afghanhands

My new SHEROE

Flouran made it all happen.  We went today to the sheikh Mesree camp site and started the hole on the deep water well.  they have to dig about 5 meters before they bring in machines and drills.... 
I left my guesthouse around 9:30, picked up Mansoor and my operation director Zarmina jaan from the handicraft center.  Then we all head to pick up Dr.Eamal Arman and Flouran jaan.  At the site of the wells, workers were already digging.  I cannot believe this was done before I left Jalalabad.  Now if anything happens to me during my travels... I'd be going in peace.

We all participated by taking part in digging the well :).  This was one of the happiest and saddest moment of my bipolar life.

Eamal and Mansoor went to see a government official last night and he agreed to give us a piece of land so for the next well, we can make a park, a little playground and possible a few rooms for school.  We celebrated by eating local icecream...YUMMMMM YUMMMMM.  It beats the best bottle of champagne ;-) today, we looked at a possible site and the local guys welcomed us with open arms saying that they need water and school badly.  And one said:"even if they cut my head off, I won't let any corrupt government person put a wall on the site and build".  Apparently the area designated for a future recreation park type of place has been "claimed" by someone.

Later, we celebrated Danilo's belated birthday and hang out at "shahram's Oasis" or what I like to call Shahram's Double Apple Sheesha den, LOL.  Sorry cool folks, that is the hardest stuff we smoke here in Afghanistan or at least at the DAI guesthouse.

Shahram deligently packs the goods to smoke.  I have been teasing him all week for smoking APPLE in Opium ridden eastern Afghanistan.  At the end of the night, I hang out at Shahrams den with Flouran.  I miss her already!!! I'm going back there tonight for dinner and to say goodbye :(

Unite and Conquer

It is friends that feels more like family that gets me going... After a very long sad and hopeful day, I wanted to put faces behind the angels at work.  by working together, we will conquer any obstacle to make things happen, in Jalalabad now and around the globe tomorrow.

Flouran at Sheikh Mesree refugee camp overseeing food distribution

Dr. Eamal Arman... who is a true Renascence man trying to fix a machine at the Golden Fingers women's association space where I was training them on color theory and new designs.

Mansoor, a dentist who started Sana Center Handicraft, an artist at heart, helping out carrying wheat from the storage to the women in the camp

Jamila jaan who runs the women's handicraft association

Our newest Afghan Hands family member Zarmina jaan (seated to my left) chatting with the board of Golden Fingers Handicraft Women's Association.

a few faces of the innocents

After an emotional couple of days in Jalalabad, I got an email from my friends Joanne Hom, Naz Toloui, Diedre Golden, Marti Massoud and my baby sister and friend Sina Cross that they are brainstorming about doing an event for Afghan Hands in San Fransisco.  My friend Shaun Smith in Houston and Robyn Lawhon are also planning events in Houston and in Palmsdale, California, in conjunction with her Rotary Club.  I was overcome by gratitude and also grief, joy and hope and sent them a few pictures from todays journey... I decided to stay up as long as it takes and share them with you guys...

"We are doing the events for the future of kids like this... Thank 
you girls for making it possible...it has been a rough day at the 
refugee camp with the returnees.  They are getting stripped of 
their dignity and self worth every minute by hoping to get rationed 
food.  Believe me when I say, they are actually doing better than 
some other.  Flouran shifted the funds we are able to drill a few 
deep wells for cold, healthy drinking water for the refugees.  We 
are hoping to buy a small piece of land and make a children 
playground around at least one of the wells.  We are hoping to 
break ground tomorrow am.  Please pray that all goes well and we 
don't have any resistance.  We are offering the wells and 
playground/s on behalf of the women who are doing handicraft with 
AH and our partners Sana hadicraft center and goldenfingers women 
association.  Together we have employed 104 women.

Love you all.  Matin"

Flouran with a disabled orphaned kid that built the little store 
with her own hands

kids at the refugee camp

Belqise jaan, a woman who was elected the head of

Shora (council) in her community.  Women like her,

Adeena Niazi and Flouran Wali, young Monira jaan

that makes me proud to be an Afghan!

 

Dazed and confused!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It should be the right of every child to live clean, healthy and be educated

today is that "some day"

Today we went to participate, witness the food distribution of the returnees who have been living in a camp outside Jalalabad.  On the way there, we found out the sad news of a Japanese road engineer's murdered body found in Darah-e Noor (valley of light) outside Jalalabad.  The camp was a sad site with dust, women and children lined up to get their monthly allowence, stripped of the little dignity that all humans are entitled to have. 
On the way back, somehow Flouran and I talked about water problem and "someday" after I do funraising in LA and Houston, to do a deep water well one at a time in the areas where we operate.  Flouran shifted some funds around and said that Some Day IS Today!!! We on on our way to the camp to go and start the process before I leave!!  This is Devinity at work!!

