[Peace] afghan refugees

[Simona Sawhney]

For anyone interested in sending aid for Afghan refugees, I'm 
forwarding this information which comes from a friend in Pakistan.

Simona

Pakistani Citizens Support Initiative for Afghan Refugees
Starting September 2001

From: Shandana Khan, a citizen of Pakistan

Following the attacks of 11th September 2001 and bombing of 
Afghanistan, the  common Afghan is facing a serious plight and 
refugees are pouring across Pakistan's borders with the NWFP alone 
expecting an additional one million Afghan refugees. It is clear that 
this is turning into a human catastrophe and that quick and 
large-scale arrangements will have to be made to accommodate the 
refugees and meet their basic needs.

The feelings of Pakistani citizens towards their Afghan brethren are 
growing by the day and many of us believe that the need for us and 
the world community to do what we can for the refugees is our 
obligation. As a result, a few Pakistani citizens have decided to get 
together and start a donation drive for Afghan refugees in the North 
West Frontier Province of Pakistan. This support drive was started by 
Naila Hussain and Shandana Khan and has gained momentum. We are 
citizens of Pakistan, both professional women who have worked in the 
development sectors for the past twelve years. We are mainly getting 
donations from within the country and would like to expand this 
initiative to outside Pakistan. We have linked up to two Afghan 
women's NGOs in the NWF Province and are supplying them with donated 
items and money to buy food, etc for the refugees from Afghanistan.

The Afghan NGOs are the Afghan Women's Network (AWC), which is a 
large representative group of Afghan women as volunteers working in 
refugee villages and  the Afghan Women's Educational Centre (AWEC). 
AWEC with the coordination of AWN will take full responsibility for 
any contribution made towards the new refugees. These two 
organisations have coalesced especially to receive any support that 
we, as private citizens of Pakistan, may wish to offer to Afghan 
refugees.  An women's NGO called Shirktgah, based in Lahore, has also 
assisted us in this process and has opened an account especially for 
this purpose. Through this expanding network, we have been able to 
grow this initiative and are very encouraged by people's response.

If you are interested in providing support to Afghan refugees in this 
time of need, you will simply have to trust us and the person who has 
given you this message. You are welcome to contact us if you need 
more details. The contact via e mail is <shandanak at yahoo.com>. You 
are also welcome to contact the AWEC directly for details. Their e 
mail addresses are given in the attached literature.

In order to donate funds the AWEC has opened an official, 
organisational US dollar account in the city of Peshawar in the NWF 
Province of Pakistan. Their account details are given below. You can 
also be faxed a letter from AWEC on official letterhead, stating that 
they have opened this account for donations. The letter is available 
from AWEC in Peshawar as well as from Shandana Khan in Islamabad.

Account Details

Afghan Women's Educational Centre (US $ Account)

Name of account: AWEC- Afghan Relief
Account Type: US $
Account Number: 1166-581922-192
Emirates Bank International
Islamia Road
Peshawar
North West Frontier Province
Pakistan

Pakistani Rupee Accounts are also available. Details as follows:

AWEC Accounts (Pakistani Rupee Account)

Account Name: AWEC
Account number: 1166566047101
Emirates Bank International
Islamia Road
Peshawar
NWFP


Shirkatgah Account (Pakistani Rupee Account)
 
Account Name: Shirkat gah Lahore Office Branch
Ac No.: Pak Rupees Savings No. 18-5703220-01
Bank: Standard Chartered Bank, New Garden Town Branch
Lahore, Pakistan

We would appreciate your quick contributions.


  DETAILS OF AWN AND AWEC
(FOR INFORMATION)

Afghan Women's Network:

23 Chinar Rd, University Town,
Peshawar NWFP, Pakistan
Fax: 00 92 91 40436
E-mail: awn at brain.net.pk

The Afghan Women's Network, based in Peshawar, is a non-political, 
non-profit organization. Its aim is to promote solidarity and 
cooperation among Afghan women and strengthening their capacity to 
enhance their self-reliance and attain their rights. Established in 
1996, its members include Afghan women living as refugees in Pakistan 
and Afghan women working in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Afghan 
Women's Network welcomes any support to develop its competencies and 
capacities to become more effective.

The AWN is a Voluntary organization of Afghan women.  Capacity 
building of its member women is one of the main activities of the 
organization.   AWN has been supported by other organizations in 
carrying out its activity, as the organization has no external 
funding support.

AWN was established in October 1995 in Islamabad, as a follow-up to 
the fourth UN conference on Women.   Soon the Network was established 
in Kabul and  Mazhar in Afghanistan and in Peshawar, Pakistan.  The 
main aim of the Network has been attaining women's rights, however 
the strategies and approach have both been in keeping with 
circumstances.

The AWN in Peshawar hash more than 150 members and has been able to 
carry different workshops for the capacity building of its women 
members, and present the plight and interest of Afghan women to 
policy makers, in national and international events.

 
The Afghan Women's Educational Center (AWEC)

Director:	Palwasha Hassan
Address:	Bilal Street, Khalil Rd, Academy Town
		Peshawar
Tel & Fax:	92-91-841917/43267
Email:		irfan at pes.comsats.net.pk



Founded by a group of Afghan women in 1991 in Islamabad, the Afghan
Women's Educational Center (AWEC) is a non-profit, non-political 
organization of
Afghan refugee women. It aims to promote educational programs for Afghan
refugee women and children, supporting women's group mobilization to gain
self-reliance and empowerment.

AWEC is dedicated to assist all economic classes of Afghan women to 
polish their skills, further their education and raise awareness of 
their rights and privileges in order to promote their emancipation to 
better utilize community resources and to play their role in building 
of a just society upon their return to their country.

AWEC was formed at a time when only few women's political 
organizations of Afghan women existed. It sought to bring together 
scattered women refugee populations in the cities Rawalpindi 
Islamabad. Later on, due to the extremely   acute educational 
situation among Afghan children, especially girls, the AWEC  started 
supporting schools for children.

AWEC is a member of a coalition of two like-minded organizations (ie 
the NBSD & Irfan Cultural Center under the DHSA legal umbrella). 
These organisations share their visions and broad policies whereas 
they act independently in the areas of technical expertise.

Center for Street Children
and Women:

The Centre is a joint venture of AWEC and NBSD to respond to the 
prevailing problem of low literacy in poor children ie especially 
street children and women beggars of the Afghan refugee community in 
the streets of Peshawar.  The was started in March 1998 in the 
'Board' area of Peshawar with the establishment of a center.

The primary objective of the project is to improve the basic living 
conditions of women and children of the recent Afghan refugee 
population in Peshawar who survive on the streets mainly through 
begging.


Skill training

Basic education including literacy, numeracy services in medical 
health, counseling services and job placement facilities are provided 
to women and children. Sports activities for children are also 
included. This is done once data is collected about the whereabouts 
and status of the tar
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