Was rule under the
Taliban outright  Anarchy???
Question: Your
survey also suggests that stability is being
undermined by the refusal, so far, of U.S. military
planners to get involved in disputes involving Afghan
warlords in areas outside of Kabul. Please explain
that situation.
Stevenson: There's no question that U.S. officials
conceded that warlord rule was a kind of necessary
evil, and better than the alternative, which was
outright anarchy. So I think the dispensation
recently has been [for U.S. forces]  to avoid involvement in clashes
among warlords. Radio Free Europe interviewed
Jonathan Stevenson, editor
of "Strategic Survey 2002-03," via
telephone on 14 May about findings related
to Afghanistan in a newly released Strategy Survey
for 2002-03.
.photo Al
Hakim......................................................
Material supplied by
the indefatigable members of
Afghanistan-sl@yahoogroups.com
FLOODS: 100
hectares of land were destroyed," Khaja Fayazuddin
Siddiqi, a UNHCR regional information officer, told IRIN
from Herat.
According to Siddiqi, the district administrators of
Gulran and Koshk had reported to UNHCR that many families
had been displaced. "Two aid agencies which are in
the flood-affected districts are busy conducting a survey
on the losses caused by the floods," Siddiqi said,
noting that vulnerable families had not yet received any
assistance.
After four years of drought, Afghanistan has had better
rains this year, but is now suffering from flash floods.
Heavy floods affected 2,000 people, damaging 474 houses,
while completely destroying 168 dwellings in the
northeastern province of Konduz. In the northern city of
Mazar-e Sharif, heavy rains destroyed compounds and
houses
We can now tell you that the joint government/UN mission
with representatives from the Ministry of Planning, the
local office of disaster preparedness, UNAMA, UNHCR, the
World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) went to both districts - Gulran and
Kushk. Some teams have been in the area for the last five
days assessing the damage to the many villages affected.
The teams found fields and homes damaged by the floods
but it is not a life-threatening situation in either of
the two districts affected according to the Governors.
A representative from UNAMA was in the team which went to
Shadnan, one of the worst affected village in Gulran
district. In Shadnan where 80 families live, the water
level rose about 1.5 metres and although it is situated
above the high water mark, the floods broke through the
water diversion wall and rushed through the village,
inundating fields and home plots for two days. The
village elders reported to the mission that two houses
were completely destroyed but the families had been taken
in by the community. Other houses were partially damaged
and people are still living in those houses.
The mission is recommending a food for work programme for
the village to rebuild the diversion wall and provide two
tents for the families whose houses were totally
destroyed.
...................................................................................................................................
REFUGEES IN KABUL
Of the 1.7 million refugees who returned to Afghanistan
in 2002, 600,000 went to Kabul where tens of thousands
live as squatters today. Many had been refugees in
Pakistan or Iran for years, while others were exiled more
recently - having fled the Taliban within the last two or
three years. Even if they were supposed to go to certain
districts outside Kabul where they had originally come
from, they have decided to stay in the capital in
destroyed houses or public buildings, often without
windows or doors, or in tents where they are trying to
survive the winter in deplorable conditions.
Kabul is 70% destroyed, and people throughout the city
live in an extremely precarious situation. The public
assumes that peace in Afghanistan has returned, but the
reality is different: insecurity for civilians amidst an
armed peace with ethnic tensions. And while international
aid is concentrated in the capital, it has been poorly
developed.
The squatters in Kabul are proof that the reconstruction
process has stalled. Even with so many humanitarian
agencies present, little is being done for these tens of
thousands of families who can't find stable work, a
regular food supply, or access to basic medical care.
They live in cramped rooms, often with several other
families, so there is a high risk of child mortality and
the spread of epidemics. Because they were exiled from
the country for so many years, they have been overlooked
by international aid groups, the municipal authorities
and by donor countries. They just are not a priority,
even though it is simply inhumane to continue to allow
them to live under such conditions.
Kabul University
was founded in the mid-1940s and became Afghanistan's
intellectual center, a flourishing campus with schools of
agriculture, engineering, education and pharmacy, among
other programs. But 20 years of war reduced it to a
bullet-riddled jumble of buildings, some without water or
electricity. Last year, Afghan police beat students who
were protesting the lack of electricity and food at
dormitories, according to Human Rights Watch, a nonprofit
group based in New York.
When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1996, they
banned female students and imposed a conservative Islamic
curriculum, destroying books they considered blasphemous.
