My recent trip to Afghanistan and Kenya went very well and I felt blessed to remain healthy, peaceful and encouraged so I thank you by your prayers and best wishes.

Although there are still many problems and much suffering in the world, the relationships we experience with the people offer us great hope that together we can improve our lives and consciously promote peace between different cultures.

It is only through love for all that we can begin to remove the barriers that separate us.  Through our work and our own personal sacrifices and suffering can we slowly change the present conditions.  Working directly with communities by empowering basic human rights will rebuild the base and I believe that will improve the lives of many. 

It is amazing to witness what can be achieved by people working together for the good of the whole community and not for the individual’s personal gain alone.  I would like to share some of these stories with my family, friends, donors and all the good people that work and pray for world peace each day! 

I left for Afghanistan on April 23, 2008 to visit my friends and also the places where we have done some past projects.  My interests were to reconnect with the people and deliver your many best wishes, prayers and sincere hopes for their future.

I felt that I would offer our help by surveying the building of more water systems and how best to improve women’s rights issues among other possibilities.  I had this sense that maybe we can plan to build 25 to 30 water systems mostly in Afghanistan, but also in Africa, most likely in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

When I first arrived in Kabul, I planned to go first to the Panjsher Valley and visit the past water projects and villages while surveying other potential villages for water systems.  However, some of my Afghan friends were not available and so I met with Suraya Pakzad, Founder and Director of Voice of Women, in Herat.  When I first arrived in Herat we visited the past water projects at the women’s and men’s jails and the female Gharshad High School.  Along with Suraya, I also visited the Safe Women Shelter, a program caring and assisting abused women.

The water systems are in great condition supplying fresh water to many thousands of people and for this they were grateful and so very pleased to report that many less children and adults get sick because of this benefit.

As Suraya and I spoke of some work we could do with the safe women shelters and also surveying some future water projects we were made aware of a serious problem in several districts in Herat city.  We went to a meeting that afternoon and met with the Herat water department engineers and community leaders from the Shalbafan and Lade-e-Abrisham districts.  There were some 25 people sitting in a circle and so the problem was described that some 5,000 families have no source of clean water and that they are presently drinking unclean water from old wells and canals.

The project required the installing of approximately 3,000 meters of piping, hand digging trenches through streets in this almost rural area, an outlying district of Herat city.  We went to the site and walked the area and many children and women were struggling carrying water, to their homes, that was brown in color.

The next morning we met again and I explained the need was great but this project was very big needing lots of money and time and that I came to survey work of the people’s needs and projects in the near future.  They said that Herat City refuses to help because it has no funds, that the large organizations will take years to process their needs but that they are in great need today.

I then remembered what I have said many times to myself, “go where there is a need and God will create the relationship with others that becomes your life experience.”  And so why do I need to go do a survey for the purpose of finding a water system to build for it has found me!

The city of Herat agreed to cooperate fully giving us access to their water system source, one wonderful engineer and 3 plumbers.  The community would provide labor and one digging (backhoe) machine and I would provide all the materials, some paid laborers, possibly one more digging machine and also all other funds to complete the project.  This appeared to be a big effort on everyone’s part especially when I said because of my time restraints on this trip that I could only allow 9 days to be here and wanted to leave with a completed project.  They all said, trust us and it will be done in the name of God!

Afghans are so courageous, optimistic, survivors and hard working but I was led by my faith to trust them, although it seemed impossible to accomplish.  We agreed and left the room; they probably thinking, now how are we going to get this work done? And I left thinking I just got myself deep in a place that seemed so difficult and where was I going to get the required funds?  I thought the benefits are great for the needs of many and so it will be okay, I felt it within myself!

The project began on Thursday, May 1st and the digging started after opening ceremonies and prayers of thanks.  The digging with picks and shovels was so difficult as the material was mostly compacted materials of all kinds; dirt, stones, old dried cement, on and on...

After one day of slow progress, I called another meeting with the community leaders and the Herat engineer, Numatolo.  Suraya was already involved in her work and I was left to move this project to completion on my own.  Numotolo spoke English and I worked with him in my last project in Herat.  He is bright, hard working and we supported one another without doubt.  We met and I explained that I observed the work to be going slowly for the work was so difficult.  We discussed it and made adjustments, more laborers, another digging machine and longer hours.  They were determined, dedicated and even worked on Friday, the Muslim prayer day, although they stopped at the proper times for prayer and of course tea.

