Lives changed

This man was struggling to provide for his family.  He has many sons who cannot get work anywhere near his village. Unfortunately he invested in a car so one of his sons could work as a taxi driver, unfortunate because he was actually losing money.  Our office in Tajikistan met with him at some of our trainings and helped him to draw up a business plan that would work.  He took out a $10,000 loan from a bank using the business plan to show them how he would pay it back.  He then bought a large truck that one of his sons is driving.  They are now able to afford food and fuel for winter to heat their home.

We set out to help people to start small businesses in some of the poorest areas of the world and we are already succeeding.  Because of your support our first office is functioning in Tajikistan.

5 families have started small businesses and three or four men are staying in Tajikistan instead of moving back to Russia.  We are already instrumental in keeping families together and helping men to provide for their loved ones.

That money will be going to buy food and to heat their homes this winter.  I am so proud of what we have accomplished and it's exciting to think that this is only the beginning.

Back in Pennsylvania

Hey everyone.  I am indeed well and back at home.  Our board and I are busy taking care of a backlog of work and are beginning the planning of the next few years.  We are trying to take our time and really think everything through.  Thanks to all who made this project lift off the ground.  We're up and now we're watching everything closely.

PS- We got our first monthly report and we're going over it now.

Getting Back...

My head bounced against the headrest as I waited for the cabin crew to shut the aircraft door.  I was zoned out tired and more than that I was emotionally drained from the six weeks in Tajikistan.  I love it and everyone, but I was also glad to be heading to Europe.  I was so tired that the minutes before they closed the door seemed to drag on into tens of minutes, then to over an hour.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness when a man stood up and began screaming.  The cabin door was still open.  It was my first indication that something unusual was going on.  We were still on the tarmac, the door was still open, and the angry Tajik man was suddenly surrounded by flight attendants.  There were other people standing up too.  I decided to keep my head down and lessen my profile, but my ears were up.

I began to look around me.  There was an English woman next to me, late 20's.  She had been talking to another girl ahead of me in that distinct British accent.  I hadn't uttered a word disguising my nationality.  I was just watching.  I couldn't help but become a little nervous.

Four of the men angrily grabbed their bags and shuffled off the plane, pushing their way forcefully past the also yelling flight attendants.  Others were nervous and uncertain, but they remained in their seats.  When the plane had cleared of the men a silence fell on us all.  The tension was pretty thick.  Some whispered worriedly.  The captain got on the intercom.  It was in Russian and Tajik.  I listened in on the two girls as they were talking and they pieced together that there was fuel coming out of the wing of the plane.  That seemed bad to me.

The flight attendants had us get up and claim our carry-on bags.  I thought that we were getting off the plane.  With a fuel leak the flight crew's priority is our safety right?  After waiting 10 minutes we were told to replace our bags.  Nothing happened.  Finally the captain got on the intercom again.  He spoke in Tajik, Russian, and English.  There was a slight fuel leak from the wing so they were following procedures.  No problem, we'll be taking off in 10 minutes.  I checked my watch and noted that we had already been sitting, dripping fuel for an hour and a half.

First, I must say that I was impressed that there was a procedure for a plane that's leaking fuel to take off.  I was interested and so were those around me about such procedures.  Eight uniformed military men stood about 40 yards away and were looking concernedly at the plane.  This went on for another half hour with no noticeable action.  Finally a man with a yellow plastic bucket came out and put it under the wing of the 737.  The plan became evident, a bucket and patience.

45 minutes later they shut the cabin door and a vehicle began to drag the plane away from the puddle of jet fuel on the tarmac.  Then they began the safety briefing by helping us to look for the safety exits.  The whole situation was absurd enough to make me laugh.  When the woman next to me asked if we should be concerned I said, "I don't think so."

We took off, we didn't blow up, and we landed 4 hours late.  I was glad to be alive and glad to be in Europe.

Sept. 11th

On September 11th I took off on the road to Dushanbe spending 8 hours along the border of Afghanistan.  Like most Americans I couldn't help but to think back 10 years to the events that led to our involvement in Afghanistan as a country.

