News from The Afghan Women's Writing Project

Issue No. 2 July 2009 Welcome! If you haven't perused the blog written by Afghan women writers lately, take a look now - you don't want to miss the essay from Freshta about the time a gun-toting Taliban member confronted her on the street as she was heading to a secret, forbidden school. Or the one from Fattema about a woman who twice attempted suicide before finally escaping from her Afghan husband and their home in Iran. Or Zaralasht's story of fleeing the start of war. Other compelling essays and poems are highlighted below, with more on the site; encouraged and mentored by our teachers, these brave women are doing breathtaking work. At the same time, our efforts continue to supply them with laptops and jump drives so they can keep writing even as conditions grow more restrictive, particularly in the south. Just a few days left to plop down ten dollars, tax deductible, for a ticket for the literary raffle being run by author Cari Luna, (whose short fiction, btw, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize last year.) Great prizes for those who love words and music! See the list here. http://fromutopia.com/?page_id=3531. You can also help by forwarding this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. And if you are a creative writing teacher and would like to volunteer to teach online in a three- or four-week block, please let us know. The Afghan Women's Writing Project was begun as a way to allow the voices of Afghan women - too often silenced - to enter the world directly, without any mediation. This project is possible only because of the outstanding American women authors and teachers who generously donate their time and energy. Additionally, the tireless contributions of webmaster extraordinaire Jeff Lyons and web designers Terry Dougherty and Rose Daniels have been crucial. Notice our new banner; many thanks to humanitarian, photographer and former TV journalist Kathleen Rafiq for shooting this photograph in Kabul. We hope to have a coordinator in Afghanistan soon. And our inspiring partners are SOLA in Afghanistan and the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation based in Vermont; please visit thei Be in touch with any questions. Thank you. Masha Hamilton Narrow Escape My heart was shaking. My clothes were moist with sweat, which fell from my body like rain. Suddenly one of them jumped from the car with his gun and appeared in front of me. "Where you are going?" By Freshta Click here to read the full story. Hope Helps Me Move On Sara's story: "After a long journey, we arrived in Iran. My step-brother took me to my husband's house. When I first saw him, I couldn't believe my eyes. My husband was Afghan but he had an Iranian wife with four children. His oldest child was twenty years old, older than me." By Fattema Click here to read the full story. My Eyes - A Poem I accept pain for those eyes. I accept tears for those eyes. I love poetry for those eyes. They are God's book of poems. By Roya Click here to read the full poem. From Idyllic Life to War Our parents carried us in their arms and ran barefoot from our home. We were not the only family running away without knowing where we were going. The street was filled with people just like us who were trying to flee the fighting and killing....Our parents tried to not let us see the dead people who were lying along our path. By Zaralasht Click here to read the full story. Mother's Day in Farah Ballal, a six-year-old boy, gives his mother flowers at a provincial ceremony this Mother's Day. But on the same day, a young midwife is fatally shot on her way to work, and the government blames the Taliban. By Seeta Click here to read the full story. A Word From Our Teachers Louisa Ermelino is the author of three novels that celebrate the power of women. She is also Reviews Director at PW Magazine and Chief of Reporters at InStyle Magazine. She's worked at Time and People magazines and for the television show Top Cops. This has been a sheer delight. I was anxious as to how I would be able to encourage and help these women with their writing but soon realized that the act of just making contact was already moving forward. Every message from them was so endearing and sincere and intelligent that I was completely bowled over. And they were so open to my comments and truly used them to improve the work. Three weeks is not such a long time, I have realized, but giving the women two themes worked well. I asked them to work with one or both of two ideas: "Narrow Escapes" and "Taking Chances" which are very broad and could go anywhere and they took them up and ran! It was a fun way to start off. As with any good teaching experience, I learned as much as I taught and will always feel a connection to these women and all women struggling to improve their lot...sisters all. Many thanks to everyone involved. Connie May Fowler is the author of five acclaimed novels, as well as a memoirist and screenwriter. She performed The Vagina Monologues alongside Jane Fonda and Rosie Perez, raising over $100,000 for charities in 2003. Her lauded work has been translated into 15 languages. Since beginning my work with the Afghan Women's Writing Project, I have struggled with various manifestations of disconnection. As I read the emails, essays, and poems penned by these wonderful and brave women, news feeds from Afghanistan flash across my computer screen. The offensive in Helmand is the first step in what has become America's second Afghan war . . . A 24-year-old Illinois soldier was killed by a roadside bomb Sunday fighting the war in Afghanistan . . . The line between life and death has become dangerously thin in Afghanistan's bloody war zone. I get these feeds because I requested them; I had to search them out. Unless you have a loved one deployed there, the situation in Afghanistan is not a part of the American consciousness. It's not a Twitter trending topic. I rarely see the subject roll by in my Facebook live feed (but tons about Michael Jackson). Lately, TV pundits have been spending their time yukking it up over a quitter named Sarah Palin; they've reduced Afghanistan to a sidebar. Then I read the women's words. And I am struck with the complexity of their lives, at how disconnected Americans are from the realities of our fellow humans on whose soil we wage-rightly or wrongly-war. In their words, I spy a gentleness of spirit that I do not believe I would possess if I walked in their shoes. I spy courage and determination; hope and sadness; wisdom and fear; and perhaps most important, a wily insistence on maintaining-against huge odds-a relevant voice in their society. Americans, by and large, tend to think of Afghan women as victims who need to be saved by the West. When I read their words, I know that they are survivors whose circumstances must change and that they will be and must be the ones who define that change. These are women who have lived through unspeakable trauma yet they-in ways great and small, in moments hidden and revealed-insist on soaring. Read their words and you will spy, as I do, a beautiful thing: ascension amid the rubble. Contact AWWP: For more information on the Afghan Women's Writing Project please contact: The Afghan Women's Writing Project Masha Hamilton, Project Founder 686 Sterling Place Brooklyn, New York 11216 Phone: 917.821.6119 / Email: masha@mashahamilton.com Masha's Website/Blog: www.mashahamilton.com AWWP Blog: www.awwproject.wordpress.com , Donations: Online Donations for Afghan Women Writers: Many of our students and women writers, especially outside of Kabul, cannot get to an Internet cafe due to security considerations. A laptop at home and a jump drive would allow them to write their pieces, and then ask a male relative to send the work at an Internet cafe. A $20 donation will buy a flash drive and $500 in donations will buy a laptop for our women writers. No contribution is too small. Thank you for considering it. Your credit card donation will be handled by Friends of Afghanistan's secure Paypal payment. Or you can mail a check made out to Friends of Afghanistan: Terry Dougherty , 15021 Prairie Park Cv, Hoagland, IN 46745. Write SOLA or Afghan Women Writers on the check. We will send your tax deductible donation to the Peter M. Goodrich Foundation for the purpose you indicate. To stay informed about the latest news, events, and other developments with the Afghan Women's Writing Project, please CLICK below and join our mailing list. We appreciate your support. In This Issue Narrow Escape Hope Helps Me Move On My Eyes - A Poem From Idyllic Life to War Mother's Day in Farah Sponsors & Friends: Please visit our sponsors as a way to thank them for their wonderful support:

