A Reunion in Kabul
After an absence of many months, MEPO’s founder Mostafa Vaziri was finally able to make a return trip to Kabul and the House of Flowers. His week-long visit in May of 2009 was a joyful reunion with the children and staff, and a time to meet new children who had arrived since his last visit.
Naturally the older children had grown so much, many of them having become young teenagers, that the energy of the House was quite changed from when they were all small children. But they have grown into cheerful, mature and responsible young people integral to the smooth running of the House. They help take care of the new, small children and they continue to study hard in school, knowing that is the key to their future.
As they have for years, all the children help with cooking, cleaning, etc. The in-house bank, “National Bank of the House of Flowers”, established some years back, is still going strong. Many of the children have accumulated substantial savings. In addition, many have begun learning how to sew and make arts and crafts,a skill which will serve them very well in the future.
The visit was also a time to meet with staff and reassess the work of the House of Flowers and its educational program, and the state of affairs in general both in the House and also in Kabul. The staff were facing challenges such as transportation difficulties. In addition, the prices of all essential goods in Kabul continue a steady rise, so the staff discussed ways to cut costs while still meeting the needs of the children as well as their own salaries.
