Thursday, February 11, 2010

Note from Yaseer to Friends of Afghanistan

I asked Yaseer for permission to publish and share his message to me, here is his latest response. Also visit the Afghan Connections Blog where his message will also be posted....

Dear Terry, Salaam,

Thank you for your message and for your tireless efforts and good intentions for helping Afghan RPCVs and the Afghans themselves. You have my sincere permission to quote anything or everything from my message(s) on the blog or any publications of Afghan Connection or Friends of Afghanistan. I am too old to be afraid of any risk. I will send you some materials regarding the activities of UNO Center for Afghanistan Studies (CAS) and its projects in Afghanistan attached to this message. I hope you will find it interesting and useful...

also Yaseer's previous message with some parts redacted ...

From: Abdul Yaseer
Date: 2010/2/1
Subject: Re: Friends of Afghanistan and Afghan women's rights
To: Terry Dougherty

Salaam Terry,

I am very glad to hear from you. I certainly remember you and have seen your photos and, like your other friends, I have been very impressed by your efforts and good intentions to help Afghans and Afghanistan in these difficult situations. I have been receiving The Afghan-Connection Newsletter, and I did attend a PCV Reunion a few years ago in Washington DC. After that, I got very busy with UNO Afghan projects, and have been going back and forth to Afghanistan several times a year. Therefore, I have not been able to attend several other PC reunions ever since. I love my PCV friends and I am still in touch with some of them. The PC experience shaped up my life, as it did many other Afghan's and Americans' lives. Thinking of PC programs in Afghanistan,brings back very pleasant memories of the glorious days of the Pre-War developing Afghanistan.

Despites all the efforts, help, and financial contributions of US & other International organizations, things do not get better there . Security, corruption and the interference of Pakistan Military (ISI) and some of its government departments, which are supported by Saudi Arabia government and some of its rich groups are in the increase. Ordinary Afghans who are sick and tired of the war, killing, looting, abduction, bribe, nepotism, drug trade, and warlordism, have not had a chance yet to live peacefully for a day or two yet. They are all insecure, frightened and worried about their children and their own lives and of their children's, and their own future.

Each time I go back to Kabul, I witness the worsening of situations, and the increase of miseries for the ordinary folks there. A bunch of warlords, Jihadees, parliamentarians, ministers, and some contractors and businessmen are making fortunes by misusing the US and International donors' funds, and by repressing the Afghan people, grabbing the lands and properties of the people and of the government illegally, and by force, and by taking advantage of the chaos in beloved Afghanistan.

It is a little too early for me to tell you whether I will be able to come to a PCVs' reunion this summer or not, because of the uncertainties of the schedule of my trips to Afghanistan. but I will definitely let you guys know if I could make it. I love to participate and meet some of the most wonderful people who used to live and work in Afghanistan, who loved the people and the country, and who stayed loyal, and supported the Afghan cause up to now.

....

Please give my best regards to your colleagues and friends who knows me and wish them luck to make these reunions as successful as the previous ones and better.

Khudaa haafiz,

Yaseer

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Bas Bi Bi and Khatema

Afghan Women's Writing Project

Bas Bi Bi and Khatema

Posted: 04 Feb 2010 08:51 AM PST

I was on my way home one day when the smell of spices wafting through the air drew my attention. My nose led me to look across the street. Sitting in the wet dirt was a thirty-year-old woman who looked more like sixty. She had a dry, yellow face and cracked lips. She wore a filthy burqa, though her face was uncovered. She was selling bolani—a ball of dough filled with salted leek and then fried and eaten with yogurt or spices. She was yelling: "Buy hot and fresh bolani. Buy home-cooked bolani."

The Basij-Rasikh siblings look to shape Afghanistan’s future - The Boston Globe

The Basij-Rasikh siblings look to shape Afghanistan’s future - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

OP NPC Week Activities (Third Goal Activities)

Subject: OP NPC Week Activities (Third Goal Activities)
To: buffalorpcv@
Cc: anne@rpcv.org, vnguyen@peacecorps.gov

Hi Andy,

Here's what our Outreach group has agreed to present for the NPC Week celebration:

February 26, Fashion show with WNY Girls School Coalition at Nardin Academy. This annual activity will benefit the Wonkhai Valley Project in Wardakl Province through the Circle of Women. There is an Orphanage, Schools and a Medical Center that OPHS Outreach and the WNY GSC have very substantially supported, building two schools on the complex grounds. (details to Buffalo PCV by Thursday)
February 27, Movie, The Kite Runner. Tentative Site OP Middle School Auditorium. (Possible alternative feature is Kandahar if we receive confirmation from Toronto Filmmaker Nilofer Pariza)
March 6, Two tentative sites OPHS Commons and OPMS Cafeteria. (details by Thursday) Afghanistan Awareness Program numbered below:

First Presentation by Bethany Saul regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan today. The Taliban are officially gone but women still suffer arbitrary abuse in Afghanistan.
Second Presentation by Charlotte Saul Outreach President and Tony Agnello Outreach Adviser and President of Friends of Afghanistan outlining projects and programs supported by Outreach since the construction of our first school in 2003 in Kandahar.
The history of Peace Corps in Afghanistan. RPCVs George Deshaies and Tony Agnello. (Artifacts, film, etc.)
Buckets of Love Committee @ OPHS formed.

Starfish Initiative, https://sites.google.com/a/afghanconnections.org/afghan-connections/Home/starfish-initiatives

FoA Blog, http://afghanconnections.blogspot.com

All of the above increments have been approved by the committee. We are firming up the sites through our regular internal processes. Consider sending the above web site addresses to the Buffalo area RPCVs to take a look at the projects that Outreach and Friends of Afghanistan are working on and ask our RPCVs if they are interested in supporting any of the programs that support Afghan women and children. I'll see you on Thursday, ensh'Allah. (Ojala que si.)

Peace, Tony