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• Hope Always Helps Me Move On
• Narrow Escape
• From Idyllic Life To War

Hope Always Helps Me Move On Posted: 09 Jul 2009 11:04 PM PDT Once, I was an interpreter for a lady who was making a story on women's lives in Afghanistan. We went to the Herat Shelter for Women. There, I heard different stories. One is the story of a young Hazara (an ethnic group in Afghanistan) living at the shelter. "I am happy that I am here with my son, and hope for a much better future for both of us," said Sara, a twenty-year old woman with eyes full of happiness and hope. "I don't remember that much of my childhood. I know my mother was pregnant with me when I lost my father. My father was a general and he died in war. After that, my mother remarried because she could not afford living alone and providing for herself. She gave me to a family, and from that time I was living with them and knowing them as my parents. My late father had another wife too, and I had two step brothers who I hadn't seen. "My house was in a city outside Bamiyan. It was a muddy house. We just had two rooms. My family was very poor and they couldn't provide the things I needed. I was around 13 years old when one of my step-brothers found me. He was living in Kabul. He came to my city and wanted to take me but my parents wouldn't let him. So he bought me from them. He gave them money and they let me go. I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. But I was a little happy because he was my brother somehow and now I had a real family with me. "I lived with my step-brother's family for almost two years. My step-brother's family was poor too. They couldn't even afford their daily needs and my step-brother was deeply in debt. I was around 15; it was a dark and rainy day, early in the evening, when my brother came home half wet. It was raining very hard like somebody was pouring water from the sky. I made some tea for him. He started talking to me in a very nice way like he hadn't before. I realized he wanted tell something very important that related to me. He was telling me that one day every girl has to marry and go after their own fate. He told me I had to get married. I was surprised because I was still very young to be married. But my step-brother told me I didn't have any other option. I went to the other room and tears started to come down from my eyes like a river. I was crying so hard that I was shaking. I wished that my parents were with me so I could put my head on my mother's lap and she would caress me. She would tell me nice and hopeful things. She wouldn't let me get married at this early age. I cried and cried until I went to sleep. "A few days later, I realized he had sold me to a married man who was living in Iran with his family. I tried to think positively. I still had hope. I told myself maybe this time I would have a good life; maybe I am going to taste the happiness that I haven't tasted in my fifteen years. After a long journey, we arrived in Iran, my step-brother and I. He took me to my husband's house. When I first saw him, I couldn't believe my eyes. My husband was much older than me. He was Afghan but he had an Iranian wife with four children. His oldest child was twenty years old, older than me. "I had thought I might have a happy life but that didn't happen. My husband always told me: 'Your brother took a big amount of money from me, but you didn't bring anything with you from Afghanistan.' (There's a tradition that when a girl marries, she brings some trousseau to her husband's house.) His rival wife didn't treat me good either. I was like a servant at their house. My husband would beat me sometimes, and when I argued with him, he beat me more. "I couldn't tolerate more, so I went to the home of another step-brother who lived in Iran. I stayed there a few days. One day when nobody was home, I opened the gas. I didn't want to live anymore. I was fed up with this awful living, all this violence, beating, crying, shouting, arguing and nobody there to care about you and love you. "But my step-brother came home early and found me unconscious on the floor. He took me to the hospital and I survived. He took me back to my husband's house. My husband's behavior was even worse than before. He was beating me more with different things like his belt, a broom… "Again I tried to commit suicide. I threw myself from the second floor of my step-brother's house, but again I survived with lots of injuries. But this time, when they took me to the hospital, I found out that I was pregnant. Oh, I couldn't believe it. My step-brother took me to his house. I was at his house until I got better. When I was well enough to walk, I left my brother's house with no clear destination. I was walking along the side of street paying no attention to my surroundings, very lonely, tired and disappointed with my life. Suddenly, I heard a crash and I was unconscious. When I awakened, I found myself at some stranger's house. There was sitting a middle-aged lady with a scarf on her head and a tray of rice before her which she was cleaning. I tried to sit up. She came and helped me. She asked: 'Why did you want to commit suicide?' I told her my story and she said she would help me. I told her that I would never go back to either my husband's house or my step-brother's. "She took me to the police station and told them I am an Afghan who wants to go back to her country. So they deported me to Afghanistan. I didn't have any close relatives to live with. There was my step-brother, but I didn't want to see or live with him. From the border, they sent me to a women's shelter. "It's been more than three years that I am here. I delivered my baby a few months after my return. Now he's almost two years old. Whenever I see his round, cute, innocent face, I think what is going to happen to him in the future… "When I came here, I didn't know how to read and write, but in here I took literacy classes. When I was illiterate I thought I had no identity, but now that I am literate I am happy and more hopeful. Now I am living my life for my son, Mujtaba, with a hope for a better future for him. "My husband called me a few times and asked me to go return to him. But I didn't want to. I told him about our son and asked him to come and take him but he didn't. He said 'I have my children here and I don't need any more children.' I told him that because I thought my son would have a brighter future with his father, since I am not able to provide the things that my son needs, and that way my son might be able to experience having a real family. "I told him to divorce me but he resisted and told me: 'I won't divorce you till your hair turns white like your teeth.' So I applied for absent-divorce. The process is long, but hopefully at the end, it will be the way I want it to be. In absent-divorce, the officials call for the husband and if he doesn't come for three years to the police or to court, then they announce the divorce. Now my case is in Supreme Court. I am going to get my freedom papers, my divorce papers, pretty soon." It was her story. It brought tears to my eyes, although it is usual to hear such sad stories in Afghanistan. She thanked the staff of the shelter for all the good things they taught her and for being such a nice family to her. She doesn't know what she wants from the future. She says, "Whatever God has ahead for me, I would go with that." By Fattema

