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    Shahla Arsala's March Trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan

    Shahla Arsala, the head of our Widows' Project, took a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan in March 2002 to bring help from the Afghan Coalition and the Afghan Women's Association International. The trip also served as a fact-finding mission to see the impact of our work and learn more about what is needed in Afghanistan today.

    Among the highlights of the trip to Pakistan:
    • We brought and distributed warm clothing and blankets to three refugee camps in Peshawar, Pakistan.
    • We visited five women's organizations that support Afghan widows and other Afghan women. During the trip we established relationships with these groups. All of these organizations are run by Afghan women with the help of some NGOs (non-governmental organizations).
    • We visited more than 10 widow's homes personally and brought them financial assistance. Six of these women are already being assisted through AWAI's Widows' Project. All have been sponsored for more than fives years, since the beginning of the Widows' Project.
    We were also able to make a trip to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with much mixed emotion. The visit included a trip to an orphanage, a medical school for girls, and an agriculture learning school. The Widows Project donated $1,500 to help restart these facilities.

    During the trip Shahla spoke to a crowd of 300 women at a Women's Day Celebration in Peshawar. She also spoke at the orphanage in Jalalabad to 360 students and staff and read letters of support sent by students from the United States. We also delivered a bag full of school stationary to the orphans. These items were donated by students of Afghan and non-Afghan heritage in Bay Area schools.

    We brought back with us information about 50 widows and their families. We have already found sponsors for 8 of these widows and are hoping to find the remaining sponsors. To learn more about the Widows' Project and how you can help, please click here.


    AWAI's Shahla Arsala at an orphanage in Jalalabad, Afghanistan


    Copyright Afghan Women's Association International 2002