Afghanistan 2002 (Third trip)

This past winter, in February of 2002, MEPO shifted its focus to north and northwestern Afghanistan, where many of the supplies that MEPO had collected could be distributed. These supplies were: hundreds of compact, effective "space blankets", vitamins, toothbrushes, children's medicines and cookies for children.
In addition to these items, various medicines and vitamins were purchased in Afghanistan for the village people.

Health:

MEPO's doctor, in a period of one month, checked close to 1000 patients and provided them with free medicines, vitamins and a toothbrush for every child. We tried to give worm medicine to as many children as possible.
We provided transportation and some financial assistance to victims of mine injuries and burn patients to go to the city for treatment

MEPO is planning to activate an old obsolete clinic in the province of Herat in the spring of 2002. This clinic will serve surrounding districts. The doctors and staff of this clinic will also be able to carry out mobile health clinic once MEPO buys a vehicle in Afghanistan.

In every village where we conducted a health camp, every couple of patients there was a critical patient, whether suffering from long-term tuberculosis, blood pressure crisis, severe diarrhea or malnourishment. Due to our lack of medical facilities, insufficient medications to treat tuberculosis or similar chronic diseases in a mobile health camp, we had to refer and help patients to come to the city of Herat for proper treatment.

Education - Establishing village schools

Apart from the medical mission, the educational agendas of MEPO were also implemented in this most recent trip to Afghanistan. In addition to the schools established in the spring of 2001, MEPO was successful in establishing four more schools in remote villages in Herat province. One Afghan man said, in response to the idea of starting a school in his village, "There has been no school in this village since the time of Adam and Eve."

In establishing these schools we provided everything necessary, from blackboards to toys to teaching supplies and books, and made sure that the teachers would enforce the regular washing of hands with soap and teach basic hygiene in the curriculum.

Besides providing education for children, establishing these schools provided jobs for several literate people, including a widowed woman who was the only literate woman in the vast area where we searched for a teacher.

Vocational - Supporting needy families with assets for home enterprise
MEPO searched very carefully to locate and support a few families in Herat who could support themselves if given the resources. Therefore about fifty families, mostly widowed women with numerous children who were being sporadically supported by their neighbors, were given initial assets (cash) and carpet-weaving materials or sewing machines in order to earn an independent living. Some extremely poor families with no skills or resources, living in sub-standard conditions, were given some cash to be able to carry on for some time.

Space Blankets, Toothbrushes and Vitamins

We were able to collect about 800 space blankets and over 1000 toothbrushes and thousands of vitamins from donors. MEPO distributed these absolutely necessary items to those who were living in cold and harsh conditions, those with vitamin deficiencies, and to children to promote preventive oral and dental hygiene.