Narrow Escape Posted: 09 Jul 2009 11:03 PM PDT It was the 4th year of the Taliban government, and sometimes when I was alone on the way to my school, I wore a burqa because I was tall for my age. I was studying school subjects in a secret school that was far away from our house (one hour walking). I and my young sister, who is in college in the US, would both cover our books in cotton, the same way we cover our Holy Quran so that the Taliban wouldn't know that we were studying. They would think that we were trying to learn only the Holy Quran. We decided that if we were asked by the Taliban, we would tell them: "We are studying the Holy Quran." I told my younger sister, who wore boys' clothes, about this, and she nodded. I was afraid maybe my young sister, who was so much younger, would tell them the real fact, but she was so smart, keeping the secret forever. One day while I was walking toward the secret school alone, groups of Taliban were inside a Dixon car, which is like an open Toyota. They followed me because they suspected I was going to study school subjects. They drove their car slowly and just followed me. They wanted to know where I was going every day and to find the secret school. (During the Taliban regime groups of school teachers started to teach secretly without Taliban permission.) I didn't look at them and went to another street, hid myself among the trees growing in front of the houses, planning to show them that I was entering the house, but by chance they lost me. They searched for a while but couldn't find me. I was also waiting; my eyes followed their car until it disappeared. When I was convinced they were gone, I decided to go to school, but I was very afraid. Even now, when I hear such a car voice, it reminds me of that day and scares me. The next day, they changed their method. They didn't follow me, but when I was leaving the school to go home again alone, they were standing in my way. Thank God that they couldn't see my secret school. Otherwise they would have beaten my teachers and sent them to jail. But I was lucky. They didn't see me when I entered my secret school. As I entered the street, I saw them standing near the shop. I was about to escape from them, but one saw me and again started to follow me. When they reached me, they called: "Stop walking!" But I continued walking as if I didn't hear them. My heart was shaking and my clothes were moist with sweat which came from my body like rain. I felt eventually they would arrest me and beat me with the whip. I breathed faster and faster, recited my secret Holy Quran verses from the second Sapara, the Ayato-l- Koorsai Verses, and requested help from Allah: "Save me from them, especially if our neighbors or relatives will know that the Taliban has carried me off or beaten me … what will happen to my family?" It is shameful in our culture when the police or Taliban arrest women. Before knowing the facts, there will be backbiting: "Allah only knows what happened to her that the Taliban arrested her. Maybe she did something." Our people would whisper like this. I was worried about this and told myself that if this happens to me, then I don't need an education. I was immersed in my worries when suddenly again they called to me: "Stop! Hey girl! I am talking to you!" Again I ignored them and continued walking. I saw them from the corner of my eye. They were about to reach me. Some said "let her go," but others said, "no, look, she didn't respond to us as if she didn't know. Go and stop her and tell her do not come alone next time." As I heard, my legs couldn't continue walking. I was about to fall down on the ground. Suddenly one of them, who had a big white Turban and a long beard with a mustache and black long eyebrows and sorma on his eyes ( a kind of dark make-up which Islamic people use to line inside their eyes,) jumped from the car with his gun and appeared in front of me. "Where you are going?" I was afraid and didn't have the ability to speak, as though my mouth was suctioned closed. I told him I was going to learn the Holy Quran. "She said she is learning the Holy Quran," he told the others. "Tell her that next time we shouldn't see her alone. Otherwise she knows what will happen," said a person who was sitting inside the car wearing a dark Turban. And then they left the place. "Thank you, God," I said, "that you accept my prayer." I started walking fast towards my house. As I reached home, I threw off the burqa and found myself next to my grandmother who was sitting under the shadow of the trees in our yard with a flower in her hand. She smelled the flower and she put the flower on the ground and looked towards me. "Welcome. What is up, my dear daughter?" she said kindly. I started crying and while I was crying, my mother came. "What is wrong with you?" asked my mom. My grandmother put my head on her bosom, caressed me and told me, "Don't cry, my dear daughter," then told my mother that the Taliban had stopped me and told me that I shouldn't walk alone. I told my mom, "I am not going to the school." "Look, my dear daughter," my mother told me. "Our country has had lots of war and those women who are educated suffered a lot, so now if you want to be a literate woman like your mom and other Afghan women, then you should struggle a lot and not take care over these small issues. Instead, try to learn knowledge. Otherwise you will be like a blind person who can never see." For a few days, I stopped going to the school because I was in shock and my goal was that the Taliban would forget me. Then I started going to the school. But I couldn't forget that day when I was afraid. By Freshta

