GSRF Afghanistan Projects

		GSRF Partner supports 2 projects of The Organization for the Advancement of Afghan Women (OAAW): the Aymini School and the Moshwani Clinic. Tahira Homayun, founder and president of OAAW was in Afghanistan in May.

May 31, 2006

Dear Friends,

I returned from a three-week trip to Afghanistan week, and I wanted to write down my observations of my time there.

My main reason for visiting Afghanistan was to monitor two OAAW projects, one with the Aymini School and another at the Moshwani Clinic.

Moshwani Clinic

Starting at 7 o'clock everyday, I was on my way to the clinic, which is 35 miles north of Kabul. The main northern road is paved, but the road that runs through the village and toward the Moshwani Clinic is unpaved and potholed.

After an hour and half of driving, we saw the clinic, which is ironically located next to a graveyard. The clinic is outstanding for that region. It is a small outpatient clinic which serves 9 villages. My first visit was very interesting: I had the opportunity to meet three doctors, one pharmacist, and three other employees. Working there and seeing the clinic’s patients was very emotional for me. I saw patients of all types, from infants to elderly men.

The majority of the patients that I saw, however, were women and their children. Most suffered from malnutrition, visible by their skinny frames and pale faces. This was especially evident in the young. In fact, I saw some two and three-year olds with the weight and appearance of five-month old children. These kids didn’t have the energy even to cry. Many were just skin and bones, some even resembling old men andwomen. It was common for the girls that I saw to have very thin hair, so much so that one couldn’t distinguish them from boys. The pregnant women who visit the clinic are often both pregnant and supporting a sick infant whom they breastfeed (the only source of food for their babies).

In effect, they are victims of a vicious cycle in which they physically support an unborn child and recently born infant, leaving themselves with insufficient nourishment for either of three people. The only source of food for her is probably only tea, bread, and if she is lucky, sugar. It is impossible to fix everything at that clinic, so what I did every morning was to start the day with an informal lecture about prevention and hygiene to all patients sitting in the waiting room. I also asked the doctors to consult with one another so that they could give the best care for their patients. I stocked the pharmacy with vitamins, iron, and other necessary medicines. I further asked ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and other sources to continue to supply them with critical supplies.

Aymini School

The school is a much happier project. With the help of USAID, the new building for the Aymini School will be finished by the end of June. It will be one of the best in Kabul. This is a brand new school that will house 3700 students with 20 classrooms and 30 modern bathrooms in three shifts. I had a meeting with USAID regarding the construction of a snack bar. They agreed to help us with the snack bar, in addition to supplying the school with chairs and desks.

Further, we are working now to equip the library after the opening of the school. I am planning to return to Afghanistan for its opening. Afghanistan is a broken country that is in dire need. I can’t change the present system, but we can, together, help its young people with education and through caring for their heath so that they can someday support themselves.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Tahira Homayun, MD,
President

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