My
name is Fary Moini. I was born in Iran 28th April 1950. I got my BS
degree in nursing from Ashraf Pehlavi college, University of Tehran.
In 1983 I moved to USA and live in San Diego, CA, since then. I have
my own business ( V I P formal's) with 2 branches in San Diego
assisted by a hard working team. In 1999 I joined rotary club of La
Jolla Golden Triangle, the most dynamic club in the world.
What
inspired me to help Afghan refugees? Frankly speaking my journey was
sparked by an unknown Afghan mother and her little girl running
through rubbles bare footed and hungry for 5 days. They spoke Persian
which is close to my native language. This tragic incident brought
tears in my eyes, shook me terribly and felt
ashamed. For 2 weeks I
pondered over the question how to act. It was Oct 2001 when I asked Mr.
Steve Brown my mentor and adviser that I would like to go there and
help these people my self, and when he informed the club members about
my plan each one of them supported me with word of encouragement. They
patted my shoulder and hugged me and praised my bold step. I owe all
my accomplishments to Mr. Steve Brown, Rotary foundation, Mr. Shah his
family and Mr. Usman secretary of the Unitown Rotary club, Peshawar.
It is almost a team work.
Why
did I feel driven to travel to Pakistan to help? There is Persian 
saying. that means hearsay cannot be a testimony than what u see with
your own eyes. It was this saying that draw me to Pakistan to see for
myself and offer my services to these unfortunate human beings who r
victim of repression, hunger disease, dislocation, tattered, homeless
and totally denied of the necessities of life. The reason behind going
personally there instead of staying in comfort of my home and send
donations I feel nothing is more powerful and healing than close human
touch, understanding and respecting a culture and language of those in
need. Fortunately I have these privileges plus determination of seeing
the situation myself and I don't regret it a bit.
Before
traveling to Pakistan the only thing I was worried about whether I
will have a host or NGO to accomplish my mission unhampered.
As
regard my feeling about the trip that I am here, I must say that my
mission is a long term goal of mine and it is impossible to accomplish
all in 2 months, it is just a start and it will continue.
Living with my wonderful and extremely kind Rotarian host Mr. Shah and
his family, my routine is that I wake up at 6.30 am and work in the
clinic till 4.30pm. Sometime I stay there for the night and return
next morning. Assisted by Rotarian Usman my afternoon are spent in
buying, planning, meetings and arranging our projects. At night I usually
write my reports and send it by email. When free I talk to members if
Shah's family particularly his grand daughter Nadia- 14 years old,
very sweat and intelligent. This is how I spend my day and night.
Why
is it important that Rotary aid afghan refugees? Well isn't
"Mankind is our business" this year International theme?
Friendship was the foundation rock on which Rotary was built and
tolerance is the element which holds it together. Is it not the most
proper tome and occasion to work on these themes by aiding Afghan
refugees?
The 2 camps I work in have not benefited at all from the donations
pouring in from all around the world. During my stay here I have been
anxiously watching and trying to understand how and who r the actual beneficiaries.
Outwardly it looks as if a good deal of work have been done to improve
the life of these miserable people but taken 
into account the fancy
offices, cars hotel accommodations and fat salaries of the
managements, a good chunk of the donations goes to their pockets.
Within 2 weeks of my arrivals and the small budget I had I realized
the that personal participation and sharing the hardship which these
people undergo makes the difference. I therefore feel that the Rotary volunteers
will act on the (service above self) work in honorary capacity and see
that the donations reach the beneficiaries in total.
The
people of the 2 camps I work in desperately need sincere and long term
solution at this stage of their life. Donations, warm cloths food and
medicines are definitely needed but where how and who are getting
these is more important. In addition they need schools clinics
preventive medicines hot water in winter.
