Afghan Orphans Project

Vignettes from Afghanistan

The presence of orphans in a combat zone testifies to the terrible cost of warfare.  Afghanistan is no exception, but it is probably more pronounced in this regard.  The normal government institutions which can be rebuilt following war are, in many cases, simply not there.  Within that void, there are many, many orphans - over 30,000 in the Kabul area alone!  They have immediate needs for such basic things as blankets and clothes, and the Afghan winter is close!

A Rockford, Illinois  resident has had a first-hand view of the terrible plight of Afghan orphans.  His name is John Gessner.  John is a reserve officer, an Army lieutenant colonel called to active duty following the events of September 11, 2001.  Prior to being called to active duty, John served as a Division Chief within the City of Rockford.  Also, he has spent a lot of time doing course work to prepare for his second career, as a clergyman.    John will be in Afghanistan through early 2003.

Following are some notes sent by John from Afghanistan:

"Today I had a mixed blessing.  Mixed in the sense that we were able to do some good for a nearby orphanage and sad because of the situation these kids are in.  Our Italian engineer partners adopted an orphanage between here and Kabul.  The orphanage houses over 2,000 children.  Last month they raised over $2000 for the orphanage which went for beds, blankets and mattresses plus other incidentals they needed.  Today, they hosted another fund raiser where the kids made and sold crafts, performed skits and sang songs. Afterwards, the Italians treated us to lunch which, of course, included pasta; good Italian pasta.  It's been several months since I've enjoyed good pasta, not from a can. 

As I moved around among the kids, I introduced them to Wint-O-Green lifesavers.  I got mobbed.  Hands appeared from everywhere.  Fortunately I had two bags....  As the crowd thinned, one boy turned to say thank you,  making it all worth the mob scene.  I noticed one boy leaving the crowd on a crutch.  He was missing a leg, the result of a land mine.  Another little boy, 5 years old, was being carried around by one of the Italian soldiers.  This little guy had been caught in a bombing and he was paralyzed on his left side as result of some head injuries.  Hence the mixed blessings and the reality of this place which has been at war for so long....."

 Despite the many requests all of us receive for support of charities (and John's note contained no such request!), the email touched many local hearts.   It caused many to be motivated with "I want to make a difference for that one!"  A subsequent note from John announced:

"Many of you have written concerning helping the orphanage.... they need everything, particularly blankets and coats for the winter.  These things are bulky to mail so with cash donations, we can buy a lot of that over here.  That will insure that your gifts reach the right place.  The other thing they need is school supplies.  These are generally unavailable over here....."

"On Wednesday I attended a building dedication for the new Provost Marshall's office (military police station).  It was named in honor of Staff Sergeant Brian Prosser, a military policeman and green beret.  He was killed in action in December 2001.  The American flag that was raised at the facility will be hand carried by a lieutenant colonel back to Fort  Campbell, KY where it will be presented to his widow.  There will also be a permanent building named in his honor at Fort Huachuca, AZ.

That afternoon, we had a chance to visit a small orphanage in Charikar (Char-eh-car), a town nearby the base.  The orphanage houses about 60 kids.  There are three sleeping rooms where small sleeping mats are placed side-by-side with a small walkway in between.  This is all the kids own besides the clothes on their back.  We passed out candy and stuffed animals.  One little girl got a Miss Piggy doll and a little boy got Batman.  We tried to explain the names of the animals in English.  One boy had a gorilla but it was hard for him to say, so we settled on ape.  

One of our group was an Airborne Ranger Sergeant Major who goes by the nickname, "Big Jim."  He's about the size of John Wayne.  He got a little choked up in the orphanage.  As we tried to leave, the kids followed us out of the gate.  We spent even more time outside the gate sharing high fives and salutes and teaching the proper method of throwing Frisbees.  The kids also like ink pens.  I gave out all of my army pens and the last guy got a "Mayor Doug Scott" pen.

I checked with the Red Cross to assist us in receiving and accounting for donations but at this level, they are unable to accept cash.  However, if you or your organization would like to send something, these are some things they could use or would like: School supplies, Small stuffed animals or beanie babies go over well, Bags of individual candy, Clothes,  Lightweight stuff mails well like underwear, socks,  and t-shirts. Shoes, Coats, Blankets, and mattresses we can buy here if you send cash.  Soccer balls.  Sent deflated with a hand pump will save space. Frisbees, Nerf balls or the like."

It was clear to the members of Rock Valley Kiwanis that  (1) an urgent need exists in Afghanistan, one which is consistent with the Kiwanis goal of helping children, (2) there are people in this region who would like to respond to that need, and (3) the Rock Valley Kiwanis Club can help in that process, acting as a "broker," by publicizing the need and linking with John Gessner to help.   So we've followed the example of of a now-famous American whose words have been on our Home Page since September 13th 2001:  "Let's roll!"

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