Abdullah - an update 

Abdullah is a young afghan boy who landed at Marastoon in the Spring of 2009.  He had been picked up in Kabul with explosives strapped to his body and after being arrested and detained in prison for over 2 months - was released to Marastoon.  Normally, Marastoon is home to orphans with mothers, but Abdullah was a unique case. Named the littlest Taliban, he spent a couple of months in PARSA mingling with our staff. We all learned alot about ourselves. We gave him a camera for a day. Click on the picture to see life as Abdullah sees it!

Giving Groups - Children of Afghanistan

In this and upcoming newsletters, PARSA will be featuring our "Giving Groups". These groups are a phenomena and are why an organization funded by grassroots philanthropists (PARSA) often outlive organizations that have large donors. We have depended on our "Giving Groups" to fund new programs that are designed to affect social change in Afghanistan. This year we will be relying on these groups to get us through the current chaos in the donor world here in Afghanistan. Click on the picture to read more about our Giving Group "Children of Afghanistan" contributed by members of NATO based in Brunssum, Netherlands.

If you, your company or a group of friends are interested in forming a "Giving Group" to benefit PARSA, PLEASE contact us via email - Mgustav@mac.com, or fieryglass@gmail.com.  We would love to help you or your group select an appropriate program or project to fund in 2010.  

AFGHAN SCOUTS LEARN TO ‘BE PREPARED!’

Posted: Monday, November 30, 2009 12:56 PM By Adrienne Mong, NBC News Correspondent KABUL –

In the United States, being a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout is just one of many diversions offered to kids. But here in Afghanistan, it’s not simply a diversion – it’s a matter of survival. The worldwide scout motto, "Be Prepared" ("Tayar Osay" in Pashto) takes on a larger, more urgent, importance in this war-torn country. We could see that clearly at the Alluhodin Orphanage in Kabul on a recent afternoon. Twenty girls, who had been selected out of hundreds at the orphanage to be Afghan Scouts, were training for their safety badges. A round of first aid demonstrations was being led by Zainab Ramin, a 16-year-old who came to the orphanage four years ago from Mazar-i-Sharif after her parents were killed in the war with the Taliban.

SKI AFGHANISTAN - The Snow Leopards Club

With our new Famly Park and Women's Garden just outside of Bamiyan, PARSA has determine this would be the ideal location for an Adventure Snow and Ski Club.  In addition to providing some SNOW fun to the International and Afghan community in Bamiyan, PARSA Snow Leopards Club will be available to train the Afghan people of Bamiyan snow skills for emergency snow mobility to the rural villages in and around Bamiyan Province.  With poor road and travel conditions, fatalities are many due to an inability to transport patients, this area will be an ideal test ground for this sort of training for the Afghan people. 

If you are in Kabul or the Bamiyan province, please join the Snow Leopards Club and get in some Snow fun this winter.  Meetings will start in January so look for more information on this club soon.  Interested people can contact Reese Hume 0798452402 (jreesehume@gmail.com)  or Marnie Gustavson (mgustav@mac.com).

Those folks NOT in Afghanistan - our greatest need is ski equipment - snowshoes, skis, poles etc...  items can be mailed to PARSA via our APO:  PARSA, APO AE  09356.  A custom's form will be required by the post office prior to mailing.