Homage to 9/11 by Janet McKenzie
2009-02-18 @ 13:24:39
News of the Afghan Women's Writing Project, Earthquake Relief and More
2007-12-05 @ 13:08:31
Photo courtesy of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Afghan Women's Writing Project
Please use the link above to access student work and read more information about the project or register for newsletters by using the link below:
Register for Afghan Women's Writing Project Newsletters
The Women
The Afghan Women’s Writing Project began as an idea during novelist Masha Hamilton’s last trip to Afghanistan in November 2008. Her interest in Afghanistan was sparked in the late 1990s during the Taliban period, when she understood it was one of the worst places in the world to be a woman. Masha first visited the country in 2004, and was awed and inspired by the resolute courage of the women she met. When she returned, she saw doors were closing and life was again becoming more difficult, especially for women. She began to fear we could lose access to the voices of Afghan women if we didn’t act soon. The Afghan Women’s Writing Project is aimed at allowing Afghan women to have a direct voice in the world, not filtered through male relatives or members of the media. Many of these Afghan women have to make extreme efforts to gain computer access in order to submit their writings, in English, to the project.
The Project
Everyone involved in the project has donated their time and energy, from Jeff Lyons, the California-based blog master, to Rose Daniels in Brooklyn, NY, who contributed blog design, to Terry Dougherty, the Indiana-based technical specialist who worked tirelessly to set up the online classrooms. The author/teachers themselves are teaching pro bono, making time in already very busy schedules. In finding the writers in Afghanistan, Masha sought the guidance and advice primarily of American Ted Achilles, founder of SOLA (School of Leadership, Afghanistan), who has been living for more than five years in Kabul and Kandahar. She also sought advice from other American friends living there who have connections with young writers at Kabul University. Sally Goodrich, of the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation, provided the link to Ted Achilles and others. Mrs. Goodrich, along with her husband Don, supports Afghan students here in the U.S., and has spearheaded the building of a girls’ school in Afghanistan
If you would like to donate money, time, computer resources, any kind of technical/business expertise that might help promote and strengthen The Afghan Women’s Writing Project’s aims and goals, then please contact:
Masha Hamilton, Project Founder
686 Sterling Place Brooklyn, New York 11216
Phone: 917.821.6119 / Email: masha99@aol.com
Village of Samrkhel in Shirzad District
Photo courtesy of Rachel Lehr, Rubia in Afghanistan
EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FOR WADAN FAMILIES WHO LOST FAMILY MEMBERS AND HOMES IN NANGARHAR PROVINCE
by Rachel Lehr, Rubia in Afghanistan
Link to Rubia
The recent natural disaster that occurred in Shirzad District in Nangarhar province brought human and material losses to its inhabitants. Scores of lives were lost and more than fifty persons, men, women and children, were severely injured. The people of this district are very poor with limited employment opportunities available. The damages to the property and loss of lives are of such magnitude that it will take a long time for the dwellers of the disaster hit area would be able to recover. The quake that has caused this crisis left approximately 9,523 homeless.
Photo by Rachel Lehr, Rubia in Afghanistan
WADAN staff members are from the villages of Khogiani in Shirzad District, the epicenter of the earthquake. They are kind. Most of their families have been displaced- their homes have been destroyed or are too unstable to live in. The elderly, women and children are all sleeping outside in UN tents in the cold and rain. One of the Kabul staff shared his distress with us over morning tea; he is a young man responsible for providing for his family of 16 and now they don’t even have a roof over their heads. Another staffer lost six members of his family. The full extent of the destruction and loss of life has not been tallied. Aid agencies, including the government’s disaster management unit have started relief operations in the affected areas. It will take time for relief to get to all the victims, for all the houses to be rebuilt, for schools to start up again. Time is something they do not have; conditions are worsening by the day.
Photo courtesy of Rachel Lehr, Rubia in Afghanistan
The Peter M. Goodrich Foundation is joining with Rubia and several other organizations, that use WADAN as their primary NGO to oversee projects in Afghanistan, to raise $20,000 by the end of June. To date the Foundation and its WADAN partners are more than half way to their goal.
