Aria Project for Afghanistan

Summary

Aria Project has been sending money to multiple families for much needed financial support through 2021 and 2022. As the Taliban took over Afghanistan and has continued to place more and more restrictions on the people of Afghanistan, the needs have increased. Recently, girls and women have been completely banned from attending school, universities and all forms of work. This is a devastating blow to a family’s ability to earn a living in a country that was already struggling to sufficiently employ its men, let alone its women.  As women are now imprisoned to their homes, families have been forced with unbearable choices as they struggle to keep each other fed, clothed, in good health, and in their homes.

It is Aria Project’s intention to support four families. For the sake of their safety, I will give them different names: the Smith’s, the Johnson’s, the Knight’s and the Randall’s.

The Smiths

This family lives in the Nari District of Kunar Province. They belong to the Kohistani tribe and speak Kohistani as their primary language. Two of the brothers in this family had been enlisted in the Afghan Army and their father used to have a small shop on a U.S. military base where he sold CD’s, games, bags and other Afghan items to the American soldiers. Once the U.S. military left, and the Afghan Army was disbanded, there was no way for them to make a living anymore. One of the brothers was my English student when he was 17 years old and he is baby Aria’s father. This family is made up of 12 people who all live together and range from 56 years old to 15 months old. However, I have been informed that the money sent to this family has extended to many of their neighbors as well. I am told regularly that if it were not for the Aria Project funds, they would have lost family members due to starvation and medical issues that would have otherwise gone untreated. Aria Project intends to support this family, and village, as much as possible while the men of the family look for new ways of making a living.

The Johnsons

This is a family of 9 people who live in Herat province. This family’s son and daughter were both my students. I taught the son English and I taught the daughter typing and some basic computer skills. The son went on to attend medical school and his education was interrupted when the Taliban closed his school and he was forced to flee to Pakistan where he hid for 8 months while the Taliban sent letters to his family asking where he was, threatening to “punish him for being persuaded by Western beliefs.” When the situation cooled down, he decided to return to Afghanistan to apply for a passport and attempt to continue his medical school classes. The boredom was getting to him and he could no longer deal with his education being wasted on empty days and nights that ran together, as days and nights do when one has no purpose.

After much consideration, he returned to Afghanistan and was immediately caught by the Taliban and taken to prison for three days where they interrogated him. He later told me that he was terrified as he was not sure they would release him. They did release him and have allowed him to return to medical school.  He and his friend have completed their exams for this semester, often having to study by candlelight due to limited electricity through the winter months. They have four semesters remaining to graduation. He explained that the medical profession is the only vocation the Taliban cannot prohibit (men) from working.  Doctors in Afghanistan make about $300-$400 per month, which will enable him to help support his mother, younger siblings, older sister and her two very small children. Aria Project intends to support this young man as he completes his medical schooling so that he can be given the chance to eventually support his family.

The Knights

This is a family of four people. I was introduced to the father of this family at one of the orphanages in Kabul. He was the guardian of the children living there, though he was only 17 years old at the time. He is now married and he and his wife have two small children, both boys. He has a degree in engineering and she is a dentist. They fled Afghanistan and hid out in Pakistan for seven months before getting visas to go to Italy. While this is much, much better than the dangers of the Taliban finding them and retaliating against them for their many years of dedicated humanitarian work with orphanages and women’s shelters, they are unable to work in Italy until they are granted 5-year residency permits. So far, they have only been able to attain 6-month residency permits. They have been able to move into a one-bedroom apartment and their oldest child has been able to start pre-school. They are learning Italian and hoping to be granted the opportunity to build a life there. In the meantime, the father is struggling due to an intense toothache. His wife believes he is in need of a root canal. He has been losing weight because it is painful to chew food. He has asked for extra assistance so that he can go to the dentist to get the dental care he needs.  Aria Project will make small donations to him for this purpose, as funds allow.

The Randalls

This is a family of 11 people who are from the Kapisa province. Their primary language is Pashayi. Two of the young men, who are cousins from this family, made their way to Iran to work construction as do many Afghan men, if they can make the journey. One of the young men was my English student. He went on to get a degree in economics. He studies English every day and has started writing his life story which he eventually wants to send to me for a potential English lesson and editing.

When the two Randall men left Afghanistan to travel to Iran, they crammed into a van that carried 13 other men. They had to ride to Pakistan and then travel to Iran. They were in a car accident along the way and were forced to walk part of the way. There were injuries in the other vehicle involved. I am unclear on how severe the injuries were. They were able to find a farm house where they rested for a day before making their way into Iran. They found construction jobs and are paid $2.00/hr to live on and send back whatever is left to their family. Aria Project helps supplement the needs of these young men as they do what they can to support their family. They needed money for their work visas, winter coats, and new socks which Aria Project funded. Aria Project intends to continue to assist them as they travel back and forth between seasons to find work and see their family.

