2009 In Review

We measure our year in two ways: First, through the faces of the needy Afghan children whose lives we have had the privilege to touch.  Second, though harder to gauge, by the amount of joy we have brought to our donors through facilitating their giving to these wonderful children. 

Throughout the year, we continued to distribute your many boxes of donated items to needy children and orphanages. New this year, however, we also began collecting cash donations for lifesaving medical operations, renewable energy systems, blankets, bedding, mattresses, toys, and school supplies for war-scarred children living in orphanages, refugee camps, and even caves.

And this year, through your generosity, we have grown to the point where it seemed time to form a 501(c)(3) corporation so that your future donations will be tax-deductible. We are also in the process of creating a new website, and should soon be able to accept your PayPal and credit card donations.

What has not changed this year is that 100% of your donations reach the children. We are all volunteers and we ourselves pay the entire costs of running this organization.

Looking ahead, we will continue to help you win young hearts and minds in Afghanistan, either through our projects or in any other way you specify. And finally, our current, pressing need is to raise $25,000 within the next 6 months to send a young Afghan child to India for a lifesaving bone marrow transplant (see story, below).

Thank you all for your generosity this past year. We hope it has brought you as much joy as it has brought to Afghan children.

Note: We will soon be distributing our "Year In Review/Year Ahead" DVD of pictures to all of our friends. If you would like a copy, send us an e-mail with your mailing address.

--Will

Our 2009 Team of Volunteers

Forming a 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible Organization, Etc!

It is time 2 go tax-deductible.  Of course, real charity couldn't care less about tax deductions.  But this way you can now give needy children the additional tax savings, rather than have your government spend it on war.
We are now in the process of forming a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with the express purpose of charitable giving for children in Afghanland and perhaps other dysfunctional places around the world.  The whole process could take several months, however donations made in the interim should still be tax-deductible once IRS approval is received.
So look for new names, logo, a Board of Directors and eventually an interactive website.  Also PayPal and credit card donation options.  But do not worry--your donations WILL NOT be paying for any of these niceties.  We will pay for it all ourselves, and as always, 100% of what you give will go directly to the children.

Mozart's Memorial Fund to Help Poor People Living in Caves

On November 21, Mozart, "a little person in a doggie suit," died peacefully. He was a few days away from his 15th birthday. All his life, he was a best friend, an inspiration and role-model for selfless giving.  He brought joy to most everyone he met, particularly children.

Mozart was born in Alaska.  His mother, Lady Zoe, was a yellow lab from Birchwood.  His father, Darby, a chocolate lab, lived at a remote lodge on the Talaschlitna River and was widely-known for his penchant for treeing black bears.  Mozart loved riding in the Super Cub and his favorite places on Earth were the barrier islands of Prince William Sound.

At one point in his life, Mozart attended some classes at law school, however he proved smarter than most of his fellow law students and prefered chewing on sticks.  He also lived for a while in Nicaragua, where he took a daily dip in a swimming pool that had belonged to the Somozas.  He was an avid hunter, but in later life preferred braised boeuf. 

He delighted many people with his parlor tricks.  His German Shepherd impersonation (in which he did a "Heil Hitler" salute with his forearm) was a particular showstopper.  He also could scrunch his face into an uncanny Sharpei imitation.  In his final years, he spent a good deal of time impersonating government workers.

About the time of Mozart's death, Jawad Wafa, a good friend of mine from Bamyan, Afghainstan, asked me if I could help out some extremely poor families with children living in caves. Due to any number of reasons in this disaster-ridden country, they are having a rough winter and are badly in need of coal and blankets.  Jawad sent me these pictures of some of these people and their caves.

In keeping with Mozart's way of loving and encouraging everyone, I am going to help each family buy coal and good, warm blankets. Jawad says they need around 70 blankets.  I estimate the whole project will cost around $2,000.

If you were inspired by Mozart, or simply want to help the cave dwellers get through the winter, I invite you to send me a donation (money and/or blankets) to help bring some Mozartean joy and warmth to these poor children and their parents.

--Will

Helping Sediq get a Lifesaving Bone Marrow Transplant in India

I am a materialist. When I buy myself a present, it makes me happy. But when I buy you a present, it makes two people happy. Thus I am always happy to help your gifts--large and small--get to those who really need them. Thanks to your generosity these past two years, I have had the pleasure of helping dozens of folks in the US leverage their giving to several hundred people in Afghanistan.

And now I have gotten into by far my largest and most ambitious gift-brokering project ever. In short: We need to come up with $25,000 in 6 months to send a little Afghan boy to India for a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Last summer I met Aimal Khaurin. Aimal was traveling in the Hindu Kush working on the much-discussed presidential elections here. He has a very cute 2 year old son named Sediq, who at age 3 months, was diagnosed with Thalassemia Major. Sediq has been kept alive by approximately 30 blood transfusions at roughly three-week intervals ever since. One is not normally expected to survive with this condition in Afghanistan.

But Sediq's father and I have been researching treatment options in India. It turns out that with a bone marrow transplant, Sediq has a 4 out of 5 chance of living a normal life, or at least just plain living.  And Sediq has two older brothers, Usman and Omar, who are eager to serve as marrow donors to help their brother they dearly love.

When I was in India for my own surgery in August, I found the Thalassemia Society India. We learned of the work being done to treat children at Vellore Christian Hospital in southern India. Surprisingly, the total cost for a BMT procedure at Vellore only runs between 18,000-25,000 US$.

This is, of course, a huge sum of money to me, especially as I see all the opportunities for life-changing gift-giving in Afghanistan and want to reach out to as many people as possible. Nonetheless, I believe it was not accidental that I met Sediq's father. The more I have thought about this project the more I am committed to raising this money.   2 Years is said to be the optimal age for the BMT, so we need to act fast.

Any act of kindness to a living creature, no matter how small, returns multiples of rewards. Whether you have a spare sack of $25,000 dollars in the attic, or want to give just $1, you can give a gift that will potentially save a life.  And you can be assured that every dollar will go to Sediq's treatment.  As soon as I raise the money for the BMT, I will personally pay for the whole family to go to India and live there for 3 months for the procedure.  Please help if you can.

BTW: As of mid-December, we will have a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation, so you can give tax-deductible gifts.

--W.