April 2003

Medical, Educational and Peace Organization
A Non-Governmental Charity Organization
Brochure No. 7
April, 2003

Peace is:
Calmness in temperament
Beneficial work
Happiness in heart
(Sheikh Ansari – Sufi poet, d. 1088 in Herat)

Dear MEPO Friends and Philanthropists,
We have been long due for our no. 7 brochure. As you all know, MEPO relocated from Nepal to Afghanistan last year. Because of limited facilities and possibilities in Afghanistan, it has been rather difficult to produce an acceptable or even average brochure in print to send you, let alone use the postal service, which is still in its rudimentary stages.
So we have decided to send you a brief MEPO report (brochure) electronically and perhaps a printout to send to those who do not have email. Please forgive us for such inconvenience.
At the same time, please feel free to forward this report/newsletter to anyone who might be interested, and don’t hesitate to contact us at mepo_hope@yahoo.com if you would like more information about any of the work described in this newsletter.

Your Support Means Something

It goes without saying that everything we have done thus far in Afghanistan has been possible because of your heartful support. It may have seemed so simple when you mailed your check to our MEPO office, but in reality you have given medicine to sick children directly; you have provided a laboratory in a deprived area where people die of simple infectious diseases; you have hired doctors and nurses to attend the terribly sick and poor people, and most importantly you have provided a home for orphans, and education for dozens of illiterate women. The recipients of your support may not know you directly to tell you thank you but they tell us and we pass it on to you for your wonderful act of generosity.

Problems and Solutions

Afghanistan is a country with problems in every possible corner and layer. The last two years of post-war there has been very little done relative to the amount of aid coming to the country and promises made in round table meetings internationally. People still suffer from not having a source of income, clean or accessible drinking water, lack of clinics and schools, lack of housing, roads and much more.
Kabul City has been left in its original state of wartime; hardly any houses have been rebuilt. In many ways things have gone from bad to worse, especially the corruption.
But there should be no room for complaint when we can do our share of work. Keeping a positive and optimistic attitude is a fundamental key to remaining hopeful and energetic. Problems are many, but as a friend put it once, we are only one step away from the solution. He asked, “You take the money to a needy place, either give medical care, establish schools, or give sewing machines or wool for carpet-weaving to widowed women, that simple?” The answer was yes, that simple! This is when he said that we are, therefore, only one step away from the solution.
If one morning we get up and decide to change something or solve a problem, we can be certain it will be done. Our idealism can become functional, if we look beyond ourselves and care to solve the problems. The heavy militarism and nuclearization can be eradicated if we want to, and therefore wars can be eradicated also; we are only one step away from the solution.
In regards to Afghanistan, we of MEPO have tried to provide medical, educational and peaceful solutions to the existing problems. We believe solutions do not lie solely in providing logistical support but rather solutions are often found in our sense of vision, spirituality and philosophy of life. A simple approach, a simple life-style and a non-ego-based gesture can be a solution to a “huge problem.”
We would like to share our happiness with those of you who have provided some solutions to the existing problems of Afghanistan – things have been done – thanks to you for your individual participation.

As of now, MEPO funds and manages three clinics and one orphanage in Afghanistan:

CLINICS

Clinics in Eastern Afghanistan
Two of these clinics, Gurik (Iman) and Hesar Shahi (Solh), are in remote areas in eastern Afghanistan and have been running since summer, 2001. Both have been providing check-ups, lab services, medicine, vaccinations and food supplements to pregnant women and malnourished children, all completely free of charge.
Doctors and staff have to commute long and rough roads to these clinics every day. There is no electricity in those areas, therefore no fans during the hot season, and during the winter, fuel must be transported for heaters. Making repairs and providing supplies to our clinics in those rough areas is very difficult. But despite these challenges, the clinics have been serving an average of 10,000 patients per year.

Kabul Mother-Child Health (MCH) Clinic
In the fall of 2002, MEPO established an MCH clinic on the outskirts of Kabul where nearly 50,000 families live, mostly new returnees who live in substandard housing and have no nearby medical facilities.
This clinic with its staff of 10 people provides mothers and children with check-ups, pre- and post-natal care from a midwife, health education, lab services, medicine, and vitamin supplements all free of charge. (There is however, a 30% charge for medicine to prevent abuse by resale of medicine. This fee is waived for those who cannot afford it. )

Literacy Classes
MEPO has also been offering free literacy classes for older girls and housewives since February 2003. This program offers two classes each morning to over 30 participants thus far and has been received with great enthusiasm, empowering these women with the gift of understanding the written word, something that we all take so for granted.

