-Feeding Children on the Streets of Kabul (Newsletter)…

Throughout the spring, in addition to doing the work of the Garden of Flowers Preschool, MEPO’s team provided food staples for about 150 families, close to 1500 individuals, knowing that every meal makes a difference.  But in June, MEPO’s work took a different turn. GoF staffer Nik Mohammad said that he had never seen the level of poverty he was now seeing daily on the streets of Kabul, and the staff spoke of hungry children gathering plastic bottles, and women begging with small children. We decided to find new ways to reach children more directly: Street Aid Program (SAP)

Our teacher Fatima headed to the streets with a simple yet direct plan. She would observe on the streets and directly help the children who needed it, offering whatever she could.

In the first 3 weeks, Fatima has reached over 300 children from age 6 to 13, most of whom were out on the streets collecting plastic bottles to recycle for a bit of money. First she invites them to local restaurants for a nutritious lunch including meat. Then she gives them sacks of nutritious snacks and some money (100 Afs, about $1.50) to buy some soap. She encourages them to take a bath, and asks them to come back soon for more help.   She then offers more support to them – maybe new shoes, clothes, maybe a haircut, and another good meal. At times she connects with parents, and helps with medicine or additional money for food for the family.

This is a remarkable daily effort on Fatima’s part: She goes to the Garden of Flowers each morning and works with Razia in the Montessori classroom with their 22 small children. Then at 2 pm, she heads out to the hot and dusty streets alone, cheerfully getting to know dozens of children, asking their names and where they’re from (most are from outside of Kabul) and how old they are. We watch the videos she sends, and over and over we see children amazed by this generosity from a stranger. She fills local restaurants with thin, hungry children who sit politely, their eyes lighting up as they are served a plate of meat and warm bread. Their faces glow with smiles as she helps them pick out new clothes and try on new shoes. They are speechless as they are given 100 Afs and a bag of nuts and raisins.  She puts help directly into the hands of those who need it.

Children live in the present much more than us adults. When a child receives the surprise of a delicious meal and new shoes and a kind conversation, it is a moment of delight, a lightening of the load of life. Besides physical nourishment, there is a gift for the heart, knowing that there are kind and caring people in the world. This can be transformative. This is what MEPO aims to do – to recognize the power of the moment.

To see a few videos of Fatima and the children, click here.  Fatima is committed to continuing this work as long as the resources are available. To see her joyful and irrepressible efforts in the face of great discomfort and even risk, and the amazed smiles on the children, reminds us continually of what is essential.