From Idyllic Life To War Posted: 09 Jul 2009 11:00 PM PDT Here is what life was really like for me. I was my parent's second child and though they had two daughters instead of sons, they loved me and my sister very much and were happy with what Allah gave to them. At that time, we had a private manufacturing company with more than 200 staff. We owned houses, a car, and were financially stable. My parents worked hard to provide the best of life for us. Though we were children, we had our own bank accounts that our parents put money into for our future needs. They were good parents and we wanted for little. We wore the most beautiful clothes and played with the finest toys. Most afternoons, my mother received a call from my dad telling her to be ready because he was taking us out for dinner. On holidays, my father planned picnics and invited our relatives. Sometimes we went to our factory for our picnics because my father built a very nice recreational area there. It had a big swimming pool, a beautiful flower garden, and lots of trees. Life was marvelous; abundant moments were passing—one by one—without us fully realizing their worth. But those wonderful days were short-lived. They started when my sister and I were too young to fully appreciate them and were finished exactly when we need them the most. When I was five, I loved to play with the neighborhood boys, but still I can clearly remember the words of my kind mom who warned, "Take care; don't go so far from house. There is a group of people who are kidnapping children. Don't eat anything from the hands of people whom you do not know because it may be poisoned. Don't pick up any pens, dolls, or other nice things on street because it might be a bomb or connected to a bomb. Don't go anywhere else. Just play in front of the house so I can see you." I will never forget the moment the war was started. We were playing in front of our home. When we heard the voice of bullets, we were so happy. We shouted and jumped, not know it was war and that it was dangerous. My mom ran to me and yelled, "Come fast. Let's go home. Don't stay here!" I said to my friends, "Let's go to my house and watch the bullets from window together." And that's what we did, not realizing that we were enjoying the start of our dark coming days. The bullets came with greater frequency, along with other sounds of danger and violence. We grew afraid, and our laughter and shouting stopped. My sister said, "This is all because of me. When the bullets started, I prayed for Allah to not let them be finished. But now I am very much afraid of them." Throughout the night, bullets flew. Throughout the night, we did not sleep. Our house was situated between two rival factions of mujahedeen. We were caught in the crossfire, so we were unable to leave the house even though it was too dangerous to remain. Finally, we had no choice. Our parents carried us in their arms and ran barefoot from our home. We were not the only family running away without knowing where we were going. The street was filled with people just like us who were trying to flee the fighting and killing. I saw terrible things. On the street corner, an injured man lay bleeding. He was still alive but medical aid could not reach him. Our parents tried to not let us see the dead people who were lying all along our path. I still clearly remember each moment of that awful time. After hours of walking, my father finally found a car with a driver who was willing to take us away from the fighting. While my father and he spoke, many people jumped into the car—all of them with children and women. The driver was a good person: he took everyone to t heir requested locales. He dropped us at my grandparent's house. We stayed about one week, but my grandmother and grandfather were unable to safely live there any longer because I had four young aunts who also lived there. Any second, we feared mujahedeen would knock on the door and take away my aunts. No one was capable of preventing it. So my family, my grandfather's family, and my married aunt decided to leave Afghanistan and go to Iran or Pakistan in order to safe our lives. Along with our wonderful country, we left all of our happiness. We left our beautiful house that my parents had built out of hope and our factory that my grandfather—after years of hard work—had built into a successful business. But at that time, we could only think out how to find a safe place for our family. My idyllic childhood died in the face of war and migration to neighboring countries. Everyday my parents were faced new challenges: our schooling, our shelter, living expenses, on and on. For a time, war and relocation stole from me even the ability to look back and appreciate the happy childhood I'd once had. By Zaralasht

Tell Congress to protect women and girls in Afghanistan

 

Dear friend, Urge your senator to co-sponsor The Afghan Women Empowerment Act. Young women and girls account for one-eighth of the world's population. And even though many are the primary caregivers and breadwinners in their household — most still do not enjoy even basic human rights. This situation is especially acute in Afghanistan, where despite efforts by the U.S. government, the United Nations, and others to improve the lives of women and girls, many still lack access to basic health care and schools. Many face violence and intimidation, daily. And Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. You can ensure these basic rights for the women of Afghanistan by asking your senator to support The Afghan Women Empowerment Act introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). If passed, The Afghan Women Empowerment Act will strengthen and empower women and girls in Afghanistan by providing critical resources to organizations that promote adult literacy education, technical and vocational training and health care services. It also provides assistance to especially vulnerable populations, including widows and orphans. Ask your senator to support The Afghan Women Empowerment Act now. This bill is critical as the maternal death rate for Afghan women is tragically high — with one mother dying for every 56 births — because it provides equipment, medical supplies and other assistance to health care facilities to reduce maternal and infant mortality. The bill also funds programs to protect women and girls against sexual and physical abuse, abduction, trafficking, exploitation, and includes emergency shelters for women and girls who face danger from violence. We urge you to support Sen. Boxer's work to empower and protect women in Afghanistan. It is time for serious action, now. Thank you for taking action for the women of Afghanistan. Sincerely, Kathy Calvin Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer United Nations Foundation

 

Fwd: KIVA group members on LinkedIn

You might be interested in Kiva - a funding organization for Microfinance operations all over the world - including as of last week, the USA. Kiva provides funding for small ergo "micro" loans to startup businesses. In Afghanistan their funds are utilized by an organization managed by Oxfam. Visit http://www.kiva.org for more information. Also, check out LinkedIn - another social network - this one used by business professionals.

