People have been so supportive for my projects.

Since then many people all around the globe have supported me to help the Afghan people. Because of these generous people I was able to put smiles on the faces of many of the Afghan people. Compared to the number of the entire population of Afghanistan (30 million+), what I have done is so small that it cannot even be considered as good will, but those smiles, engraved in my heart, of a few Afghanistan people I helped will be cherished forever. I give my sincerest thanks to all my supporters out there. I have to confess that without your generosity, I could have never done what I have done so far. Again, thank you very much.

As Afghans say, “Thousand Thanks to my Supporters.”

When people read my blog, they reached out to members of their churches and groups. They came up with their own ideas and shared with their friends and families. Charles from California placed a large box in his son’s martial arts studio and collected old shoes. Sue from Indiana spoke to her church congregation and collected boxes of shoes and clothes. This list goes on and on… How could I ever thank them all! I have never seen or met them before, yet, they all went out extra miles to support me and the Afghan people.

The shipping cost from U.S. to Afghanistan is not cheap either. It costs them $11 – $14 dollars for each small box to ship to where I am in Afghanistan, and they did not just send me one box. They all sent me multiple boxes in multiple days. Sue sent me 7 to 10 boxes. (I do not remember the exact number of boxes, but many) I could not even count them all.

And my church, Central Presbyterian Church of Terre Haute, supported me with $1050; my good friend, Richard Johnson, gave me $500; my good friend, Diane Bekel, sent me $200. I do not know how to thank them enough. I know money is not easy to give away even in small amounts. They worked hard to earn their money. They may have needed it for some other things. I know… but instead they decided to share it with me and my projects without any obligations. Thank you for your trust in me to do the right thing more than anything.

Oh, before I forget, I must thank Dr. Rafi, an Afghanistan Medical Doctor, and Asad, an Afghan interpreter. They have been the main engine of my projects. Without them, I could not have conducted the projects as I have planned. They were always out there with me and for me. They are highly educated and intellectual individuals and I am so lucky to have met them in Afghanistan. I hope to continue build the relationships for many years to come.

Project Shoes-N-Clothes for Afghan Soldiers

Afghan soldiers with gift packages

On July 13, we successfully commenced Project Shoes-N-Clothes for Afghan Soldiers. We collected the names and things they needed immediately, including their shoe sizes. July 13th and 14th, we handed out 53 bags of gifts which included a pair of running shoes, a t-shirt, a pair of boxers, and a pair of socks. We called them out by their names and handed the gift bags to them one by one.

They were mostly 19 – 22 years old young soldiers. They do not have many opportunities like this to receive gifts, because they do not even celebrate their own birthdays. For most of them, they do not even know the exact date of their birth. On their ID cards, they all read Jan. 1 and the year of their birth. I did not understand this in the beginning, but later on I learned that it is a religious custom not to celebrate their birthdays; they only celebrate Mohammad’s birthday.

Afghan soldiers were very happy with thier gifts.

Afghanistan’s official designation is ‘Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’; so, 99% of Afghanistan is Islam. I heard there was one Christian church, and I did look for it, but, unfortunately, it has been closed down for a long time ago due to lack of membership.

I hope and pray that one day, I could re-build the church here!!!

Before June was over, I wanted to do the Project Shoes –N-Clothes for Afghanistan Children, however, the schools started summer vacations before I got ready for it, so it will have to wait for a couple months.

Project Illiteracy

July 15, we started a 45-60 day long Project Illiteracy class to teach Afghanistan adults the most widely used tribal language, Pashto, and simple math. We started with 13, but lost 3 due to personal reasons, so currently we have 10 enthusiastic students, learning how to write and read Pashto and perform simple math, 2 hours every morning, from 7 – 9 am, 6 days a week. Friday is their religious holiday like most of the rest of the world do on Sunday. Dr. Rafi is the main instructor, and Asad assists him in classes.

That’s where I am with my projects so far. Things are very exciting, and I hope I can continue what I started for a long time. Afghanistan is striving hard to re-build its nation, and it would be my honor if I could contribute a small part to help them in any way I could.

"Don't help me! I can read it myself!!"

Asad; teaching the Project Illiteracy class.