In January 2024, Allison and I talked often about Afghanistan with a great longing to go back, but we knew it was just a dream. It was just not possible, with the current political situation, to get a visa to visit the Garden of Flowers and reconnect with the...

Every day that Asma arrives that the Garden of Flowers, she greets Hedayat and her friends. From that morning greeting of shaking hands, to the afternoon's goodbyes and all the time in between, Asma is deeply engaged with her classmates and community in the important...

From the very start, the Garden of Flowers Montessori Preschool was meant to serve those destitute families who would never be able to send their children to preschool. For this reason, we do not collect fees. There is a profusion of private, fee-based schools in...

In August, in response to growing levels of children's stress due to the difficulties many families were having at home, the GoF teaching team decided to start holding conferences with the parents of each child. The aim was to connect with the families, to hear how...

The first day of spring brings the New Year to Afghanistan (It is now the year 1403 there!) And this is also the start of the new school year. This means the oldest children are graduating from the Garden of Flowers. It is always bittersweet when children reach the...

This newsletter was sent out on February 5, 2024 via email.  This winter has brought gusts of change to the Garden of Flowers: Razia makes a major life decision, fluctuating currency exchange rates affect the budget, MEPO helps a young artist get a fresh start, and...

One would generally, these days, not associate the word "art" with "Kabul". But the creative urge can sometimes seem to be strengthened in the face of oppression, and Afghanistan has a rich history of great art and sculpture. Even today, in Kabul there is an art...

Razia will be soon be on her way to Canada to start her new life. Everyone misses her terribly and will never forget her smiling face and lilting laugh.  But life in the Garden of Flowers continues apace, and her place is empty! So it is time to find a new teacher....

Generosity One day Fatima told the children stories of sharing. The next day, 6 year old Usra arrived at school early with a bag of clothes - they were her brother's old clothes, and she had brought them to share with her younger classmate Abdul Rahman who didn't have...

The newsletter below was sent on September 21, 2023: The Work of a Lifetime: MEPO Provides Support to Former Children of the House of Flowers Sometimes even work that seems finished has not really ended. MEPO began its Montessori work with children in Kabul over...