ORPHANAGE
In September 2002, after overcoming many bureaucratic hurdles, MEPO succeeded in establishing a small orphanage for deprived children in Kabul. This cozy orphanage is in a large house where a staff of seven provides ten children ages 3 to 9, with 24-hour housing, food, education, recreation and medical care. (We do have the capacity for 20 children, and are expanding slowly.) All of the children have lost one or both parents and come from extremely deprived backgrounds. When they first came to the orphanage, they were shy, thin, pale, malnourished, and had worms and other illnesses. None had attended more than a few days of school, and some had difficulties communicating and interacting with others.
We marvel at the changes seen in them after they had been at the orphanage for just a few weeks. After their illnesses were treated and they were provided with three simple healthy meals and two snacks a day, regular baths, and safe, clean and warm places to play and sleep, these children became bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, energetic and confident. Nothing fancy, nothing exotic, no special techniques, simply a safe and loving environment.
We hired Zarlasht, a young Afghan woman whose refugee family had just returned from Pakistan, to be the children’s teacher. The MEPO staff has been supervising the educational program, basing much of the learning environment on Maria Montessori’s philosophy. We have been training Zarlasht in these ideas, which she enthusiastically and effectively implements, spending from 8am to 4 pm with the children. She is an extremely gifted teacher, and behaviourally and academically the children have made amazing progress. Due to her work, the three oldest children were able to skip 1st grade and are now studying in 2nd grade at the local school, where they are the only ones in their class that can read. The younger children are also making great leaps in their basic skills as well as in their communication skills, learning how to deal with frictions and conflicts among themselves peacefully and gently instead of with the aggressiveness that was initially evident in them.
The environment is flexible and open so that each child has the opportunity to explore his/her own inner and outer world further. Many friends have donated toys and educational supplies to the orphanage, and the children’s activities range from playing educational games with puzzles and building blocks, to learning the basics of math, reading and writing, to doing simple science activities, to planting chick peas and beans and lentils and caring for their own plants, to being responsible for helping with work around the house and cleaning up after meals. While this may sound normal and average, here in Afghanistan this is a highly progressive and unique situation. Numerous visitors from UN agencies, local aid organizations and Afghan friends have come to observe; many see the orphanage as a model of how kindergartens, day care centers and orphanages can and should be. After visiting the orphanage, one Afghan friend commented admiringly and yet sadly, “Even kids who have both parents here don’t have this kind of environment.”
Many of the children return every week or two to stay with their family or relatives over the weekend. Thus we hope to be able to sustain this project long-term, helping the families of the orphans while still helping to support and care for the children.

*If you would like to receive a few pictures of the orphanage and the children or would like more information, please feel free to email us at mepo_hope@yahoo.com

Iran – Avaj Earthquake in Summer 2002
MEPO’s doctor paid two visits to the most heavily damaged sites in Iran after the earthquake of June, 2002. In the first trip, the doctor volunteered for one week to provide medical assistance to the victims of different villages near Avaj. On the second trip, he distributed nearly $1000 and two large boxes of toys among the families living in the tents who had largely lost everything they had, often including family members.

Seed Money…Lamb Meat Distribution – Other Small Yet Vital Means of Support to the Needy
· A widowed woman in Iran with five daughters was given a sewing machine and materials and money to pay the fee to attend a tailoring class.

· Three beggars in Kabul were given seed money to buy carts to be able to sell fruits and vegetables.

· Periodically in Kabul we have bought a lamb and then slaughtered it to distribute the meat among poor families who have not been able to eat meat for months. Many people suffer from loose teeth, skin problems and poor health since their diet is often just bread and tea, all they can afford. Even one or two meals of good meat can make a difference in peoples’ lives.

· Toothbrushes, vitamins and world maps were distributed to schools around Afghanistan.

A Bicycle or a Landcruiser?
Upon relocation to Kabul, MEPO decided to use bicycles as the main means of transportation for its staff to get around Kabul instead of purchasing a vehicle. MEPO has five bicycles that the staff uses in the city. This is intended to be both environmentally correct and financially economical. At the same time, we are trying to teach ourselves and hopefully others that a better world starts always at home through one’s personal initiation and effort.

From February 2002 to March 2003, including:
· Three trips to Herat Province, Afghanistan and its vicinities
· Running three clinics
· Supporting several schools, both from Taliban time as well as post-Taliban
· Establishing the orphanage

Projects	Spent Thus Far (2002-2003)	Projected Cost for One Year
2 clinics and vocational training schools [ongoing from 2001]	$23,074 (implemented by HEWAD)	For 2 clinics: $15,000
3 Herat expeditions	$6250	-----
Support to schools, 75 families in Herat, and various widows and beggars	$4000	-----
Miscellaneous expenses (transportation, office supplies, lodging, etc.)	$2000	$2000
Kabul Mother –Child Care Clinic	$9500	$25,000
Orphanage	$7000	$20,000
TOTAL	$51,824	$62,000

The great team effort and networking of our invaluable volunteer friends in the US and Europe has made our work possible:
Carol Schoffmann, Ensieh Edinger-Taheri, Lida Ghaemi,
Sholeh Elhami and Javad Ashrafi, Casey Lide, Allison Lide

Please see our website at www.mepoonline.org. Although we have not had the chance to update the website with our recent work in Afghanistan, the site provides comprehensive and detailed information and background about MEPO.

Should great virtue be in the mouth of a wild lion,
Take a risk - obtain that greatness from the lion’s mouth.
Live with dignity, humility, bravery and great virtue.