Even though the United States toppled the Taliban in
2001, the Taliban's beliefs live on among students they
influenced.
Faculty members from Purdue University are setting up
a distance learning program at Kabul University. Japan
has donated computers, and British-led peacekeepers have
donated money for a new cafeteria.
In January and February, when many of the nation's
leading Afghanistan specialists came to Duke University
for a conference, they hatched the idea for what would be
called the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies, a
nonprofit organization supported by several universities.
The scholars plan to meet again this month.
Most of the start-up financing would come from the
Council of American Overseas Research Centers, or CAORC,
an organization that has set up similar research centers
in Pakistan, Yemen, West Africa and other places around
the world.
Duke has a leading role in establishing the field office
in Afghanistan because Richards, a past chairman of
CAORC, has experience in setting up such centers.
"We're creating an American community of scholars
who study Afghanistan, who know each other, who present
papers to each other across many disciplines, from
archaeology to public health," Richards said.
Gilbert Merkx, vice provost for international affairs and
development at Duke, said the university also would
donate staff time and office space, as part of its effort
to be more internationally recognized. Duke would
organize meetings for the institute's supervisory board,
help scholars write grants or host seminars on campus,
for example.
Mary Ellen Lane, CAORC's executive director, said she
hopes that the Afghanistan office is operating in a year,
and that other organizations will send scholars over,
once the doors are open
...........................................................................................................................
Dag
Hammarskjold Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Dag Hammarskjold Memorial Scholarship Fund of the
United Nations Correspondents Association is accepting
applications from Afghan journalists for fellowships to
cover the 58th General Assembly session, which begins in
September 2003.
This fund was established in tribute to the late
Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold.
These awards require the presence of the journalists
selected in New York for the duration of the General
Assembly session (starting in September 2003) to provide
their media with special news coverage from UN
Headquarters.
Applicants must be full-time, professional journalists
between 25 and 35 years old and employed by recognized
print or broadcast organizations. They must have a good
working knowledge of English.
The Fund will provide: round-trip airfare to New York;
modest hotel accommodation; health insurance for the
duration of the fellowship; and a daily allowance to
cover food and basic necessities.
Applicants are advised to send the application form and
their CV to the Office of Communication and Public
Information, UNAMA Compound B, Kabul New City, before 24
April 2003.
Finally just to tell you that I'll be away for about two
weeks, in my absence David Singh will be in charge of the
office. His telephone number is 070 282 160.
.............................................................................................................................................
A history of
Afghanistan
by
Bernice Pontanilla Toban Staff
The Manitoban
is the official student newspaper of the University of
Manitoba.
Afghanistan.
The
Afghan countryside is riddled with land mines that offer
nothing but grief to those unfortunate enough to stray
from "safe" paths. The war that has plagued
Afghanistan is recent, yet most students know more about
World War II – begun more than 50 years ago –
than they do about one carried out during their own
lifetime.
Pre-652 CE:
Greek and Persian imperialism
Archaeologists
have found evidence indicating that human activity in
Afghanistan goes back more than 50,000 years. In fact,
the earliest domestication of plants and animals probably
occurred in northern Afghanistan between 50,000 and
20,000 BCE.
From
2000 to 1500 BCE, Afghanistan was part of the trade route
between Mesopotamia and other civilizations. Aryan tribes
– the people believed to have populated the Indus
valley, now located in modern-day Pakistan – made
ancient Afganistan their home. In terms of religion, some
scholars believe Afghanistan to be where the Rig Veda
(the ancient scriptures on which Hinduism is based) and
the religion of Zoroastrianism (circa 600 BCE) were
created.
Afghanistan
was made part of the Persian empire from 522 to 486 BCE;
conquered by Alexander the Great from 329 to 326 BCE
(while northern Afghanistan was ruled by the Greeks in
323 BCE); reached the height of its Graeco-Buddhist age
in 50 CE; invaded by the White Huns 400 CE; and finally
reconquered by Persians in 550 CE.
In
652 CE, Islam was introduced to the inhabitants of
Afghanistan.
652 to 1747
CE: Persia continues to exercise influence
From
the years 962 until 1030, Afghanistan was the centre of
Islamic civilization and power. In 1219, the country was
invaded by Genghis Khan, who along with his followers
destroyed irrigation systems and left deserts in their
wake. Marco Polo crossed Afghan Turkistan in 1273.
The
subsequent centuries saw countless foreign invaders and
recurrent Afghan resistance.
