Lessons from Afghanistan: A Curriculum for Exploring Themes of Love and Forgiveness is hot off the press and ready to be shared. A collaborative project of the Afghan Women's Writing Project and the Fetzer Institute: Campaign for Love and Forgiveness, we seek teachers, writing group leaders, and facilitators who might be interested in exploring the lessons crafted by educators Elisabeth Lehr and Suzanne Scarfone, using the work of AWWP writers. We provide the curriculum free of charge.

The curriculum is divided into five sections that progress from personal definitions of love and forgiveness to the themes of self-love, love of others, and finding forgiveness.  The curriculum ends with an optional "capstone" activity designed to summarize the participants' learning and personal growth.  The curriculum is designed to be flexible.  Facilitators are free to select sections from the curriculum to create an experience that will most benefit their specific group structures. 

About the process: AWWP writers were invited to join a "Love and Forgiveness" workshop overseen by mentors Suzanne Scarfone and Rachel de Baere. Over six months, writers responded to specific prompts designed by the mentors to address specific themes of love and forgiveness. In our regular workshops, writers were also encouraged to engage these themes. Writing from a nation that has been in violent conflict for over thirty years, these themes proved to be particularly powerful and inspirational to writers, mentors, and staff alike. Our hope is that this curriculum will allow groups of various communities, backgrounds, and educational levels to explore, reflect, and learn about the meaning of love and forgiveness in their lives.