I remember that I had just graduated high school and getting ready to go off to college.  I watched the news with everyone else in shock and horror.  I never thought that I would end up in Afghanistan helping the same kind of people that had done this to our country.  Back then I didn't know the difference between Shia and Sunni, and certainly was in the dark about Pashtus and Tajiks.  It's been a growing decade for me and I hope to have many more of my oversimplifications and biases replaced with compassion and real knowledge.

Before leaving there was a whirlwind of things to get done.  Unfortunately, the teacher that had helped me pass out the letters to the students told me to come back Saturday.  That was unfortunate because their school was closed Saturday and my many phone calls to the director weren't answered for unknown reasons. 

Having had the opportunity to meet and now work with Abdul Nazar, our business adviser, I must say that I am very impressed with his desire to help his people and to make a genuine difference in the region.  I count us lucky to have a man of such character and love working with us.

Our First Day

On Sunday we climbed into a car and began heading for a village up the valley where we were going to be doing a presentation on starting small businesses.  When we arrived the men were also gathering for the presentation.  The small room was decorated and cozy but it was still minimal in a way that reminded us that we were out in the villages.  The men sat down and Masrur began to introduce our organization and the project that we were doing, inviting the men to come down to the office if they have any further questions.
   
With that he turned over the meeting to Abdul Nazar, our first Business Adviser who began presenting a shortened form of our main presentation.  The men listened intently as Abdul Nazar spoke about risk and business and how to minimize the risk of investments.  He explained in simple terms the crucial components of a business, a product, a place, a price, and promotion.  Explaining these important ideas as well as a number of others in simple and practical ways has been the goal of our trainings.  The men asked questions and were attentive to the answers.
   
Afterwards, because it was our first presentation and it was in the village of Masrur's family we moved over to the corner of the room where food was being laid out.  Over potatoes and fish we continued the discussion as many of the men wanted to hear more ideas about potential businesses that could work in the area.  It was all very exciting to see the men wanting to work and to improve their community.

In true Pamiri style we traveled back to open our office with a ribbon cutting.  It was truly Pamiri, because another large meal was laid out a mere hour after eating in the village.  We laughed and celebrated as we cut the ribbon and sat down to eat and talk.  Masrur was about to head out of town for 2 weeks on a trip to Bangladesh and we were happy to have one more time to talk and go over plans. 

With all the excitement and progress it comes shadowed in the fact that my time here in Badakhshan is drawing to a close.  Next week I will be flying out of Tajikistan and will not be returning until next summer, to review and improve the project and hopefully expand it.  I have decided to leave a few things here so that I would not have to carry them back and forth each time, it feels good to do that.  I feel like it makes Badakhshan my second home, even if it is just some clothes, a backpack, and some powdered juice packets.

A Journey for Permission

As we rode up the valley in the director's Russian four wheel car, I was a bit nervous.  We were about to meet the local district leader and I kept peppering Abdul Nazar with questions and potential situations.  I was going to be sitting quiet while he represented his organization and in effect our project.  I was worried about a handful of questions and just wanted to make sure that everything would go smoothly.  We arrived and walked up to the whitewashed building.  There in front was a smiling woman with her hand outstretched.  That seemed to be a good sign so we went into the office and sat down.

Abdul Nazar, our first Business Adviser began to explain our project to the smiling woman.  We were going to open an office in her district to help people start small businesses.  We were going to provide trainings and classes for those who want to learn.  At this she got really excited.  She was very happy that we were going to open our first office in her district to help her people and then she started to talk about how the people really needed the training and the skills to start small businesses.  Abdul Nazar talked about all the organizations and banks in Khorogh that provide small loans and help for small businesses, but people do not know how to make their business succeed. They just lack basic business management training.
   