Linkedin Groups	June 22, 2009
KIVA
Activity: 1 discussion | 3 news articles | 1 Job
Discussions (1) Free webinar for any Non Profit Organization.Learn how to create a continuous revenue stream through Shop To Fundraise. http://shoptofundraise.org/en/video.php 0 comments » Started by Jayson More, Vice President of Shop To Fundraise Latest News "Save The World" Photo Challenge 2 comments » NEED magazine | June 10, 2009 Do you have a great image depicting "saving the world?" Submit it to NEED, the humanitarian magazine*. Your image will be shared on the blog of our new campaign; "screw the man - save the world." Top images will be selected to be displayed on the NE... YouTube - Kiva.org - Adapting Business Practices to Address Social Issues vid 1 0 comments » YouTube | June 10, 2009 Kiva.org founder, Jessica Flannery discusses her journey to the founding of Kiva.org at the 2008 Global Corporate Citizenship Conference at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Maria Shriver partners with Kiva and supports US Loans 3 comments » Women's Conference | June 10, 2009 "Some days you just wake up with a feeling. There’s no explaining it, you just know that this day will be different. Not sure how, but different. In March of 2008, I had one of those days...." Find the best talent on LinkedIn Reach over 40 million top professionals Be alerted to good matches automatically Receive on average 30 applicants Get Started » LinkedIn values your privacy. At no time has LinkedIn made your email address available to any other LinkedIn user without your permission. © 2009, LinkedIn Corporation.

What I want to say about my father… by a brave young Afghan woman

Happy Father's Day!

This is an example of the writing of the Afghan women and their interaction with the instructors of the Afghan Women's Writing Project. For more of their writing visit:
http://awwproject.wordpress.com

Friends of Afghanistan is supporting this project by providing computers and a women's only internet cafe at the SOLA Women's Dormitory. Visit http://www.sola-afghanistan.org
If you would like to make a contribution toward the computers needed for this project.

To all you dads out there, ask yourself - what if your daughter were born in Afghanistan? What would you want to do for her?

If only this world had more fathers like Meena's dad!

I look forward to meeting Meena at Lake Norman NC next weekend. She leaves Kabul with 32 war injured children being flown to Charlotte NC for medical treatment this summer. I plan to encourage this young woman in her courageous work. She is the first recipient of a scholarship arranged by Ted Achilles and the good people who support SOLA - She will be studying in the US beginning a 4 year college program in NY.

Again, may you all take such pride in your father as that shown by this young woman. May all you dads deserve such praise!
Terry Dougherty

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Janis Newman
Date: Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Subject: {Writing 101} Some writing from Meena
To: AWWP Writing 101

Hello writers,

On Father's Day here in America, I am sending out a beautiful essay written by Meena about her father. My comments are at the end.

What I want to say about my father…

What I want to say about my father is that he is my comfort in times of pain, my courage in times of defeat and my hope in times of despair. Fathers are those precious gifts of God, whose finger we hold and learn how to walk. Someone whose arms give us a sense of security and whose smiles give us hope.In a country where girls are forced into marriages, denied education and are surrounded by harsh religious and cultural taboos, I have always found my father standing not only behind me but also beside me.

When a girl entrance the world of ladyship, this brings along sexual harassment, social barriers, home imprisonment, denial of education and many other denials to basic human rights for many of my Afghan sisters. Most certainly I was no exception but fortunate enough to have my father in my fight against the them.

After retuning from the United States, I took a part time job with a British journalist working on a documentary as well as a news piece about the American elections. The experience taught me on how hard it is for an Afghan woman to go out and work. During an interview in Khair Khana being surrounded by a crowd of men with the two journalist and i in the middle. The crowd started paying me cheeky comments for i as an Afghan women, working out doors with foreign journalists. I looked around and it was something I was always afraid of. Being surrounded by men and not being able to defeat my self. I listened to all the comments and continued translating the interview contents for the journalist.

That night when I went home, I directly went to the big room in the right corner of the hall, where my father was watching the News. After saying Salaam I sat beside him. He looked at me saying "What is wrong child?" I had no words to express myself. I was angry but what for? For being a girl, for being an Afghan girl, for being insulted or for what. Turning my face to my father I started saying " Padar Jaan, It was a horrible day today. The men insulted us as much as they could possibly do. I hated it so much"

My father looked my in the eye saying "In Afghanistan, It is the world of men and it takes strong women to make it the equal world of men and women". He said nothing more and acted as nothing had happened. All of a sudden I no longer had any anger inside but it was replaced by courage and passion longing for change. I continued my job, paying minimum attention to what people said or thought.

That is who my father is and that is his importance in my life. They say there is a woman behind every successful man; I would say there is also a man behind every successful woman. For me that man is my father

My comments: I love everything about this essay! It is beautifully written! I love the way Meena describes her father as always standing beside her. I love how she describes what her father means to her in the first line. I especially love the scene Meena gives us of coming to her father after the men have insulted her. This is an excellent scene. One very good thing Meena does in it is let us know exactly how she is feeling. The idea that she is angry, but for what, is very real, and very powerful. Although nothing like this has ever happened to me, Meena makes me understand exactly how it would feel. I also love the dialogue that Meena uses here. Her father's quote about Afghanistan being a world of men and how it will take strong women to change it is particularly powerful and good. This line makes us understand completely who Meena's father is, and why she loves him.

Because it is Father's Day, I am going to send this essay out to many of my friends here in America. It's a lovely and meaningful tribute to all fathers. Thank you for writing it.

