Help Khatera Hear
Maryam, Khatera’s mother, is a victim of a forced and arranged marriage at fourteen. The time when she should have been hugging a doll, she had to raise a daughter. Economic insecurity made this situation even tougher for her. These circumstances were challenging enough, but her story is filled with even more struggles.
Khatera, Maryam's first child, was born two months premature. She did not respond to sounds and she did not speak on schedule. They hoped she was just delayed and would improve with time. The situation continued until she turned seven when Maryam took her daughter to a specialist. The diagnosis determined that Khatera's cochlea had been affected by her premature birth. She needed a cochlea implant as soon as possible. The surgery is time-sensitive for the nine year old Khatera; as she gets older the chances for success are reduced. Cochlea surgery is beyond the capabilities of Afghan surgeons, so she will need to travel outside of Afghanistan for the surgery.
Maryam is a poor mother and lacks the funds for the surgery. For the past two years, Maryam has sought some way to fund her daughter's operation, with no success. The chances of Maryam getting the needed funding are next to impossible.
Maryam describes her daughter as an isolated and socially disengaged girl who has been deprived of educational opportunities. She is worried about her daughter’s future without an opportunity to get an education.
In spite of the current challenges, Maryam has not given up. She has sought funding from many organizations and associations, to include the government, but she has received nothing except false promises. Eventually, with the guidance of her friends, she came to the Herat (Afghanistan) Rotary Club. This club is her last hope. The estimated cost of this surgery is estimated to be $12,000, which includes travel costs and the surgery.
Karadah Project is partnering with the Rotary Club of Herat, Afghanistan to rescue Khatera from a life of isolation. Imagine what a difference it will mean to a small girl to receive her hearing. Without the surgery, she will continue to recede into a life of isolation. With a solution so close and relatively inexpensive, this would be a great tragedy to not find a way to help Khatera hear.
The Hidden Internally Displaced
Refugees represent nearly a third (30%) of the world’s displaced population – people forced to leave their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.
The much larger number of internally displaced people – those displaced within their home country – reached about 40 million in 2017 (over 1.8 million Afghans), bringing the world’s total displaced population to 68.5 million in 2017. (Pew Research Center) Through our partnerships with local Afghan nonprofits, we are working with displaced and poor women in rural villages to stem the tide of refugees flooding into other countries. Through our vocational skills training, livestock projects, and other initiatives, we are helping women pull themselves and their families out of poverty. 
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#ToiletsMatterSanitation is more than just a privilege or a tool to prevent disease. It is a fundamental human right, one that can enable people to realize other rights—like the right to health. For girls, a simple, safe and private toilet can be essential to putting education within reach.
-Amanda Klasing and Heather Barr 
Imagine having to attend school without even outdoor bathroom facilities. Consider what that means, especially, to high school girls. Shorab Girls High School in Shindand District, Afghanistan is a poor village school in remote Shindand District, Afghanistan. The school has many needs that impact the educational experience of its students, but the lack of bathroom facilities is a primary and fundamental need for the girls. Without proper bathroom facilities, the girls are subject to dangerous health and hygiene risks.
The added danger is that girls will quit coming to school if private and proper bathroom facilities are not provided. School’s without safe and sanitary bathrooms can make girls uncomfortable and that discourages them from attending, resulting in increased dropout rates. Even one girl who loses the opportunity to receive an education is a tragic loss to a country that cannot afford the loss.
Coming to school for these girls is hard enough. There are more girls than classroom space, so some of the students are taught in the heat of the day. Providing a bathroom facility for these aspiring students will help protect their health and give them one more reason to attend school. Prioritizing girls' education can be a key lever in lifting families, communities, and countries out of poverty.
The cost of this project is $2,000, but will yield so much more as the education of girls positively impacts their village and beyond.
We started a kindergarten
What is better than training displaced women in marketable skills? A kindergarten for their children. Here's why we are adding a kindergarten to our skills training program for Afghan displaced moms.
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© 2017 Karadah Project International.
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