Appeal for Fundraising:

• The winter months are harsh in Afghanistan. As with food and other supplies, the price of oil and wood to heat stoves for cooking and warmth can be double the price of rent.
• Aria Project’s goal is to contribute $300 per month, to the Smiths and the Johnsons until each family finds a way to make a living in this now very restrictive regime.
• Aria Project’s goal is to fundraise for the Knights immediately so that the father can go to the dentist and get the necessary dental treatment.
• Aria Project’s goal is to contribute $200 per month to the Randall’s.

Thank you!

I would like to convey a sincere thank you to every single donor. These families have asked me to pass on their gratitude to everyone who is involved in helping them. They are often overwhelmed with emotion when they receive the money transfers or if they have to explain that they need to take someone to the doctor or get their car repaired. They want to be able to provide for themselves but, the Taliban has made life unreasonably difficult. Because of your time and generosity, these families are hopeful and able to see options and make plans. Aria Project aims to empower these four families to help themselves and to help others. This goal is indefinite, however as goals are achieved and these families’ needs evolve, so too will Aria Project’s objectives.

Dear Aria Project Supporters,

Background On Aria Project: When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 my Facebook messenger and email were flooded with pleas for help from several of my former students who I had met during a volunteer-teaching stint in 2010. Many of my former students, now adults with families, had college degrees and had become successful in their fields - engineering, economics, dentistry, medicine and computer science - while others served in the Afghan Army. When the Taliban took over their country, they were forbidden to work and all females were required to quit their jobs and stay indoors. The Taliban continues to hunt down educated people, as well as anyone previously involved with the Afghan Army or humanitarian efforts, and marks them as traitors to Islam and their names remain on lists.  These circumstances have caused several of my students and their families to go into hiding or to flee into neighboring countries.  

Our Work Over The Last 3 Months: The cost of food and rent has not gone down through the summer months. High medical expenses and car repairs continue to be relentless. 

The later spring and early summer months provide less severe travel conditions for Afghan men to journey to Iran for construction work to support their families. Travel expenses alone make this necessary endeavor difficult. Once in Iran work is not necessarily guaranteed plus, there are risks of sustaining an injury while on the job and this can require medical care. This all creates massive pressure on the young men who are trying to support families back home. Aria Project has assisted in the funding of transportation to get to Iran and for expenses that have accrued when they are there.   

Since spring, several families have requested funding for passports and work visas.  While visas and passports are incredibly difficult to obtain, priorities have to be calculated between these fees and the cost of living. I trust my former students to consult with their families to appropriate the funds as they see fit. That said, the money raised has shown results. Funding was directed to help one family of four who we had been helping to stay in Pakistan, were finally able to obtain visas, which enabled them to relocate to Italy. Also, one of the girls we had sent some money to early on for groceries, was interviewed for a feature article by a journalist of a well-known magazine and was able to relocate to Paris.  

Another of my former students, an uncle of Baby Aria (the namesake for this project), has specific, determined goals of moving to Germany in hopes of educating himself through hospitality classes toward employment at a hotel. However, the ruling Taliban continues to harshly manipulate the price for Afghans to obtain passports, preventing them from leaving the country freely and safely. My former student and others rely on Aria Project for financial support to counter the Taliban’s restrictive tactics. The project also benefits Aria’s youngest uncle who suffers from grand mal seizures and to continue to allow the boys’ father to transport his youngest son to Jalalabad for vital medical care and prescriptions. While my former student seeks a passport and visa to pursue a future in Germany, his main concern is that his family will continue to be cared for once he is gone.                                                                                

Another of my former students was enrolled in medical school prior to the Taliban’s takeover.  Once the Taliban took control, the medical school was closed, and letters were sent to those students’ families, calling for him and fellow aspiring doctors to be turned over to the Taliban for “adopting Western beliefs.”  My former student and one of his friends from medical school made their way to Pakistan in hopes of securing visas to the United States to continue their academic pursuits.  However, the two young men were without passports, and the Pakistani government denied their visas.  This forced the young men to return to Afghanistan to seek the necessary passports, which – as stated previously – are extremely difficult to acquire under Taliban rule.  In Afghanistan, he is able to work a construction job to help support his mother and his sister’s family, but that work does not provide enough to cover everyday expenses so, Aria Project has been able to assist.    

Dear Donors, you have continued to help keep families together and in their homes. Your kindness and generosity keep these people fed and able to find hope in their lives. I want to share with you all of my students’ personalities and their questions about life, love, American culture, and their comments of gratitude.  

Gratitude: Again, I want to thank each and every person who has contributed to this effort financially or by passing it on to others for awareness. I am deeply grateful for all your help I have received in making this effort possible. Everyone who has benefited from your generosity has asked me to thank you as well. I received this message from the father of one of my former students:  

"Dear Sister Angela, I wish for you good health and a good life and continued success. Dear sister, unemployment is at an all-time high in Afghanistan and there are no businesses for anyone to make a living. People are starving and some people are selling their children and others have committed suicide. You have given us your hands in such a difficult situation. Because of the kindness of strangers, we are alive in this world and we are living with dignity, dear sister. Please accept these words that were in my mind. Thank you for giving us more precious time."