Hope for Afghan Children

In the coming month, each AFCECO sponsor will receive a copy of a new booklet, Parwarishga: A Unique Vision for the Future of Afghanistan, One Child at a Time.

The booklet tells the story of the AFCECO orphanages from inception until the current day. It is filled with photos, a glimpse inside the New Learning Center, descriptions of the special programs run by AFCECO and intimate portraits of some of the orphanage residents.

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I hope you will treasure the booklet as I know I will. I also encourage you to share it with your family, friends and colleagues, using it as a source of inspiration to entice others to join us in the AFCECO family.

Sponsors are the lifeblood of AFCECO’s work and yet many of the 600 children in the orphanages have no sponsor at all. If each of us could bring just one more sponsor into the fold, it would go a very long way towards ensuring AFCECO’s financial future and the success of this practical vision for a better Afghanistan.

In these hard economic times, it can feel like an imposition to ask others to become sponsors, and yet each of us knows the joy of sponsorship, the delight of receiving an email from a young one who shares a drawing and says “Thank  you for your helping”, the even greater satisfaction of watching that child learn and grow, and the fulfillment that comes from making a real difference in the world. It is not an imposition to wish to share such things; it is a gift.

This booklet is a way to break through any hesitancy or shyness you may feel in sharing your joy in being a member of the AFCECO family. Not only is it a pleasure to read, it also contains a section called “Questions Commonly Asked” with answers to gnarly issues such as “Where does the money go?”, “What happens when the children turn 18?” and “How do you keep the children safe?” On the last page are details on how to join the AFCECO family.

The booklet has been made possible by a grant from USAID. I hope you enjoy your copy and please let me know if you have suggestions for making future versions of the booklet even better. I’ll pass your suggestions on to Andeisha, Jamshid and Ian in Kabul.

Your sister sponsor,
Rose Vines
(sponsor of Farzana, Sara, Madina and Jamshid)

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This week the AFCECO girls’ soccer team competed in the annual FIFA tournament, sponsored by the Afghan Women’s National Soccer Team, pitting sixteen clubs from Kabul area schools against one another on the field at ISAF headquarters. Throughout the entire tournament the Mehan girls gave up only one goal in regulation time. Without a loss they made it to the final match, which was featured on all the local news broadcasts. At the end of regulation in the final match it was one to one, and Mehan went on to win the tie-breaking shots on goal 4 to 3.

The girls’ jersey affirms, “We can be champions”, and now they can say they are champions! To say it was an emotional victory is an understatement. The girls played with intensity, determination and intelligence. They played as a team. Nobody was the superstar, as they passed and defended and saw the field as they had been taught by their beloved coach all year long. Each player received a medal and the team brought home some new soccer balls and a sizable trophy, perhaps the first of many! They were received at Mehan orphanage by all the other children and staff of AFCECO, rose petals flying and tears of joy. We are all very proud of our girls.

Often we remind the world of the significance this program plays in the girls’ lives. They have been forever lifted from any possible denial of their worth as human beings, and they now have solid experience of their own individual potential. Additionally they realize what an example they have become to all other Afghans. The fact that they were seen by thousands of Kabul citizens on television sends a huge message to people everywhere, especially other girls. We must thank all those who have supported this program in the past, in particular Richard Riess for his significant sponsorship of the soccer program.

At present we are searching for ways to obtain a plot of land to use as permanent home field for the AFCECO girls and the national team. This is vital in terms of securing the longevity of our program, as at present use of the few fields available are tenuous and not long term.

We invite you to celebrate and tip your hat along with us as we acknowledge another hallmark in AFCECO history.

You can view more photos of the AFCECO Girls’ Team on Google+.

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As many of you will have heard through the email grapevine, yesterday soldiers raided the family home of Andeisha Farid, the director of the AFCECO orphanages, and took her father and brother away at gunpoint. Andeisha’s email alerting us to this sparked action by her many supporters and friends in Afghanistan and around the world.

The good news is her father and brother were released yesterday evening (US time) and they are now safe. Sadly, her mother was hospitalized after going into shock, and the children are traumatized. It has been a terrible time for all our friends working and living in the orphanages and for Andeisha’s entire family. We send our love, best wishes and commitment to ongoing support to all of them.

Due to the delicate security situation, we won’t go into the details of what happened unless we get the go ahead from AFCECO. But thanks go to everyone who helped, by emailing and phoning government departments, by activating military channels, by alerting AFCECO’s friends in the media, by spreading the word, and by making themselves available to act. In Andeisha’s own words:

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Tonight, Andeisha Farid, the visionary Afghan who founded AFCECO and established the first AFCECO orphanage when she was a youngster herself (20 years old!), will be one of six women to receive a Vital Voices Global Leadership award. The other recipients are Panmela Castro (Brazil), Afnan Al Zayani (Bahrain), Melinda Gates (USA), Rebecca Lolosoli (Kenya) and Roshaneh Zafar (Pakistan).

Many of us who are AFCECO sponsors know Andeisha personally and have witnessed her tireless work on behalf of a new generation of Afghan children. In amongst the hundreds of tasks requiring her attention each day, she still finds time to respond to our emails and build bonds of friendship. We know how richly she deserves this recognition.

We also know she couldn’t have accomplished so much without the unflagging support of her husband, Jamshid, and the others who work each day in the orphanages in Kabul, Jalalabad, Pakistan and – soon – in Herat. Congratulations and thanks to all of you.

We, as sponsors, can take pride in this award, too. It is wonderful to be a small part of such an important venture, one which is at once visionary and practical.

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