The material was figured, all pipes, 800 meters of 4” pipe, 2,100 meters of 2” pipe, all fittings and accessories were ordered from a factory in Iran which had the best quality material and also price.  The pipe would be trucked in and arrive on Wednesday, May 7th, perfect timing if all the ditches are prepared.

As the ditches were being excavated the dirt was placed in the center of the narrow roads, mounds of dirt transformed this community’s passageways from walking the streets to traversing small mountains.  Hundreds of people old and young, women in burkas, bikes and motorcycles in waves made their way patiently and offered encouragement and gratitude.

It would take me almost 2 ½ hours to walk from the beginning of the project to the end and back, the work seemed impossible to complete.   By Wednesday morning I started writing my concession speech in my head, “Well we accomplished a lot but it’s much too big a job to finish in a short time and it’s okay if I started it and it will be completed at a later date.  I’m not sure I believed my words but prepared myself, although every time I asked the community leaders, they would say, “don’t worry we will finish by Friday.”

I was amazed but I believed them and each long (15 to 24 hour days) I would look for ways to encourage, solve problems, add needed labor and so on to help them.  We never got upset or pressured each other, although it seemed that a little of this happened only within ourselves.
 
The pipe and other materials arrived on Wednesday evening, unbelievable timing and everyone was thrilled and encouraged.  Everyone worked to their best abilities and by early Thursday we began placing the pipe as the plumbers began their connections, while the laborers with their machinery completed the ditches.  I even helped with some labor that was enjoyable, appreciated, but had very little effect on the massive amount of work completed.  Numotolo was my angel always available directing the community leaders and the plumbers along with myself.  By Friday night all of the pipe was installed, connected and a pipe stand with fresh water was placed in operation at the front door of the mosque in the center of the communities.

The leaders said we are finished and now we will prepare a celebration here, tomorrow at 1 p.m. to give thanks for this truly blessed gift.  Fresh, clean water means that our children will not be sick as often as now and also it will be true for all of us.  The Herat Water Department will install meters and the community will pay a very low cost but the community leaders say it will be so much cheaper to pay for clean water than buying medicine or paying the doctor.

On Saturday, May 10th we gathered at the mosque to celebrate and give thanks for the work we had all accomplished together.  The communities of Shalbafan (translates as weavers of shawls) and Lade-e-Alrishum together comprising of more than 4,000 families and more than 25,000 people have access to clean water.

In 9 days together we installed more than 2,800 meters of pipe and completed the project.  My concession speech was never to be but my faith in people working together remains the story to be told.  My heart believed, my mind questioned but as my great old teacher and friend Father Angelo D’Agostino would teach me, faith and prayers will accomplish more unbelievable tasks than most things and if you believe that something can be done to help others don’t quit because if you do then maybe you didn’t believe in your goal or vision completely. 

Well the Afghans in these communities as in so many other communities understand Father D’Agostino’s wisdom that if  you believe and focus and work together unbelievable things can be accomplished for the whole community.

The ceremony in the mosque was reverent, respectful and joyous.  There were speeches by Herat officials, community leaders, religious leaders and others.  I was also honored to stand and speak to the many people there, as Suraya translated, the men who had worked so hard and in the past were mostly dirty with dust and mud were now sitting so elegant in their formal dress smiling proud and thankful.  We communicated what Leo Tolstoy has taught me “that there is no greater purpose in life than sharing love and bringing down the barriers that separate us.”

A most incredible blessing of the celebration was that Suraya was welcomed in with openness and she was able to participate in the event and stand to give a speech.  This is a great gift to all because as clean water will benefit the communities, purify their  bodies also will Suraya’s spirit, a woman able to stand in a mosque and speak to all the community men purify their hearts and souls.  When she finished she sat next to me and said “listen they are clapping for me, a woman in a mosque.”

This project is complete and I received many gifts and certificates of appreciation from the Governor of Herat, the Herat Council, the Herat Water Department and the one that touched me most from the communities, as they smiled rays of gratitude and love from their eyes directly from their hearts, not just to me but for all of our community who have supported and participated in making this story a reality.