, the US Army, Gulshan Foundation, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Tiburon, and so many other dedicated friends and supporters. Thanks for your time and support! As we say in Farsi “TASHAKOR” from, The A4T Board of Directors
For more Information, please contact: Wahid Omar, President Afghans4Tomorrow (A4T) (Denver) 303-432-0048 (Kabul) 070238755 (e-mail) wahidomar@comcast.net
Editors Note:
The A4T Newsletter is published for the members and supporters of A4T to keep you informed on the growth of our projects. A4T is a non-profit charitable organization as determined by Section 541(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Service, Tax ID# 542056016. Your gift to A4T is taxdeductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Please visit our website for more information or to make any contribution to our projects: www.Afghans4tomorrow.com
Farzana Atayee, Editor
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Wahid Omar President Afghans4Tomorrow (A4T) 9341W. 90 Place Westminster, CO 80021