Warmly,

Janis

Trust in Education's newest initiative

PAY DAY         Monday I started my morning reading an email from Qudsia which included photos of the first pay day for street children sponsored by TIE supporters. They made my day!  I thought they might brighten yours.              Pictured below are a few of the children (we are sponsoring 40). Notice that the money ($20) is being paid to the children, not their guardians. Even if they don't hold the funds beyond the gate, they will experience the sense of having earned it. So far there are no drop outs.                    Qudsia (pictured below) has been hired by TIE to serve as an intermediary between sponsors, sponsored children, their families, Aschiana and TIE.  We will lighten Aschiana's reporting burden, monitor progress and assist when and however we can. We've also offered to provide micro-credit loans to families with sponsored children. Aschiana has experience in funding small businesses and will assist us in finding credit worthy families and enterprises. The search has begun.         Finally, if you have 3 minutes and 59 seconds for another uplifting experience, click here. This bit of culture was provided by my "cuz", Ralph, in Boise, Idaho (culture in Boise?).        I'll see if they can share this with children in Afghanistan. That day will come, by the way. I am working with Carol Ruth Silver and the One Laptop Per Child organization in Kabul on a pilot project that would provide 50 laptops to some of our classes. Another Inshallah project in an Inshallah world. Thank You! Budd To learn more about Trust In Education go to   www.trustineducation.org To view more photos go to www.flickr.com To see  video's  click here Forward to a Friend Trust In Education PO Box 936 Lafayette, California 94549

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Cultivating Afghanistan: Indiana farmer/soldiers share their expertise

Cultivating Afghanistan: Indiana farmer/soldiers share their expertise An Indiana National Guard team that is training Afghans in effective farming techniques prepared for its tour of duty with instruction in the language and culture of Afghanistan at Indiana University. Stories about the Indiana 1-19th Agribusiness Development Team are being shared with home-state audiences, thanks to IU public radio station WFIU. A writer who is embedded with the team is producing features for a WFIU series titled "Cultivating Afghanistan." Photo courtesy of ADT/WFIU First Lt. Melissa Gutzweiler of the Indiana 1-19th Agribusiness Development Team, on the flight from Bagram Air Field to Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province The 64-person team, which deployed to Afghanistan's Khost Province about three months ago, includes agricultural experts and Indiana National Guard soldiers whose job it is to protect them. Indiana is one of seven states sending agribusiness development teams to Afghanistan. "Agriculture sustains about 60 to 70 percent of the population of the country, so we won't have true security until the economic state is better repaired," Army Maj. Shawn Gardner, operations and training officer for the 1-19th, said in a story posted on the National Guard Bureau Web site. The guardsmen and women, including 16 Indiana National Guard members who are experts in livestock and crop farming, forestry and veterinary medicine, are working with and advising Afghan farmers in an effort to improve productivity and efficiency and provide alternatives to growing poppies for the opium trade. After a brief course at Purdue University in issues of Afghan agriculture, the agriculture experts on the Indiana team underwent a 15-day intensive training regimen last December at IU Bloomington, learning the rudiments of the Pashto language spoken in Khost and basic cultural competencies. The training was provided by IU's Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), a federal Title VI Foreign Language Resource Center dedicated to promoting the teaching and learning of the languages and cultures of the key strategic region. Indiana National Guard personnel who are supporting the agricultural experts had five days of training. CeLCAR will provide training for a second group of Indiana Agribusiness Development Team in August. "They were wonderful," said Dave Baer, assistant director of CeLCAR. "The ones from Indiana, especially, were responsive and really valued the language and cultural training." While a majority of Afghanistan's population depends on agriculture for its livelihood, practices are usually at a subsistence level. Only 12 percent of the country's land is arable, and just 6 percent is being used for farming. The Afghan economy has been battered by more than two decades of war. The Indiana Agribusiness Development Team may have the tools and knowledge to help, but to be successful, its members need to communicate with Afghans in a way that is effective and culturally sensitive. The CeLCAR training provided basics of the Pashto alphabet, greetings, common sentences and the most important vocabulary words. It also got the team up to speed on issues that can trip up interactions between Westerners and Afghan Muslims, including gestures and gender issues. "The biggest issue for success over there is whether the U.S. personnel can think of the Afghans as peers and not as second-class citizens. That's a huge issue," said Baer, who credited Col. Brian Copes, the 1-19th commander, with setting a positive example for respecting the Afghan people. Meanwhile, reports on the team are being reported and produced for WFIU by Doug Wissing, a Bloomington-based freelance journalist who was accepted to live and work as an embedded reporter with the Indiana 1-19th. Wissing traveled to Afghanistan just over a week ago. So far, he has filed three stories: on the family team member Bob Cline, a Heltonville, Ind., cattle farmer; his own training and orientation at CeLCAR; and the arduous trip to Khost province near the Pakistan border. WFIU Station Manager Christina Kuzmych said Wissing will produce about 15 stories during his current stay in Afghanistan, and additional stories in a second embedded tour with the 1-19th later this year. The stories can be heard online at http://www.newsmatters.org/cultivating-afghanistan/. Sponsors of the "Cultivating Afghanistan" story project, in addition to CeLCAR, include IU's Office of the Vice President for International Affairs and the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center. More about the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region can be seen at http://www.indiana.edu/~celcar/. 530 E. Kirkwood Ave. Suite 201 Bloomington, IN 47408-4003 Email: iuinfo@indiana.edu Web: http://newsinfo.iu.edu Alternative Versions Print Version Web Version

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FW: Packing Party Rocks

PACKING PARTY ROCKS        Sunday's packing party was a huge success! Somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 - 100 people came and filled over 400 boxes (5 to six tons), with blankets, jackets, sweaters, school supplies, shoes, sweatshirts, household goods, and the most important gift for children, toys. Everyone was working so hard and moving so fast it was impossible to count how many came.              Jackie Fitzpatrick delivered 100 boxes of donations from Holy Cross Elementary school, located in Santa Cruz. Sarah Casey, owner of the Handlebar toy store in Lafayette, brought a full van load of donations. She volunteered to designate her store as a drop off point, thereby lightening the burden on our porch.        Abraham Mendoza, a news photographer from Channel 7, showed up unexpectedly, which resulted in two stories being broadcast that evening. The grass in grass roots continues to grow. Thank you Channel 7.          The "top gun" award goes to Deborah Hungerford, who wielded the fastest and most accurate tape gun. I have taped a few thousand boxes in my lifetime. I wouldn't dare try to keep up with Deborah, without a respirator and doctor standing by. I should have known it would be won by a woman. It's been downhill ever since women acquired the right to vote in 1920.   The Infamous Porch        A thing of beauty in the eye of some beholders         Due to an equipment failure and miscommunication, Randy and I loaded what was in our garage and on our porch into a 24ft truck, for three hours Friday night. We then unloaded the truck at midnight with the assistance of Zachary and Adib Sahar, Brad Zenoni, and Tim Johansen. They came to the rescue when called at 10:30 pm.          Several on the way out asked, "when is the next packing party?" Not until I and a few of the core group can walk erect again. The house reeks of Ben Gay.        This event proved once again that people will make the time. It's very reassuring! Thank you!        Join our list To learn more about Trust In Education go to   www.trustineducation.org To view more photos go to www.flickr.com To see  video's  click here Forward to a Friend Trust In Education PO Box 936 Lafayette, California 94549