In
1708, a man named Mir Wais liberated Kandahar from the
Persian rule that had lasted since 1622. Fourteen years
later, Mir Wais’ son, Mir Mafmud, invaded Persia.
However, Mafmud started losing his hold three years
later.
Nadir
Shah, King of Persia, occupied southwestern Afghanistan
in 1736 and took control of Kandahar two years later,
only to be assassinated in 1747 – the year during
which modern day Afghanistan was established under the
rule of Ahmad Shah Abdali (Durrani).
1747 to
1978: Enter British and Russian influence
Abdali
ruled from 1747 to 1773 and enlarged the Afghan
territory. The Moghuls (west of the Indus river) were
defeated and the city of Herat was taken away from the
Persians. At this point in history, the Afghan territory
extended from Central Asia to New Delhi, from Kashmir to
the Arabian Sea, and became "the greatest Muslim
empire in the second half of the 18th century"
(www.afghan-web.com).
From
1773 until 1809, different shahs ruled, including Timur,
Zaman, Mahmood, and Shujah. In 1826, Dost Mohammad Khan
won control of Kabul after seven years of civil war
between the sons of Timur Shah, who were battling for the
throne.
In
1834, wars between the Afghan Muslims and Sikhs took
place. The British – at the height of their
imperialism and wary of Russian expansion through
Afghanistan – invaded in 1836 with the help of
ousted King Shujah. The first Anglo-Afghan war occurred
between 1839 and 1842 and resulted in the surrender and
deportation to India of D. M. Khan. Shah Shujah was
Britain’s "puppet king" until he was
killed by Afghans in April of 1842. The war ended the
following January with a victorious Afghanistan under
Akbar Khan. D. M. Khan returned to occupy the throne in
1843.
A
peace treaty was signed between India and Afghanistan in
1855. Four years later, the British left Afghanistan
completely landlocked after taking an area known as
Baluchistan.
The
years 1863 to 1868 were turbulent, with three different
kings occupying the throne: Sher Ali, Mohammad Afzal, and
Mohammad Azam. In 1873, the Russian empire set its
borders and promised to respect the territory of
Afghanistan.
The
second Anglo-Afghan war began in 1878. Though met with
fierce resistance, the British were given territories by
Amir Muhammad Yaqub Khan, ruler of Afghanistan in 1879.
A
year later, a new Amir took over (Abdur Rahman) and
allowed the British control of Afghanistan’s foreign
relations in exchange for British withdrawal from Afghan
territory.
Russia
captured Panjdeh Oasis, a part of northern Afghanistan,
in 1885, despite promises to respect the territory. Eight
years later, the "Durand line" was drawn as the
border between India and Afghanistan. The border runs
through the middle of Pashtun tribal lands, leaving some
in Afghanistan, some in British India.
Great
Britain and Russia signed a treaty declaring Afghanistan
outside of Russia’s dominion in 1907. Habibullah
(son of the late Abdur Rahman) was assassinated and
succeeded by his son, Amanullah Khan in 1919.
The
third Anglo-Afghan war began in 1921 and resulted in a
complete victory for Afghanistan, which reclaimed control
of foreign relations. The 1920s and 30s were tumultuous
for Afghanistan. Amanullah Khan was overthrown by
Habibullah Kalakani, and later overthrown by Nadir Khan,
who halted steps to modernize Afghanistan begun by
Amanullah Khan. Nadir’s son Zahir ascended the
throne after his father was assassinated in 1933.
Afghanistan
was formally recognized as a country by the U.S. in 1934.
During the second World War, Zahir Shah proclaimed
Afghanistan to be neutral.
With
Britain’s withdrawal from India in 1947, Pakistan
was created from Indian and Afghan territory. The old
unease concerning the Durand line flared up again as many
Pashtuns wanted to maintain connections between the
Pashtun tribes in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
A
figure who will create controversy became prime minister
in 1953. He was Prince Mohammad Daoud, and, after failing
to acquire military equipment from the U.S., turned to
the Soviet Union. Under his rule (and under Zahir Shah),
universities became co-educational, allowing women to
enter the workforce.
Throughout
the 20th century, there were uprisings by Pashtun people,
who live in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 1961,
both countries came close to war over an area, which is
part of the two countries, known as Pashtunistan. The
Pakistani border was closed from 1961 until 1963 to
discourage reunification through political efforts by
Pashtuns in Pakistan and those in Afghanistan.
