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:

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.