Azizullah
My father, mother, and brother?s wife all died in a car crash and we all now live with our oldest brother. I have 2 brothers and sisters. My brother encourages us to go to school and do well in our studies. My brother is a bus driver for the public city buses.

Benafsha #37
I am in the third grade in Rockshana school and my favorite subjects are dari and algebra.

Farida #69
Dear Nahil jan,
My mom has recently started literacy course and she is there until noon, so I have to help make lunch for my siblings. After my mom comes home, I go to school. I am in the third grade and have the 3rd best grade in my class. I used to sell matches and toilette paper with my sister Masooda in Share-now, but since I?ve been sick, she has been going alone. Also, since I?m getting older, my mom does not want me to go anymore, so she is trying to learn to read and write, so maybe she can help support us.

I (hawa) found out from her mom that Farida has been very sick for the past two months. She has been bleeding heavily and the doctor thinks the cause is that she might have lifted something too heavy. She was very swollen in the face and body. I gave her the name of a children?s German clinic in Share-now and I hope she goes there.

Farzana #91
Dear Mary jan,
I really enjoy doing all my chores around the house. Ever since I was little I liked to wash things and straighten things out. I am great help for my mother because there are 6 of us children and my father is disabled and cannot work. My brothers polish shoes to help make money for our family.

Leila #6
I an now 10 and attend Anisa school and my mom is a tailor and also sews big blankets for the winter.

Leila #9
Dear Haroun jan and Venus jan,
Our life is getting better. In addition to your monthly help, my uncle has also been helping our family a little. I hope you come and visit us. It was so nice to meet Haroun jan, we also hope to meet you Venus jan. Thank you for helping make our lives better.

Leilema #94
Dear Sedika jan,
I have a great interest in school and learning but the reason I?m not in school is because I have to take care of my entire family, since I?m the oldest child and my mother is not well, so I do all the work around our tent. I make really good tandori bread and I hope you will come and eat some of my bread one day. My father is karachee wan, and does not make too much income. I hope to be a good seamstress one day.

Marjan #23
Dear Regina jan,
My father is deceased and my mother, who is getting old, has heart problems and I?m very worried for her health. I have three brothers who have already married, but they do not help us at all. The only help we receive is from my sister?s husband and from you. We live in mud houses and our Khala Adela jan told us how your family used to be our neighbors. My family knew your father and mother. I hope someday we get to meet you also.


Masooda #68
Dear Sarah jan,
I still work in Share-now (Kabul?s city center) in the mornings and afternoons selling toilette paper and matches to help my family. I have really good income, because most people foreigners feel sorry for us poor children. The good thing is that we are not begging and working for our money and I think people like that. Also, since my sister Farida has been sick the past 2 months, I have to work a little harder.

Mustafa #77
I?m blind in one eye and it makes it very difficult for me to do things. For example, I?m always running into things. When I was younger my sister accidentally hurt my eye with the scissors she was playing with. Also, my older brother gives me a hard time, bothers me and sometimes hits me.

Nafisa #14
I am in the 5th grade at the 500 Family School. My favorite subjects are history and dari.

Nazia #1
Dear Durkhani,
First of all I want to say salam to you. I try to study hard in my class and hope to become doctor in the future and help my family and my country. My mom stays home and my father is deceased and my sister is married and lives in Iran with her husband. She also helps us help sometimes, so we are lucky to have her and your help. My brother is still very young and cannot work to help our family. I really like my math class. Thank you again for your help.

Nilofar #74
Dear Heidi jan and Peter jan,
My father does not work and my mother works as a vaccinator in a clinic, but we still have many difficulties living under the tents. There is no water nearby, so we have to bring water in containers from far away. Going to school is also difficult, because the school that?s near us does not allow us to come because we are poor and the other schools are very far away.

Nooria #43 and Kamela #42 (sisters)
Dear Beth jan, Osama jan and Asma jan,
We send our hellos and thank you for helping us. I (Kamela) am in the 8th grade. My father died during the war and my mother has remarried. My grandmother keeps us and watches out for us. It is very difficult for us, even though our grandmother is very kind with us and sends us to school. I help my grandmother around the house. I have a great interest in my studies and hope to be a successful doctor in the future and work for my country. I am very content with my life, but when I think of my father, I get very sad. We are two sisters and don?t even have a brother, because of this I study hard, so I can be the bread winner for my family and also work for my country. So in the future our country can be rebuilt so orphaned children like us can grow up healthy and well.

Noorbibi #15
I am going to school and am in the 3rd grade. My favorite subject is algebra. I really like math.

Rina #72
Dear Kristen jan,
I was going to school, but since I missed too many days because of problems from living under the tents, they expelled me. We don?t have any water source so we have to bring water in containers from long distances. Also, when I was in Pakistan, I used to weave carpets, but eventually I had to stop because the dust gave me bad throat problems. We used to have a house, but my uncle has taken it away by force from my father and is living there with his family.

Rohina #96
Dear Wanna jan,
I can?t go to school, because when we (the people under the tent) tried to go, they made us leave and said we were too dirty and badly dressed. The bread winner in my family is my father, who is handicapped, but still works as Gel Kar (construction worker). Last year because of the heavy rains, our tent collapsed and my little sister got pneumonia and I hope this year the winter won?t be too bad.

Shabana #30
Dear Homa jan,
My mother spends all the money for us, and also to buy wood for the winter, buy us clothes and if there?s some extra left, to buy us fruit. The main problem we have is that our house owner has increased our rent from 8,000 afs to 15,000 afs, and my mom is very unhappy because of this, but luckily one of my other brothers is in the program, so this is great help for my family.

Shakila #90
Dear Allison jan,
My father does not allow me to go to school, because of what had happened to one of my aunts. She was very educated, but after she got married her husband did not allow her to go to school and teach others, and being locked up, she eventually lost her mind. My father worries that even if I become educated, there?s no point, because most of the poor, uneducated men are very close minded and they will not allow their wives to work. He does not want me to suffer like my aunt has, so for now he will not let me study, but I hope he will in the future, because I really like to learn.

Shaperai #33 and Mateen #34 (siblings)
Dear Homira jan and Mohammad jan,
We have a very kind mother. She treats us very well and always looks out for us. Our life became difficult after the death of our father and even more after our mother lost her job as nan woy (bread maker). We have a very hard time raising enough money to pay our rent. We are very grateful for your support.

Shugoofa #13
I am 12 years old and am in the 2nd grade in the 500 Family School (that?s the name of our school). I have 4 sisters and 1 brother and my mom can sew really good and she can also sew really pretty flowers.

Sunbol #25
Dear Natasha jan,
First I would like to send my warm greetings and respect to you. I am in the 4th grade and have the highest grade in my class. The only hardship for me is my distance from my father. My health is not well, as Hawa jan, may have already told you, but I?m extremely interested in my studies and would like to become doctor. My father lives in Pakistan with his new wife and is far from us and I miss him very much. My mother works and supports our family. I always want to succeed in my studies so I can help my mother, sister, and brother.

Wajia #70
I am in the 5th grad and am 8 years old. My favorite subjects are dari and geography. My brother is 8 and is in the 3rd grade and we both really school.

Zainab #50
My mom has passed away and my father remarried, leaving us. Luckily, we have a grandmother who loves us and takes good care of us.