As he finished by telling the concerned leader about how we would be providing free internet to poor families that had children in other countries working.  She nodded her head in agreement and said in Russian, "xarasho."(it is good)  We wrapped up the presentation to the very excited local leader with confidence that we were on the right track.  She was very happy with our project and was glad we were going to be helping the people.  There were a few administrative items that we needed to do like write up a formal letter stating our intentions in the district and our goals, but it was just formality.  We had our approval to move forward.

On the way back we took an older man who had a fifty kilogram (110pound) sack of flour and a big jug of vegetable oil that he said the president had given him on the recent visit.  He was heading home to his house out in a village.  We let him out on the edge of a field by the mud covered rock houses.  It was a reminder of the poverty and how far we had to go.



Villagers sifting wheat on a flat patch of dirt in front of a mudded rock home.

Coming together

Two women harvest grass by hand to feed the goats and sheep during the winter.

I just got the final tally of donations to this project and the number is at $3,956 which is a perfect amount due to international transfer fees and the need for us to leave a little bit in our bank account.  Thank you so much to everyone who has sacrificed for helping the poor in Badakhshan to start small businesses to bring down the 80% + unemployment rate.  We are hoping to send the money over either today or tomorrow and begin purchasing the final items for the office.

Within a week we are hoping to have several lessons prepared.  One will be for village presentations on how to start a cooperative to have a village owned business.  We are hoping that some very poor villages will start canning fruits that already grow nearby.  Another training will be four to five weeks long for potential and current small business owners to come and learn the basics of running a small business.  After completing the training they will continue to receive advice and assistance with research to help them succeed.  Last but certainly not least we will also be preparing a presentation for students in high school promoting small businesses.  Most students now dream of working in other countries to get rich or perhaps working for an international relief organization, but few seem to want to own a business of their own.

It's been an exciting ride seeing all the pieces slowly come together.  Two years of planning and it's finally happening.  I'm overwhelmed by the thought of the people whose lives will be changed for the better as a result of this office.

Moving on...

Well the President's visit is behind us with all the celebrations and ceremonies.  Things in town are beginning to get back to their regular routines of life.  And with all that, we are as well.  A lot of the daily grind of living, cooking, and cleaning.  The laptop is now ready and the office is just waiting for everything else to come together.  Our training material is starting to take shape and we're coordinating with a few other interested nonprofits in the area.  We are going to have a series of meetings in the coming days concerning the lessons, getting them the way we want them and making them interesting and simple.  Also we're getting ready to make our first international wire transfer of funds.

So in short we are on schedule and excited about everything that is going on with regard to the project. I am in good health and we are just getting ready for our first presentations and for our first class of business students.

Keep on rolling

Wow, my brain was feeling like it was going numb and my body was really lagging. I hit the ground running in Khorogh 4 days ago and it seems to not be letting up. It's been a productive and long weekend. We have reworked the whole budget and shifted the main office 40 miles. We have selected a part time business adviser and secretary to man the office. We have tested the internet connection and confirmed prices. Our laptop is set to being wiped and reloaded with Russian windows. We have requested a meeting with the local mayor and will be meeting with the district leader as well. Additionally there are the matters of living in Tajikistan such as washing clothes by hand and cooking from scratch. And on top of all that there is the building of relationships that is so vital in this area. As a team we are coming together and enjoy each others company. Whether it's toasting Coca Cola's or eating wraps down in the bazaar we are having a good time at it. We feel like things are being accomplished and it's a satisfying feeling.

But then came today. After conducting 2 forays out and walking 2-3 miles in the harsh arid environment I returned to my apartment again to prepare for my next three tasks, which included another 15 minute ride downtown, another 4 miles of walking, and two more meetings plus perhaps a dinner party. I sat down and my body just refused to get up again. There wasn't anything wrong other than exhaustion. My body was submitting it's final protest. Okay, so I spent the afternoon taking a nap and unwinding a bit. It's evening now and I had a healthy dinner of two eggs and a hotdog all fried in olive oil, classy right? Sometimes we have to take it a bit slower and today was my day.

