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Orphanage in northern Afghanistan

After more than 20 years of war, there are many orphans in Afghanistan. In many cases, they are taken in by relatives, in keeping with the Afghan family culture. But all too often, that is just not possible. Shelter Now supports an orphanage in the town of Faizabad. There are 60 children in the home - all of them dependent on outside help.

A Shelter Now employee talks about some of the children at the orphanage.

War and poverty in Afghanistan have created many orphans. They desperately need help.

War and poverty have produced many orphans in Afghanistan. They desperately need help.

"16-year-old Rahem and 9-year-old Bardria are 2 of the 60 children at the orphanage in Faizabad. All have lost their fathers through war or sickness, and some their mothers too. Widows are normally expected to provide for their children, but this is extremely difficult as they have little chance of earning any income. If a widow remarries, she usually has to leave any children from her first marriage behind, as her new husband's family will not accept children from another man. The children may be left with the deceased husband's family or his other wife, but this often doesn't work out.

Rahem attends school from 8am to 12pm, then he works as a mechanic from 1pm to 5pm. He receives no pay, but at least he is learning a trade.

Bardria sometimes stays with her stepmother but mostly lives at the orphanage because her stepmother cannot afford to have her full time. Bardria also goes to school 4 hours a day. All the children have to attend Quran School for 3 months during the school holidays in winter.

Richard and I also run English classes for the orphanage children during the winter holidays. Richard's class has 10 students aged 15 – 18. My class has 20 students in total, split into two groups ranging from 7 – 18 years old. As soon as school and work times have been better coordinated for the children, we will resume classes. The ISAF troops provided new sets of clothes for the children in winter and some new cupboards. They also bring them all their excess food each month. Shelter Now otherwise pays for the children's food. Shelter also pays the rent for the building, wages for the Afghan staff and some of the other expenses. Every 6 months we also have a new set of clothes made for each of the children. We will continue this as long as our finances will allow.

Group of children and Shelter Now staff member at the orphanage

The orphans in Faizabad are happy for the help from Shelter Now. The picture also shows staff member John Weaver.

The most important need right now, which is very urgent, is to have new toilets built. There are currently only 2 latrines for 60 children and the staff. These are basically deep holes in the ground with a slab of wood over the top and walls around the outside. They are in an appalling state, they are full and when it rains they overflow. This is of course, among other things, a health hazard. We plan to build new toilets, but currently do not have the money to finance the project.

This is just one small orphanage in Afghanistan, a sizeable country that has seen non-stop war for the last 30 years. Please remember the many orphans and widows that remain as a result of the fighting."

The orphanage has since grown to a 100 children and we've now taken on a second house so that the boys can be housed separately from the girls. It is especially important in Afghan culture that the two sexes are kept apart as the children grow older.

The toilets have since been completely renewed with the aid of donations from Germany. But the orphanage still needs our help. There are so many things that need to be improved if the children are to live there without having to worry about unnecessary problems.