Community Village School Cards
Over the last year Reese Hume has collected a series of unusual photos that reflect the experience of working with an impoverished community that possesses a love of beauty and grace. He has donated his photos to PARSA to use as a fundraiser for our project in that community. If you "click" on the picture of the little girl you can reach our website page that has the details on how to purchase a set. Purchases are tax deductible and all proceeds go to our project in Jawzareen, Bamyan.
PARSA Team in Chagcharran
Yasin, Reese and Marnie will head back to Chagcharran next week to continue our effort to reform the local department of Labor and Social Affairs. Recent support from the Minister is allowing us to work closely with the local leaders to evaluate local staff and make staffing changes. Charity Committee from JFC Brunssum paid for all the children in the orphanage and staff to be inoculated against Hepatitis B. Click on this picture to be updated.
Center for Creative Ability and Aaron Fultz
Aaron Fultz joins PARSA to help us begin our vocational training program for working children and disabled people. This link will connect you to our new work on the Center for Creative Abilities-funded by Betty Tisdale and Helping and Loving Orphans.
Contact Info:
Marnie Gustavson
PARSA
93 (0)799020588
mgustav@mac.com
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 To our dear Friends of PARSA;
I am on my last day of a quick trip to the US to see my family and talk at two events in the Northwest. I am fascinated by and appreciative of our donors and how they manage to stay in touch with us and stay engaged from such a different world than the one we call home in Afghanistan. This year, Dawn and I and the PARSA directors are initiating two programs that we have been asked to take nationally. The Healthy Child Program in the orphanages and The Healthy Girl Program in national schools. As always, the challenges that we set out for ourselves will demand more of us than we knew possible but I am very satisfied with the performance of PARSA staff this year. They have worked with energy and heart on our initiatives this last year even as the situation here has disintegrated and disheartened them. We have started out our year with an appeal to the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs to take definitive steps toward reforming the orphanages-and he has begun his work on this.I will update you regularly on our strategic initiatives, our work as social activists and how I feel about it all on "Marnie's Journal". From all of our staff our warmest regards,
Marnie
The Healthy Afghan Girl Program
 PARSA was funded by Asia Foundation last year to pilot the Healthy Afghan Girl Program and we recently received an extension on this important program. Modeled after our program in the orphanages, our staff trains teachers to be "Modar Mahanawee" or mentors. This is resurrecting an old Afghan tradition where an elder outside the family takes a special interest in a child and fosters her health and well-being. We are piloting this program in two national schools and at Alluhoddin Orphanage. For more details click on the picture of Salia with her orphans.
PARSA Gift Shop Goes to Tajikistan
 Under Dawn Erickson's careful mentoring, PARSA Gift Shop has been picked by the Afghan Foundation of Culture and Civil Society to model and sell Afghan clothing and accessories in Tajikistan for Afgan Culture Week. The week activities will take place in October and will include theater, music, films and PARSA's traditional and new designs. Currently PARSA is selling goods in three bazaars in Kabul in addition to international sales which help over 100 women and their families in Afghanistan.
PARSA donors
 This is a picture of Allan MacKenzie with Children of Afghanistan-a grassroots, all volunteer organization supporting the children in the orphanage. For Allan and most of our donors, contributing to PARSA is a very personal and meaningful expression of their commitment to service to others. Out of admiration and fascination I have begun a journal about our grassroots donors as they exemplify the tenet that ordinary people can reach out and alter lives and in Afghanistan, hopefully, change the fate of a nation.
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