I can't help but for it all to feel a bit otherworldly. Everything in Badakhshan seems so familiar, as if waking from a long night of dreaming. America begins to fade as unreal and the reality of blundering my way through the Pamiri language takes hold again. It seems like I've never left, so much is the same, but much has indeed changed. Familiar faces in the shops, old friends, and the mountains always looking over one's shoulder all seem to bring it back.

Tomorrow the President is coming and everyone is putting their final preparations in and the President's guard is already watching key points in the city. I'm hoping I can avoid any of the congestion surrounding the events as they tend to shut down roads.

The road to Khorogh

It may be Ramazan and all the men are fasting but that was certainly not stopping the ambitious renovation of downtown for the 20th Anniversary of the independence of Tajikistan. Pushing through their physical hunger the workers had torn up the main road to the airport diverting buses and foot traffic to redo one of the busiest intersections in the city. It was a problem for me since the only way I knew to the vehicle bazaar was through the barricades and piles of earth. It was 7AM and I had my large luggage bag winding behind me like a loyal puppy and like a puppy it was struggling to climb over the curbs, the sidewalks, and other hazards. My other bag containing the laptop for our first district office and my other laptop were in the expedition backpack hanging from my shoulders which was surprisingly heavy. I had to take a detour on a road I had never been on. Relying on my internal compass I hurriedly pushed down the road 6-7 blocks then took the first road to the left taking me in the general direction that I needed to go. It was going well until the road twisted further South than I wanted to go and there were no other options except back alleys leading into a laborynth network of storage buildings and homes. Just as I was beginning to doubt the way the road began to look familiar, not exactly but similar to the exit to the bazaar. Another block and there was the gate for the hidden parking lot. I passed through the gate into another world. The lowland Tajikistan was starting to fade and it was beginning to feel a lot more like the mountains of Badakhshan.

That evening after an exhausting 14 hour drive (we made great time!) we arrived in the provincial capital of Khorogh. I liken the road to being placed in a steel cube with a sandbox full of sand being shaken for 14 hours by an angry giant. I found a bed to pass out on for the night and got up the next morning to begin the process of registration and also to look for a place to stay. The registration process took a couple hours and so we got lunch, both me, the director as well as the assistant director of NGO Lojvar (Non-Governmental Organization) which is the organization that will be conducting our project. We discussed the budget and office needs as well as our Roshtkala office and what we would need to do to get it working. Afterward, we visited two different possibilities for me to sleep at. Selecting an option with a friend of our assistant director I found myself moving into a beautifully furnished apartment. It is nicer than anything that I had lived in before in the area and it has been a great experience so far. The location is a bit far from downtown but the hot water pot, refrigerator, and shower all make up for it. (my apartment while living in Tajikistan did not have running water) It feels a bit weird being able to shower here but it's a good feeling.

It's been two full days of all kinds of happenings and movement with a good deal more to come.

First day in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

The plane touched down at 3:50AM and the process of entering Tajikistan began.  The bus took us to the old hangar now used as a customs checkpoint.  Forms were handed out and we all lined up for our turn with the two manned booths.  Somehow I ended up at the back of the line like usually happens, even after my attempts to get a little ahead.  From there to twin old conveyor belts to pick up the luggage.  Then we lined up again to have our luggage stubs against our luggage.  Then comes the security check.  If you pass that you are allowed to leave.  The whole process took 40 minutes. Immediately upon exiting you're greeted by dozens of overly friendly taxi drivers who all want you as their passenger.  Did I mention that it's 4:30 AM?

One driver and I began haggling over price to go to a certain bazaar that was easy to explain. 
"The price of gas is really high," said he.
"Yes, but last time I only paid 25.  The price is too high."
"No, no God is my witness this price is fair," he said.
"30, 30 is fair," I said.
"No, the price of gas is really high."
I just looked at him as he went on.  He stopped speaking and saw that was as far as I was budging.
"Forty," he said.
I stuck out my hand and said, "Milesh" which means okay.
we hopped in his car and whizzed off into the night.  Jabbering about the weather, languages spoken, his wife and kids, my lack of a family, and of course a bit of politics at the gas pump, those Russians, Uzbeks, and the global financial situation.

