Give A Gift of Hope
This holiday season, the Women of Hope Project (WOHP) is giving you the
opportunity to give a Gift of Hope to honor a special someone. With a minimum donation of $25.00, WOHP will
send your recipient a beautiful card acknowledging your gift to them and
providing them with information about the WHOP and how your donation will
assist the project.
In addition, an
embroidered bookmark made by one of the Afghan women in the Embroidery Project
will be enclosed in the card.
Please visit the WOHP website for more details and to order your Gift of Hope.
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Dolls at the Asian Art
Museum
The Asian Museum of Art in San Francisco is the
next stop for the National Geographic exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures
from the National Museum.
A shipment of Women of Hope Project Dolls
headed for San Francisco last week and will be sold in the museum shop during
the exhibition that runs October 24- January 25, 2009.
For more
information about the exhibition please visit
asianart.org/afghanistan.htm.
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Upcoming Sale Locations
November 15 and 16th, Saturday 8am to 7:30pm
Sunday 9:30am to 2:30pm
Church of the Resurrection Christmas Bazaar
December 6th & 7th
at the The Olde Norfolk
Christmas Arts & Crafts Festival located at the Fred
Heutte Center in Norfolk VA
Where to buy WOHP merchandise
Original Artwork Gifts 3115 Western Branch Blvd in Chesapeake, VA
The Tidewater Collection located inside Ely Hall on board Naval Station Norfolk, VA
If you know of a retail outlet that may be interested in our merchandise please contact us
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Dear Friends of the Women of Hope Project,
 Greetings again from Afghanistan! Time has certainly been flying by. It's
already less than two months til Christmas, and the ladies in the Embroidery
Project are working hard to finish up the ornaments, holiday tablecloths and
runners, pillow covers, and beaded purses. Just in time for holiday shopping.
We've also been to the bazaars and have some beautiful silk and pashmina scarves
on their way to the States as well.
The deteriorating security situation continues to be of
concern for all of us, and more and more the women we work with are
increasingly concerned about the possible return of the Taliban. Still, slow progress
continues to be made in the country, and we look ahead to an Afghanistan in which all people are able to freely
work and support themselves and their families.
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The Push Cart Program
The Push cart program is one of the self help programs that the WOHP has begun to assist some of the men in the neediest families.
Mustafa is a typical 16 year old Afghan teenager but his life has been anything but typical. His mother, Tajwar, participates in our Embroidery Project.
 Mustafa was frustrated and angry because he had to quit school in the 5th grade to go out and beg in the streets for money to support his family and he wanted to go to school.
We took Mustafa to buy a push cart, which is used to sell items on the street. We gave him donated clothing and talked to him about how to budget his money for the future. Now, each day, after school, Mustafa sells clothing on the push cart. The first two days, he made more than he had made in a month of begging! He brings us a portion of his profits every month, which we are saving for Mustafa to pay for him to eventually go to computer school.
WOHP seeks out families in crisis, such as Tajwar's, to provide them with a simple push cart and their initial stock. Although we worked initially with only women, we are now striving to work with entire families in need of our services to strengthen the family unit and promote self sufficiency.
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Community Development - Ben-e-Warsak
In past newsletters we have told you about our work with refugee families. These are the same families we taught hydroponic gardening skills to. Three years ago, they were living as squatters in an abandoned building. The Afghan government moved them to a permanent community about 1.5 hours outside of Kabul.
 Unfortunately, they were moved to barren land with no water, no tents and no food. WOHP has remained faithful to this community to assist them in restoring their lives. WOHP has provided wells, wood to build the roofs of their homes, a tent for a house of prayer and a tent school for the children.
This summer, we provided 700 fruit trees to be divided among the households. The environment is harsh, with constant wind and dust. The nearest source of supplies is 30 minutes away and out of 350 families, there are only two vehicles. They have once again become dependent on foreign aid for their very survival. WOHP has been working with the community leadership to explore ways to create a sustainable community, one that will exist and eventually thrive without outside assistance.
We are pursuring more ideas to help this community in the future including creating a bazaar to provide jobs as well as needed goods for everyday life, starting a soccer team to promote teamwork, and planting more trees in the community.
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Embroidery Project - Marzia's Story
Marzia
was only 16 years old when the Taliban took control of Kabul. Her family was very poor but her father had a
job with the government and was able to support their family. One night, bombs fell from the sky and hit
the home they lived in. Her two
brothers, a sister and her father were instantly killed. Only Marzia, her small
sister and her mother survived the attack.
In a momen t, her mother became a widow during a time when women were not
allowed to even leave the house without a male relative to accompany them.
Marzia, with her mother and little sister, spent many cold and desperate
nights with no food or wood to heat their bombed out shelter that was once
their home.
Marzia came to WOHP a year
ago, asking to join the project. Her smile was enchanting but her desperation
was obvious. She brought a few small
samples; her skill was phenomenal and we
were happy to receive her.
Marzia is now
one of our top producers. She is able to provide support for her mother and
sister and has recently become engaged to be married. Once a young girl, living
a truly hopeless existence, through her work with WOHP, Marzia is able to
provide a good life for her mother and her sister and now has a hope for a
bright and happy future.
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How to Help
Donations
can either be made online with PayPal through our website at
www.womenofhopeproject.org or by check or money order payable to WOHP and
mailed to:
WOHP
4876-118 Princess Anne Road, #203
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Women of Hope Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the United
States Internal Revenue Service. All contributions are tax-deductible. 
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