Provide Care for Afghanistan's Abandoned Children

A note from Rick Montgomery, founding director of Global Roots

In 2019 we were forced to close down a food security program that had previously helped hundreds of orphaned children find loving families to take them in. Despite early success, we eventually faced so many threats that we could not continue to operate the program in good conscience.

Many children suffered when we closed the program down.

All of us at Global Roots were deeply distressd about what would become of the children who had been sopping up every opportunity we gave them -- not to mention taking food home from our gardens and dairy farm to feed the families that took them in.

We are pleased to report that after a long period of negotiatiing with our new landlords, we were granted approval to relaunch the Baharak Children's Garden

We took a chance to cultivate land and lease a building while we were waiting for approval and our gamble paid off. By the time we were allowed to begin selecting children to take part in the program (see photo: child selection), we already had a massive amount of produce blossoming in our three-acre Children's Garden (also referred to as the Small Scale Farm Baharak).

What's more, after a recent a visit from a Taliban group who checked on our activities, we now know we can share photo and video images of our work on social media without fearing some kind of backlash.

In a world that is currently so dominated by so much bad news, we are happy to tell you that your donations are making a miracle happen in Afghanistan!

We have attached several photos below and a link to videos as well.

Global Roots wins local status

We are pleased to announce that we have achieved something we thought would be impossible last year. The Taliban has approved the creation of a local charity that is staffed by the same amazing local Afghans who have managed Global Roots projects in Afghanistan for many years. The organization is called Global Roots for Life (see photo: approval). I am particularly pleased (and somewhat shocked) that I (Rick Montgomery, the founder of Global Roots) am allowed to sit as a board member on a local Afghan charity! As a board member, I will able to guarantee a great deal of oversight and transparency to prospective donors.

This is a very big development because now, for the first time, major international relief organizations can fund our work in Afghanistan directly. Most major aid outfits are required by their bylaws to fund projects directly in the country where the relief is needed, not through a third party. 

A note to GlobalGiving donors from Sama, an eleven year old orphaned girl who has never attended school and was selected for this program. 

Sama requested the opportunity to thank GlobalGiving donors for "helping her to go to school". Our Children's Garden has an educational element (click the link to the video below: "classroom time") that Sama loves. As an orphaned girl, this is the first time she has ever been exposed to a classroom setting and she is loving it!!

"Thank you Global Roots donors. I am in love with learning. May peace be with you." Sama.

We are so proud of Sama and the other 69 participants in our program.

We are hoping to add 70 more children to our program in few months when we create a new Children's Garden in the destitute Badakhshan village of Wardoge.

Thanks again for your donations!!

Links:

• Classroom time at the Baharak Children's Garden!!
• Our children on distribution day in Baharak Afghanistan