It
is the need of the day that afghan professionals, teams of doctors
Engineers, teachers and farmers are mobilized to support these hard
working and thirsty for knowledge men and women whom themselves know,
feel, understand, to build Afghanistan and preserve their culture and
tradition. These professionals themselves being victim of miseries
these Afghans have experienced will be in a better position to boost
the uplift of the country as against the foreigners who just act on
the short term solution of giving food, cloths, donation and leave the
country in shambkes.
I
visit 2 camps in Shamshatu 45 km south east of Peshawar and the other
Jalozai about 20 km east of Peshawar. Dr Amjad Chughtai a board member
of Alkhidmat Hospital, Peshwar runs an O B clinic in Shamshatu camp
and a clinic for children in Jalozai camp. The O B clinic with 6 beds
cotans a delivery room with out heating system, or hot water and basic
tools. It is run by 5 great lady doctors and 2 nurses all Afghans, 7
days a week. I spend 4 days here and 2 days in the other camp.
The
project I have started with the help of Rotarians Usman keeping in
view my humble budget, I provided water heater of 15 gallons capacity,
a sink, utility for the kitchen, leterial for bed sheets and curtains,
patient gowns and built bed stools for the patient beds. I also
arranged a small library and a cabinet for the doctors lounge. But
their immediate need is a big generator because new born dies of
extreme cold in the delivery room, there been no hot water or heating
system except small electric heater which become ineffective due to
frequent load shedding. The biggest need is an ambulance as well when
there is serious patient they don't have any mean to take the patient
to the general Hospital in Peshawar for treatment.
Each
one of these courageous ladies have a story to tell about their
patients, children and about their own life. I listen, laugh and cry
with them and repeatedly tell them that I am sorry I do understand,
give them a hug, hold their hands and share their pain.
The
2nd camp at Jellozai is a nightmare. Narrow dirt road small mud
houses, tents, shacks filthy barefooted children playing in dirt with
their little hands and little clothing, cold weather 2 or 3 water
pumps for a population of about 2 hundred thousand are the land mark
of the camp. I saw a young boy with a buggy standing near a ditch of
dirty water in the middle of the road. He filled up his bucket with
that water to take home. There is arrangement for bath for the men but
no facility for women in the camp. I work here for 2 days in the
clinic of 6 beds capacity with a single doctor and 2 ladies with 3
months training. The camp have no running water in the room bathroom
or kitchen. I am focusing my attention on this camp and plan to build
bathrooms, kitchen with utility. For this purpose I open an account so
that I can send more funds and with the help of the Rotarians in
Peshawar give warm food at least once a week to children. The children
study in open and u will see from the pictures that there is no school
building and in summer it gets hot and the children study in open so I
intend to build a long veranda type and partitioned for different
classes to provide shade for the children.
There
are horrible conditions in these camps. majority of children afflicted
with sores, boils on their faces and bodies, insect bits lung
diseases, chicken pox, worm infestations, constipation, fever,
malnutrition, diarrhea, and dehydration are reported in the summer.
Lack of education, unhygienic living bad nutrition and lack of warm
cloths contribute to this human tragedy. Such is life here every day,
every hour and every second.
I
feel sad, numbed, shocked and wonder how we human being the most
advanced, intelligent, and superior to other creatures act with such cruelty
and indifference to to our own kind. I honestly feel that we need more
decent honest and sincere people to support and encourage Afghan
professionals to start build, teach, and help their own people, work
beside them and give them the hope for a better future in their own
land and their own homes.
The
kindness of the people and smile of the children, tears in the old and
wrinkled faces if elderly men and women, touching their rough and hard
working hands and observing their the sigh of wonder and question
marks in their faces all account for heart breaking experiences of my
life and take me closer to the answer I always ask myself Why am I in
this world? I have found the answer O think my life journey have just
started. Sometime I do amaze as to where the caravan of my life is
going to take me. I wonder and so should you do and do not waist these
precious moments.
I
have tears in my eye as I write these sentences and my vision is
blurry now and I just wonder oh GOD help me to help these unfortunate
people and if I can make some people life easier but I am sure with
your help I will make the difference in some people live. God us all.
FARY
MOINI
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