CLICK HERE TO GIVE TO
THE PETER M. GOODRICH MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR
EARTHQUAKE RELIEF IN AFGHANISTAN
The funds you donate will be used to purchase supplies for the victims to begin rebuilding their lives right away. They need building materials, household items, clothing, food and cookware. The best way to help is to convey funds to WADAN to purchase locally, in Afghanistan, the supplies they need, and sending the people we know and trust directly to the area to distribute to those in need. WADAN knows the victims, and can get them relief quickly, directly and with accountability. Please help now by making a tax deductible donation. On behalf of the Foundation, Rubia in Afghanistan, WADAN, its staff members and other earthquake victims, we thank you for considering this appeal.
[For More About WADAN's Work...
WADAN, (The Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan), an Afghan NGO working at the grassroots level in education, civic education and drug control, has provided an umbrella of support for The Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation, Rubia in Afghanistan and other New England non-profits working in AF. WADAN has provided record keeping, a conduit for the transfer of funds, oversight for expenditures, an office, housing, transport, selection of suitable private school candidates, mentoring and more. The Foundation is deeply indebted to WADAN for providing these services without charge.
This is an opportunity for the Foundation to repay WADAN for its hospitality and generosity. To learn more about WADAN's valuable work over the years, please use the link below.
Link to The Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan
SCHOOLED BY THE TALIBAN
By C.M. Sennott - GlobalPost
Published: April 17, 2009 07:06 ET
Updated: April 17, 2009 07:07 ET-A +ABOSTON —
'Ever since that crystal clear fall morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Sally Goodrich has been on a journey.
It led her to Afghanistan, where she has spent the last several years reaching out to the very country where the hijackers who took the life of her son, Peter, were trained, funded and inspired. Hers was a long journey toward healing and then hope.
But last week it took a dramatic turn that reveals much about Afghanistan and how dramatically the situation there is deteriorating these days. It shows how aggressively and successfully the Taliban is reasserting control of life in every corner of the country.
It’s a turn that would leave a less hardy traveler on the road of life completely disillusioned, perhaps even bitter. But that’s not Sally...'
To Continue Reading Charles M. Sennott Article
Photo courtesy of WADAN
GOODRICH 2008 NOVEMBER VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN
I have returned from a brief stay in Afghanistan in early November reassured that, despite increasing challenges, thanks to courageous Americans and Afghans alike our projects and schools are functioning well with opportunities for us to pursue in Afghanistan and here for children in our care and those seeking our support. I was able to check on the viability of our current projects, reassess the plans to build a library in Bamyan with Shuhada, evaluate first hand the opportunities for two of our returning students and interview a number of prospective candidates for two private schools in the US.
In addition, I was able to travel north to view the arable land Foundation donors purchased to help feed the orphans and a qala or compound that is the site of summer vacations for them. Crops from this location already supply most of the vegetables needed for the orphans and the fifty other project staff in Wardak.
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Rafiq
Most of my agenda was accomplished. There were things left undone: three fathers, five mothers not seen, important recipients not touched and reassured of our continuing commitment (the principal and girls of our Logar school, the orphans in Wardak), places not visited (Bamyam, Farah, Wardak and Logar) and those given a few hours who left needing more time in a country noted for its hospitality. It is far better not to tell people you are visiting the country and then just show up but not consistent with my focus on assessing educational opportunities and prospective students. I leave knowing there are community based schools to support, SOLA to build with Ted Achilles, good schools in Kabul to send children to. Kabul and American Universities serve important functions. Our best colleges (many now cutting back on financial aid for international students) accept credits from Afghan universities, making some combination of the two systems a more financially viable alternative and appealing route to an undergraduate degree. There is good reason for children to stay in Afghanistan and pursue an education there and good reason to leave and do the same elsewhere. In the end all must return to Afghanistan to build the infrastructure of their country. There is no more important task.
Sally Goodrich
New Initiatives in Afghanistan
2007-11-14 @ 09:58:30
Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation is able to support reconstruction primarily in the field of education in Afghanistan.
Wardak Orphans with a New Flock of Sheep
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Rafiq
There are two primary projects for a village in Wardak. The Foundation purchased arable land elsewhere to cultivate products for sale and provided a herd of sheep and cows to serve as an independent source of revenue to support fiftyfive orphans.