The
Afghan Communist Party (known as PDPA) was formed in 1965
and, in 1973, overthrew the government of Zahir Shah in a
coup. PDPA’s leader, Daoud Khan, abolished the
monarchy and declared himself president. Daoud introduced
a new constitution in which women’s rights were
confirmed. He also began ousting suspected dissidents in
his government.
Another
coup occured in 1978, this one much more bloody. Daoud
was killed, mass arrests and tortures took place. The new
leader, Taraki, signed a treaty of friendship with the
Soviet Union. In response, the Mujahideen (Afghan
guerilla movement) was born.
1979 to
2001: Rise of the Taliban
1979
is a tumultuous year: the U.S. ambassador was killed, as
was Taraki. Hazifullah Amin took the presidency, only to
be replaced by Babrak Karmal when he was assasinated. The
Soviet Union, wanting to maintain dominance in
Afghanistan, invaded in December.
Dr.
Najibullah, who had been running the secret police,
replaced Karmal in 1986. The following year Najibullah
proposed a ceasefire but the Mujahideen rejected it,
saying it did not want a "puppet government."
After
signing peace accords in Geneva, the Soviet Union was
defeated and withdrew from Afghanistan on February 15,
1989. War experts place the total Russian dead between
40,000 and 50,000.
The
Mujahideen continued to fight the Najibullah government
and took the capital Kabul on April 15, 1992, forming an
Islamic state. Najibullah was protected by the UN.
Iran
and Pakistan continued to intervene in Afghan affairs
through members of the Mujahideen. Professor Burhannudin
Rabbani was elected president. Infighting between the
different factions – including the Taliban, a member
of the Mujahideen – intensified.
In
1994, the Taliban (derived from the Persian word for
student, in the Islamic madrassas [schools]) advanced
rapidly on the Rabbani government.
On
September 27, 1996, the Taliban forced the Rabbani
government out of Kabul, effectively assuming control.
Repressive norms were imposed on women, such as the full
veil (known as burka), exclusion from the workforce, a
ban on white socks and restriction from social contact
with men other than family members. Men had to grow
beards. Even the national sport of Buzkashi was outlawed,
as was music and dance. The other factions that made up
the Mujahideen fled to northern Afghanistan and became
the "Northern Alliance." These groups resisted
the Taliban.
In
1998, northeastern Afghanistan endured a devastating
earthquake which left 4,000 dead and leveled towns. Later
that same year, the U.S. launched missile attacks on
Afghanistan after the bombing of a U.S. embassy in
Africa. The U.S. claimed the attacks were the work of
Osama Bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi living in Afghanistan
under the Taliban’s hospitality, and his terrorist
network (Al Qaeda).
Another
earthquake hit Afghanistan, this time in the eastern part
of the country, in 1999.
In
September, ousted King Zahir Shah called for a grand
assembly to discuss
ways of bringing peace to Afghanistan. The ruling Taliban
rejected the proposal.
In
March of 2000, the international community became aware
of the Taliban extremism after the desecration of giant
fifth century Bamiya Buddha statues despite pleas to
leave the sacred objects alone. Artifacts in the Kabul
museum were also destroyed by the Taliban, who called the
objects an affront to Islam.
Dealers
donate artefacts to Kabul Museum 
Bureau Report
Dawn Online
PESHAWAR: Afghan antique dealers on Friday donated relics
and artefacts of Afghan region to the Kabul Museum here
as a gesture to preserve art and heritage of their
war-shattered country.
Twenty-one Afghan dealers, who run antique shops in
Peshawar, handed over around 50 objects including bowls,
flasks, lamps, armour, gold coins, robes, old traditional
costumes and axes to the Peshawar-based Afghan consular
general Haji Abdul Khaliq Farahi during a seminar.
Dealers and antique collectors claimed that most of the
pieces belonged to the Safavid, Kushan, Ghaznavid and
King Abdur Rehman periods, which they purchased from
dealers in Afghanistan and
Peshawar.
Haji Malang Zadran, an Afghan dealer, donated
1,000-year-old traditional Afghan robe. Haji Amin, who is
running an antique shop in Peshawar, announced giving the
Safavid-period metalled lamp.
The day-long seminar titled "Preservation of culture
& heritage: guarantee for national identity in
Afghanistan," was arranged by Afghan Cultural House,
an organization assisted by the Afghan consulate,
Peshawar, in collaboration with the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan's Afghan  desk.
Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Islamabad Mosa Ghazi,
director general Iranian Cultural Centre Mr Raees Saddat,
HRCP chairperson Afrasiab Khattak, officials of Kabul
Museum, Afghan information ministry, director Peshawar
Museum Dr Ihsan and representatives of NGOs attended the
event.