Kabul to Jalalabad

The rest of Kabul trip was amazing... I want to write in details and with picture how proud of the women I was to see them attend public school.  The 4 ladies that graduated from our program are doing really well at school.  It was so wonderful to see how girls and women want to learn and it was so sad to see the condtions in which they have to study... no blackboards, not even wall in some cases and in one class, even the tarp was a torn sheet.  More later...
In Jalalabad Afghan Hands Inc. is flourishing.  Zarmina jaan trains everyone with utmost care and tenderness and with a lot of patience. The quality of products is almost good enough to be sent to NY and I cannot wait to see them on the website.  She stated with a huge number of participants, 75 to be exact!!!  So it is a bit heavy workload on her but she is doing tremendously well.
I have been working with coloring, new bag designs and quality control with the ladies of "Golden Finers Associations".  We have come a long way!!!

Reconnecting

My second day started with a long walk out with my cousin abdullah and his little son Rishad jaan.  I went to visit my uncle and his family and then we went out for an typical Afghan style friday afternoon stroll.  I ate corn on the cob, Kabuli style. YUMMMM!!!!  I then checked on the work that we collaborate with Jolibe, met up with Babs and Hedvig at TMF and ended the day with a fun dinner meeting my friend Tamim jaan whom I haven't seen for almost 29 years.  My friends Sarah joon, Asma jaan, and Zolay jaan arranged the dinner. It was out of this world romantic and fun (jaan and Joon are Dari and Farsi words meaning my soul and is added after the name of people dear to you). One would think that life is totally "normal" in Kabul when you are among friends.  It's magical...for a few hours, it is like bombs, troops and war doesn't exist.

Corn Seller

with Rishad

Hedvig examining our new shawls

Hand carved Chest Set from Walnut wood from TMF

Istalifi bowl made by students at TMF

Designer working on wood carving

Babs with her baby project..a door for the Embassy

in Tokyo.

at dinner with Asma, Tamim and Timur jaan

sorry friends... this service is a total bullshit.  I'm way behind blogging because it takes up to 15 min to load a pic and I simply do not have that kind of free time.  I will simply write until this problem is fixed or I find a better service to blog with...too bad I have some amazing pix.

Love, M

Kabul is GRRRRREEEEENNNN not the western kind

thank God!  When I first came home, I found Kabul totally dusty and absolutely depressing.  Kids were running around in the dirt and there was not a blade of grass in sight.  This trip, it looks like people finally are sick and tired of waiting for the government to do everything for them and one can see a lot of green lawns, parks and trees.  in spring of 2004 when I returned to NY, I was so sad looking at dust everywhere. I remember clearly that I had a dream. In the drem, I was playing ball with my dog Dimka (a chihuahua that I had to leave behind in Kabul when I had to flee the country).  I bend down to get the ball and trow it for him to fetch and as I look up in slow motion, I see tall green grass EVERYWHERE.  It was so overwhelming that I began to cry from happiness.  I woke up all chocked up and teary eyes, sobbing uncontrollably.  now, four years later, there are patches of green everywhere in central Kabul.  and I thank God and the people that care for the lad.

New work, New Friends, New Projects

I arrived in Kabul at 9 am on the 14th of August.  I directly went to bring new works and ideas to some of the ladies in the project.  A couple of months prior to coming to Afghanistan, I met an amazing young designer named Joel Diaz.  He is not only beyond talented but his disposition and sweet nature is almost hard to believe in the fashion culture.  We started talking about some bag that I wanted to make and made an appoitment with him to go bring the bag in question.  When I entered his studio, I was blown away but the amount of good energy, beautiful work and amazing life and his loved ones.  His partner Christina LaPens, his babies, and the people that work with him were all equally as talented and passionate.  together, they produce a beautiful line called Jolibe.  I was wearing my Afghan Hands scarf (But of course!!!!) and they like the work.  He started to brainstorm and took a few scarves and draped it on maniquins.... this went on for a few weeks.
The day of my departure and the day before it, he gave me his final dresses in the most luxurious orgaza and chiffon to bring home to Afghanistan and embroider.  They look so freakin amazing!!!! Of course I will unveil them after sept.7 when he shows his spring collection collaborations with Afghan Hands. 

Noor jaan and I explaining Jolibe concept to Anousha Homayra