An Opportunity to Help President Obama Help the Peace Corps

Date: Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Subject: An Opportunity to Help President Obama Help the Peace Corps

Dear Terrence,

On June 18th, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D, NY) and her sub-committee will mark-up the Foreign Operations Appropriation Bill for FY 2010.

This is a critical opportunity to help the Peace Corps acquire the resources needed to be a better and bolder 21st century organization.

In President Obama's FY 2010 budget, he asked for $374 million for the Peace Corps, far below the level required to meet his campaign pledge of doubling the Peace Corps by the time of the 50th Anniversary.

Since historically the Congress appropriates less money than the President requests, we have a huge challenge before us.

By working together, two weeks ago we bucked this trend and the House Foreign Relations Committee's bill authorized $450 million for the Peace Corps in FY 2010.

We now need your help in asking Congresswoman Lowey and her subcommittee to do the same.

Visit our blog for information on how to contact her and her subcommittee. Urge them to provide $450 million so that we can help the President achieve his often-stated Peace Corps goal. On our blog you'll also find a link to a compelling open letter to Congresswoman Lowey from Nepal RPCV Larry Leamer.

And while you are online, sign up for our new social networking website, www.peacecorpsconnect.org. If you become the 12,000th member, we will profile you and your Peace Corps connection in our next e-newsletter.

With thanks for your ongoing interest in the Peace Corps,

Kevin F. F. Quigley
Thailand, 1976-79
President, National Peace Corps Association

News from The Afghan Women's Writing Project

Issue No. 1    June 2009 Welcome! The Afghan Women's Writing Project was begun as a way to allow the voices of Afghan women -- too often silenced -- to enter the world. During my two visits to Afghanistan, I've been inspired by the grace, courage and determination of many women I've met: child brides, women imprisoned for fleeing abusive husbands, war widows surviving against numerous odds. As the Taliban regains power, particularly in the south of the country, these women's freedoms are again threatened. I hope you will take a moment to read these compelling blog entries, only a few of which are below. Please join our mailing list and spread the world. If you are a creative writing teacher and would like to volunteer to teach online in a three-week block, please be in touch. This project would not be possible without the outstanding American women authors and teachers who generously donate their time to mentor women writing in Afghanistan. Additionally, the tireless contributions of webmaster extraordinaire Jeff Lyons and web designers Terry Dougherty and Rose Daniels have been crucial. Our inspiring partners are SOLA in Afghanistan and the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation based in Vermont; please visit their websites. And be in touch with any questions. Thank you. Masha Hamilton www.mashahamilton.com   One of My Worst Memories We start running away too. Then I saw the Taliban's car. Their car was moving slowly. Two of them jumped out and began beating a girl. She was around my age. They were beating her because she didn't have a burqa. I had heard of, but had not seen, such as event before. I started crying. I was not able to run. My mother hid me in her burqa. She was afraid too. By Zarlasht Click here to read the full story.   A Memory From the Pages of Life Since Pakistan had closed its borders, we, like many others, went through the mountains and through the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas). While climbing the mountains, I paused and looked down. A lot of women, men and children were climbing also, and some had donkeys and other animals with them. There were also people smuggling cars illegally to Pakistan. No matter what, business never stops -- that is true, is it not? By Meena Click here to read the full story.   Women Are Moving Forward in Farah "The opportunity did not exist for me and my sister to go to school and become educated," says Malali, a member of a new women's organization founded in conservative Farah Province. "We married when we were very young. We have no information about anything. Our first workshop was about elections." By Seeta Click here to read the full story.   A Word From Our Teachers Caroline Leavitt is the author of eight acclaimed novels. Her ninth, Breathe, is forthcoming in 2010. In 2004, she was named one of the UCLA Writing Program's Outstanding Instructors of the year. I tend to have at least 16 projects going at once, and almost no free time, but when Masha mentioned she was starting a program about teaching writing to Afghan women, how could I not want to do this? The women, she explained, sometimes had to have male relatives take their work to the Internet cafes. They sometimes might not want their names mentioned or details kept private. I kept wondering: what could I possibly teach these women? When I first saw the topics they were writing about-being married at 14, deciding not to marry but to continue to teach, I began to realize that my assignments (simple descriptions, character studies) had to be much more focused.  It astonished me when women apologized for their grammar or their writing. (Yes, the grammar needed work, but these women would go over and over it until they got it right. They asked a million questions.)  One woman wrote me privately to ask that I not post her work because she was afraid the others might laugh at her work.  The women all apologized for being late with assignments. Dumbfounded, I assured all of them that there was nothing to apologize for, that I felt it was an act of bravery every time they wrote a single word, and it was my honor to teach them. Recently, I posted to one of the women, "I wish we could all meet at a café for coffee and pie." I meant it. The stories these women have to tell are remarkable, but even more remarkable, are the women themselves. Kerry Cohen  is the author of a young adult novel who received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon and an MA in counseling psychology from Pacific University. It's been too easy to feel disconnected from what's happening in the Middle East, and this is especially true regarding women. Our lives are so different here, and of course news and literature from Americans only gets to certain truths, not at all the whole truths, and pretty much never the truths that come straight from Afghan women. This is why I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this project. What I've found thus far is that these women are simply trying to live their lives - just like anywhere else - but the difference is that many have been witness to violence and suppression we can't imagine here in America. I'm so proud of these amazing women for sharing their sometimes shocking, sometimes ordinary stories. Contact AWWP: For more information on the Afghan Women's Writing Project please contact:   The Afghan Women's Writing Project Masha Hamilton, Project Founder 686 Sterling Place Brooklyn, New York 11216 Phone: 917.821.6119 / Email: masha@mashahamilton.com Masha's Website/Blog:  www.mashahamilton.com AWWP Blog: www.awwproject.wordpress.com ,   Donations: Online Donations for Afghan Women Writers: Many of our students and women writers, especially outside of Kabul, cannot get to an Internet cafe due to security considerations. A laptop at home and a jump drive would allow them to write their pieces, and then ask a male relative to send the work at an Internet cafe. A $20 donation will buy a flash drive and $500 in donations will buy a laptop for our women writers. No contribution is too small. Thank you for considering it. Your credit card donation will be handled by Friends of Afghanistan's secure Paypal payment. Or you can mail a check made out to Friends of Afghanistan: Terry Dougherty , 15021 Prairie Park Cv, Hoagland, IN 46745. Write SOLA or Afghan Women Writers on the check. We will send your tax deductible donation to the Peter M. Goodrich Foundation for the purpose you indicate.   To stay informed about the latest news, events, and other developments with the Afghan Women's Writing Project, please CLICK below and join our mailing list.  We appreciate your support. In This Issue One of My Worst Memories A Memory From the Pages of Life Women Are Moving Forward in Farah Sponsors & Friends: Please visit our sponsors as a way to thank them for their wonderful support:

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Re: Afghan Connections - Online Newsletter

 

Afghan Connections Online Newsletter A Friends of Afghanistan publication May 31, 2009

Publisher's Message   Dear Friend of Afghanistan   A lot has been happening behind the scenes with Friends of Afghanistan already this year.   Since we renewed our official NPCA group status in March, we have established the Friends of Afghanistan group as the largest Country of Service group on the new NPCA sponsored social network. If you have not yet joined that free service from NPCA, you should do so - you are missing out on a great opportunity to network with other returned Peace Corps Volunteers.   After you join Peace Corps Connect, be sure to take the next step and JOIN the Friends of Afghanistan group discussion page You will find many ways to participate in the activities of our group on this page. You can post links to your own photo albums or start a discussion of your favorite project.   I know that many of you have objected to the idea of joining a "social network" such as Facebook or Myspace. Peace Corps Connect is different from these others. You will find ways to reconnect with old friends and may even find a project that you want to participate in or support. I didn't join any of the social networks for several years. Now that I have been working with the new NPCA network for several months, I can recommend it to you without reservation. YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING TO INTEREST YOU on this site. I guarantee it!   Please take a minute and update your name and address record for our mailing list. http://afghanconnections.org/foa/signupform.htm   Read on to learn about several other new initiatives of Friends of Afghanistan. -- Terry Dougherty       The Afghan Women's Writing Project   Masha Hamilton, an accomplished author and professor, has started an initiative to work with Afghan Women writers to prepare their stories for publication in English. This work has been done via an online classroom sponsored by SOLA: School of Leadership, Afghanistan and Friends of Afghanistan.   Masha has started two classes of six women each at this point. She plans to start a third class later this summer. She has a list of about 50 published authors who have signed up to work with the Afghan women. The online class is taught by one of these authors for a 4 week period and then is passed on to the next teacher. The student's essays are published to the Afghan Women's Writing Project blog by the teachers.   The online classroom was developed by Friends of Afghanistan's web master, Terry Dougherty, in cooperation with SOLA: School of Leadership, Afghanistan. Be sure to check out the Afghan Women's Writing Project blog.   Afghan Connections Blog Think of a blog as a kind of new fangled news feed. In case you haven't visited it, here is the link to ours: http://afghanconnections. blogspot.com   Please send any stories or items of interest to our community to terry@afghanconnections.org I will be happy to post them to the blog.   You will find connections to the blog and all our other online resources on our web site at: http://afghanconnections.org   We need helpers to work with our membership list and publications design. Contact us if you are interested in helping out in any capacity. Write to terry@afghanconnections.org   The Buzz   Other NOTEWORTHY ACTIONS of Friends of Afghanistan so far this year include:   Friends of Afghanistan has purchased four computers and wireless network equipment to be delivered to SOLA: School of Leadership, Afghanistan this summer. This will provide for a Women's Internet Cafe in the SOLA women's dormitory. $2,000 worth of equipment will be hand carried to Afghanistan in June and July.   Our partnership with the Ochard Park New York "Schools and Futures" initiative for Afghan Schools has helped fund the development of the SOLA women's dormitory that is currently housing several girls and will soon become the center for SOLA's women's initiatives and internet cafe.   Partnerships with the Peter M. Goodrich Foundation, SOLA and SOLACE for the Children will lead to Friends of Afghanistan helping to expand a program that brings war injured Afghan children to the United States for free medical care. The first 38 of these children are scheduled to arrive in Charlotte, NC in June. Several of us plan to sponsor children in our cities next year. Watch for more news on this in the next edition of Afghan Connections, Online Newsletter. Friends of Afghanistan Executive Committee   Tony Agnello, President; Nancy Cunningham, Vice President; Terry Dougherty, FoA Publisher; Winkie Campbell-Notar, Managing Editor, Afghan Connections.   Be Sure to check the links below to forward this message and to update your address information in our records.

Freinds of Afghanistan Home Page Blog Message Archive Past Issues of Afghan Connections

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