An Afghan archeologist Muhammad Yaseen Kasib said that
some 400 Afghan antique dealers and collectors in
Peshawar were very enthusiastic to contribute artifacts
to the Kabul Museum to
preserve the centuries-old heritage of their country.
Mine
action and awareness
A UNAMA Police advisor and a Military Advisor
should be arriving in Maimana, Faryab,at about 11:00 a.m.
today. The first will provide support to the
establishment of the proposed police force while the
second will provide additional support to UNAMA in
ensuring that the overall 10 April agreement is observed.
We can also report that the team of UN deminers that
arrived in the city on Sunday is still actively working
on the removal of live munitions and UXOs, which we told
you at the last briefing had been found in the streets
and homes of Maimana, and were a threat to civilians,
particularly children.
This afternoon at 3pm Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah
Abdullah is opening an exhibition of photographs called
'The Afghan Folio & Mine Action Images' by Luke
Powell. Journalists are welcome to attend the event at
the Foreign Ministry. It's part of the Mine Action and
Awareness Month which is taking place across Afghanistan
now.
The month opened with a conference in Kabul which was
addressed by the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General, Lakhdar Brahimi. He described
landmines as silent killers and urged the international
community to support the demining work in the country.
There are a whole range of activities planned for the
month and you can contact Tammy Hall at the United
Nations Mine Action Centre for Afghanistan (UNMACA) for
more information. Yesterday Deputy SRSG Nigel Fisher
attended a parade of deminers at the national stadium
here in Kabul. He spoke about the death toll from
landmines in Afghanistan - every month about 150 Afghans
are killed and injured by landmines.
Sadly this week there has been another demining accident
which has killed one deminer and injured another. It
happened on Tuesday in Nangahar province. Two deminers
from the Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy
Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA) team No. 2 were
working at Shikh Misri village in Surkhrod district. Mr.
Abdul Aziz Moqadas died on the way to hospital from his
injuries and Saleem Abdul Aziz, the section leader
received injuries to his face and eyes. He was taken to
hospital in Peshawar and he is recovering from his
injuries. An investigation into the incident is being
carried out
.
..WILL NATO
TAKE OVER THE ISAF FROM THE UN?
Question: The security commission - is that a
UNAMA security commission?
Spokesman: No it's a commission that brings together the
leadership of the factions of the north, UNAMA
facilitates, helps, it is involved, but it's a commission
of the factions of the north.
Question: What is the UN's response to NATO taking over
ISAF?
Spokesman: Well first of all we just learnt about it, In
fact all the details I just learnt from Thomas now as he
was briefing you. I would imagine that this is pretty
much of an internal arrangement of the force. Most
members are NATO members anyway; until now the countries
that have taken the leadership of ISAF have all been NATO
members. So it seems to be much more of an internal
arrangement for ISAF.
Question: This move of NATO taking over ISAF is this a
strategy to relieve the United Nations from Afghanistan
so the UN can concentrate more on Iraq?
Spokesman: This is not a United Nations decision. The
NATO direct involvement in ISAF as Thomas was explaining,
is a NATO decision and my initial perception - as I said
we just learnt about it - it's more of an internal,
almost administrative arrangement than anything else. But
your question you will have to put to NATO and the member
states of NATO.
Question: Will the UN continue its role in the form of
ISAF in Afghanistan?
Spokesman: ISAF is mandated by the Security Council as a
follow-up to the Bonn Agreement. That mandate is
stipulated in a resolution of the Security Council and I
see absolutely no reason for any change to happen there.
First photoCopyright
2001-2003Charlie Varley and Varleypix.com All Rights
Reserved
Bookstores
closed in Kabul makeover
KABUL April 28 (NNI): Booksellers whose market stalls
were recently closed by the authorities, as part of an
urban renewal project, are refusing to relocate to a new
site because they says it's too far away for their
customers.
They've set up temporary pitches next to their former
premises, which were well-known and popular features of
central Kabul over the past decade. The two book markets,
made up of 85 stalls, were built illegally on private
property, but during the chaos of the past ten years the
landowners let them be, and the booksellers paid small
amounts of rent to the city.
But two months ago, the municipal authorities began
clearing out the markets, saying they were a blight on
major routes to embassies and ministries. The booksellers
are not the only ones angered by this latest chapter in
the capital's rush towards urban renewal. Many of their
customers, in particular students, are opposed to the
relocation to the Bagh-e-Ali Mardan area of
the city.