Then I got out of the car a block and a half from my goal.  I began walking down the middle of the busy street.  Did I mention that it was 5AM?  The road was deserted except a few cleaning ladies were sweeping the street and sidewalks.  As I walked over the often repaired and lumpy road and the sidewalks I saw families starting to stir in the dark to get in one meal before light of day came and the fasting of Ramadan began again. I greeted an older man as he walked to the gate of his home.  He reflexively put his hand over his chest but was a bit startled by my greeting.

And here I am typing all this up in the living room of a friend who laid out a couple of blankets and a sheet for me to sleep on....

12 hours later I am posting this from a cafe in the center of the city.  More exciting things in the works so more to come...





   

Plans, plans, plans...

Plans have an annoying tendency not to come out the way we expect them, but they are invaluable anyways so here is my plan of what the next month will be looking like in my travels overseas.

Sunday, August 7th  Fly from Pittsburgh to Paris
Monday, August 8th Fly from Paris to Copenhagen
Tuesday, August 9th Fly from Copenhagen to Riga to Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Wednesday, August 10th  Arrive in Dushanbe, Register and Recover from trip.  Begin planning, shopping, and meeting with friends and other Non-profit workers.

Week of August 15th - 19th Arrive in Khorogh, meet with NGO Lojvar and begin drawing up contract.  We will also begin meeting with government officials to discuss the possibility of an office.
Week of August 22nd- 26th  Begin construction of offices and hire a Business Adviser, begin training.
Week of August 29th - Sept. 2nd  Meet with school children to deliver letters and do school presentations.
Week of September 5th-9th  Complete Business Adviser training, presentations, and recruit businessmen to start small businesses.
September 15th Return to Europe.

One week till wheels up!

Just seven days before the first project of Together for Afghanistan is underway.  So much has happened and there is much good news to report.

First we have accepted the grant application from NGO Lojvar for the first business adviser office.  I know it's been up on our website but we were still hammering out the details and it wasn't really real... but now it is.

Second, we are no longer just Together for Afghanistan! We will be changing our names from T4A and Together for Afghanistan  TO "Together for a Better Life" or "T4ABLE."  This has been in the works for awhile but we wanted to broaden the horizon beyond just Afghanistan to all the hard places in the world where we might have the opportunity to help.

Thirdly, we have applied to the IRS for tax exempt status so we're just waiting on that to come back approved.  While we cannnot guarantee that gifts will be tax deductible if we are approved all previous gifts would be tax deductible.  We'll let you know as soon as we hear back from them.

I will be blogging from Tajikistan as often as I am able to keep you up to date with the goings on of the project.   This week I will lay out the goals and timelines of the trip to make it easy to follow along.

Moving Faster...

Everything seems to be moving at quite a clip right now as deadlines are drawing ever nearer.  With all the time seeming to drain away there is tremendous amounts of good news.

I have acquired a visa to consult with NGO Lojvar in Tajikistan where I will be overseeing the initial stages of our partnership with them.  This means that our Business Advisor Project in Tajikistan is about to begin.  We are still in need of donations for that project.

Our Board of Directors is full and they are an exciting group of guys to work with.  We are working hard to complete our application to the IRS for tax exempt status.

All this happening by my flight out on August 7th.  Wow.

Everything is nerve racking but a great deal of work has been done and more is getting done everyday it seems.  This is truly exciting to see the past year and a half come together like it is.  Please join us in this exciting project.  Please email the address on the www.togetherforabetterlife.org website or link to it on your blog, facebook, or other website.

More exciting stuff coming in the next two weeks and then I will begin my live blogging from Tajikistan!

What do you do?

I've had a number of conversations with a number of people where the question, "what do you do?" came up repeatedly.  When talking about Together for Afghanistan the simple, yet broad answer, is we help people in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.  To which the next question seems quite predictable, "so what do you do?"

