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About Afghan Children

Terry Cardwell sponsored a new

orphanage in Kabul

Afghan children in AFCECO orphanages began 2009 with very happy news. Terry Cardwell, a sponsor of 3 children from Florida sponsored a new orphanage for them in Kabul and let them to continue staying in the orphanage and going to school at least for one more year. She contributed $51,000 to cover the living costs and education of 50 children. Sitara Orphanage, this newly established orphanage in Kabul houses 80 children.

This came at a time when AFCECO was struggling very hard to cope with the budget problems because quite large number of sponsors stopped their support in 2008 due to the global financial crisis. Moreover, growing insurgencies and violence in the south and east of Afghanistan have created great panic among the people, which forced us to close down two of our orphanages in Farah and Nimroz. We took some of the children from those orphanages to Kabul and this added to the number of children without sponsor.

Birthday & Art Party

A party at AFCECO orphanageS is not only about a day of enrichment in the children’s lives. It is about learning the old fashioned way, through experience. Preparations begin two weeks before the event. The tasks are delegated and all the children have a role to play. For the drama production, as well as the singing and dance competitions, at first comes a lesson in consensus building: who is most interested as well as capable, and what shall they perform? It is also a lesson in humility for those who are selected as well as those who don’t make the cut.

Mr. Pounds teaches Afghan kids

In our continuing efforts to provide as dynamic an environment for growth and learning as anywhere to be found in Afghanistan, this month we welcome the arrival of a new volunteer from America, Ian Pounds. He feels strongly he can be most effective supporting a program conceived, operated and supervised by Afghans. That is why he came to us first. The children will not only benefit from Ian’s beginning, intermediate and advanced classes in English, but his more than twenty years of experience with children who for various reasons have been displaced from their families. He has been the director of a childcare center, of a school theatre program, and has worked in numerous group homes and schools.