Arable Land for Orphans
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Rafiq
The Foundation is indebted to its partner NGO, WADAN, for support in its Logar and Wardak projects. To learn more about WADAN, please use the link: Welfare Association for Development of Afghanistan
The Foundation is working with a former American Councils YES exchange student who is graduating from Lyndon Institute in Lydonville, VT and the Shuhada Organization, an indigenous non-governmental and non-profit organization committed to reconstruction and development, as it seeks to build a school library or community based library in Bamyan. See Shuhada Organization for more information about this impressive organization.
Sally in Logar in April 2007
Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe Magazine
In Logar, thanks to individual donations and support from charitable organizations, the Foundation extended water into the school, constructed inside bathrooms and a septic system in 2008. Previously, it provided an annual stipend for teachers' salaries and purchased much needed school supplies.
With the advent of two new Afghan exchange students this year, the Foundation has placed a moratorium on sponsoring more. Thanks to support from its donors, our Foundation provides host families, funds necessary for travel, insurance, medical, dental, clothing, tutoring, and educational needs and in rare cases pays tuition. These children are the light of our lives. They are also the hope of Afghanistan. “It is this hope, above all, which gives strength to live and continually try new things."
Sally Goodrich
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Rafiq
There are two primary projects for a village in Wardak. The Foundation purchased arable land elsewhere to cultivate products for sale and provided a herd of sheep and cows to serve as an independent source of revenue to support fiftyfive orphans.
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Rafiq
The Foundation is indebted to its partner NGO, WADAN, for support in its Logar and Wardak projects. To learn more about WADAN, please use the link: Welfare Association for Development of Afghanistan
The Foundation is working with a former American Councils YES exchange student who is graduating from Lyndon Institute in Lydonville, VT and the Shuhada Organization, an indigenous non-governmental and non-profit organization committed to reconstruction and development, as it seeks to build a school library or community based library in Bamyan. See Shuhada Organization for more information about this impressive organization.
Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe Magazine
In Logar, thanks to individual donations and support from charitable organizations, the Foundation extended water into the school, constructed inside bathrooms and a septic system in 2008. Previously, it provided an annual stipend for teachers' salaries and purchased much needed school supplies.
With the advent of two new Afghan exchange students this year, the Foundation has placed a moratorium on sponsoring more. Thanks to support from its donors, our Foundation provides host families, funds necessary for travel, insurance, medical, dental, clothing, tutoring, and educational needs and in rare cases pays tuition. These children are the light of our lives. They are also the hope of Afghanistan. “It is this hope, above all, which gives strength to live and continually try new things."
Sally Goodrich
Creating Dialogue and Building Leadership through Student Exchange
2007-04-06 @ 11:47:37
The Foundation financially contributed to the education of thirteen students during the 2008/2009 academic year. Those students attend Williams, Bates, Bard at Simons Rock, Beloit colleges and St. Lawrence University. Others attend private secondary schools at Berkshire School, The Taft School (now a Davis Scholar), Emma Willard, and Lyndon Institute.
We are deeply indebted to the colleges and private schools that have offered full or very generous scholarships to our students and to the donors who make this possible.
The Foundation has two new students arriving this fall. We have placed a moratorium on sponsoring more until the economy recovers.
These students will return to Afghanistan once their academic programs are completed with skills needed by their country as it continues to grapple with increasingly serious challenges.
We are deeply indebted to the colleges and private schools that have offered full or very generous scholarships to our students and to the donors who make this possible.
The Foundation has two new students arriving this fall. We have placed a moratorium on sponsoring more until the economy recovers.
These students will return to Afghanistan once their academic programs are completed with skills needed by their country as it continues to grapple with increasingly serious challenges.
The Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation
2007-03-29 @ 13:37:34
Bates College Memorial
The Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation, established after Peter's death on board the second plane to hit the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001, until recently worked primarily in the Pashtun provinces of Afghanistan supporting education and addressing the fundamental needs of fragile populations.
As Chair of the Board of Families of September 11th, Peter's father, Don, will continue to work to prevent terrorism while preserving civil liberties in the United States. Don is a trial attorney.
Peter's mother, Sally, directs the work of the Foundation. Sally is a public school administrator.
We are joined by many who believe we can take affirmative steps to fashion a safer, more equitable world. We all share a sense of urgency and purpose.