"We students, in fact everyone living here, don't
need modern parks, more cosmetics shops, etc," said
Masood Sakhi, a third-year political science student at
Kabul University. " We need bookstores to compensate
for the damage that we and our education have suffered
for the last ten years." Bookseller Mohammad Daud
said the previous regime did more to protect his trade.
"In Taleban times, a businessman named Hotak wanted
to build a park to replace the bookstores. But when
thecase was referred to the municipality, the officials
said that our people need books more than the parks and
the suggestion was turned down."
The book markets were a hodge-podge of metal and wood
stands.Book lovers could find the  latest foreign texts; would
scavenge for magazines long out of print; or find rare
old volumes of history, literature and academic
disciplines. Many of these came from private collections
sold by their owners during hard times or even stolen
from embassies closed during the wars. The booksellers
had been in the markets for so long that they - and their
customers - had come to think of it as their own.Sayed
Alem, the director of construction for Kabul
municipality, said the city never gave the property to
the booksellers and that the closure of their market was
a necessary part of theurban renewal drive. "Now
that the rehabilitation of Afghanistan has begun, the
municipality wants to build Kabul city the
rightway," he said.
Bagh-e-Ali Mardan, a little known part of Kabul, is
located in the midst of shops selling bicycles and
electrical appliances, along a major road that doesn't
have any pedestrians. Shifting the market to Bagh-e-Ali
Mardan "would be hard for the customers because not
many people know places in Kabul city by name", said
one bookseller, Mohammad Shafi, adding that this was
never a problem with the former premises. The cost of
getting to the new market is also a problem. "It
would be hard to pay 20 afghanis in transport costs to
buy a book costing 40 or 45 afghanis," said
Hamidullah Hamid, a student at the Polytechnic Institute.
Some of the booksellers decided to take over a strip of
grass near their old location. They told IWPR that they
had to pay a bribe of 3,000 afghanis each (about 60 US
dollars) to officials to stay there, but even at that
price the arrangement is only temporary. Others have
simply laid out some books and magazines each orning on
cloths in the vacant lot where the shops used to stand.
They have to pay nearby shops to store their inventory
overnight.
Booksellers are not the only merchants being targeted.
The city has cleared out 535 small stands selling clothes
and shoes and 35 outlets offering plastic household goods
from several other central locations. The land for one of
the two former book markets, owned by the nearby Spin Zar
hotel, will be turned into a park, said Alem.The fate of
the other plot, the property of the family of King
Amanullah Khan, who ruled at the beginning of the 20th
century, is uncertain. Alem said he doesn't know what the
former monarch's descendents plan to do with the land,
but the city would like to clean it up because it is on
the way to a number of embassies and the foreign
ministry.
Workers prepare two shipments containing clothes, bikes,
computers
Tuesday, May
13, 2003l
By Melissa Evans, STAFF WRITER : Alameda Time Star
FREMONT -- The work of several Bay Area agencies finally
is paying off this week, as volunteers prepare to ship
clothing, bikes, computers and other supplies to
Afghanistan.
"This is such an exciting time for us," said
Nafisa Rouhani, director of Fremont's Afghan Center,
which has worked for several months collecting donations.
"These supplies will be wonderful for the people of
Afghanistan."
Two shipments of supplies -- 20,000 pounds each -- are
being sent this week to Afghanistan, where they are
expected to arrive in about a month, said Linda Levitsky,
development director with the Afghan Center.
About a dozen volunteers are spending this week sorting
through coats, stuffed animals, children's clothing,
books, notebooks and medical supplies.
The supplies also include 120 bicycles that were rebuilt
by a Danville organization called One Family and five
pallets of computers sent from Purdue University in
Indiana to be donated to Kabul University. Other supplies
include wheelchairs, crutches and walkers given by area
health care agencies.
Other supplies were collected at the Afghan Center and
area mosques, organizers said. Many were donated by the
East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, an agency that
collects and redistributes materials for education, arts
and other projects.
The supplies are in a warehouse at the Port of Oakland,
thanks to a donation of space from the Oakland Waste
Authority. Shipping costs have been picked up by the U.S.
Agency for International Development.
The goal is help thousands of refugees who are returning
to their native country after years of war, organizers
say.
"We're hoping this will be ongoing project,"
Levitsky said. "So many organizations helped to make
this happen."
Material supplied by
the indefatigable members of
Afghanistan-sl@yahoogroups.com
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