The whole point of saying "help" instead of getting specific is to say that we will do whatever is necessary to better the people in need, but it is terrible unspecific at the same time.  So I've had this question on my mind for the past few weeks, how do I get more specific?

Perhaps getting specific can be to look at what we are already doing.  Right now we are focusing on helping the poor start small businesses so they can have a stable income, which for unemployed in impoverished areas is huge.  We set up offices with advisers who will help provide information to potential small business owners and actively recruit villages to start co-ops to give jobs to people.

Perhaps getting specific could be to tell a story.  Last winter in Afghanistan there was a huge avalanche that hit a village and destroyed many of the home and killed close to 20 people, yet because it was in such a remote area the government did not respond to this disaster.  No organizations went to deliver food, no tents were taken to the homeless.  No one visited and just showed that they cared.  In a good world this would not happen in the first place, in a tolerable world we would at least help everyone, but it seems wrong when some people are apparently worth more than others.  So what do we do?  We will go to villages like this and at least do something.

Growing Needs...

Greetings everyone!

With upcoming deadlines for financing the first project comes a certain amount of apprehension.  We have set a beginning date of June 15th  for our first business adviser project to begin and have made a few commitments that are binding.  We have not raised this money yet and there are several needs even beyond money.

First, we are still looking for a person to serve on our board of directors.  It is my hope that we can find someone who is committed and passionate about the welfare of people on the other side of the world.  It is impossible to ask this of someone, but it is a greater impossibility to not to ask when there are such great needs in Badakhshan. 

Secondly, we are in great need of documentation such as IRS approval, Tajikistan approvals and other logistics that are a mountain of paperwork.

Thirdly, we are going to need to raise approximately $5,000, (according to my own loose estimate) in the next two months to fund our first project and for the initial training.

With such great needs have come some great friends who are doing what they can and are such a great encouragement.  Over the next few weeks I anticipate posting some of their stories of how they are helping the people of Tajikistan.

Website fixed, Tajikistan Ready, and other exciting things

First, after much consideration and much scratching of my head I have figured out how to align columns on the website to prevent absolute pandemonium.(if you didn't see it, be glad you didn't)  The website is fixed and will no longer be an explosion of unintended consequences.  I will be adding significantly more content in the coming weeks now that the infrastructure issues have been addressed.

Several emails from Masrur indicate that he is back from Kabul, Afghanistan and has finished incorporating his nonprofit organization under the name "Lojvar."  He is ready to begin the Migrant Worker Project and we are coordinating to begin the grant writing process.

Other exciting things include the purchase of a camera for our organization as well as our business cards have arrived! 

Much still needs to be done, but progress is a reality and we are really looking forward to launching our first international project!

New website, first presentation, and a vacant seat on the Board

Greetings everyone,

Our website is officially up, though it will be undergoing significant changes over the next few weeks.  Both addresses, togetherforafghanistan.org and togetherforabetterlife.org are active to the website.  This is a big milestone and is an exciting event.

One of our directors has resigned due to a possible conflict of interest, though they are very supportive of Together of Afghanistan.  We are sorry to see them go but wish them well.  Which does mean that there is currently a vacant seat we are considering some people for.

I will be speaking at Mt. Lebanon's Middle School in a few weeks about Tajikistan which should be a great time of practice and will help solidify some of our purposes.  Also it will be a great opportunity for Middle Schoolers to learn about Central Asia and how they can help people around the world.

Our application for tax exempt status is underway, but we are taking our time to make sure it is done properly.  Thanks to all helping in this area!

Where we are

Its been a long year and a half journey so far, but things are really moving along.  Many of you have been a great encouragement to me in this new endeavor and I'd like to thank you.  We couldn't be where we are now without you.

So where is the organization right now?

Together for Afghanistan is incorporated as a Non Profit in the State of Pennsylvania.  We have an awesome board of directors that we will be publicizing very soon.

We are working on our 1023 application so that donations will be tax deductible. 

Our website should be up in a matter of days!!

Our partner organization in Tajikistan is almost ready to apply formally for our first project!

More to come.