THE AFGHANISTAN BLIND WOMEN AND CHILDREN

FOUNDATION
OCTOBER 2016, ISSUE 5
WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Greetings from Nooria Nodrat!

Greetings from the founder and Executive Director of the Afghanistan Blind
Women and Children Foundation
(ABWC) - Mrs. Nooria Nodrat.

IN THIS ISSUE

Pg.1-2:Presidents
Statement
Pg.3:Chairpersons Letter
and biography
Pg.4:In the News and
updates
Pg.5-8: Comparing the
lives of blind individuals
in Afghanistan to blind
individuals in America
Pg.9 : Sponsorship

Unfortunately, the activities of terrorists dont end in Afghanistan the act

also affects the United States of America as well. The foundation is very sorry for the incidence that occurred this
The Afghanistan Blind Women and
past Summer in New York, New JerChildren Foundation works tirelessly
sey, and Florida. Bear in mind that
to improve the quality of education
hatred will never win because the
for blind children and assists blind
power of love will overcome to dewomen with their healthcare. Despite
stroy the people who have no sympathe work that the ABWC foundation is
thy for humankind. We are hoping
constantly trying to continue, four
that with the support of our allies, we
generations of war in Afghanistan
will overcome terrorist acts and bring
brings many obstacles and difficulties
a peaceful community to our nation.
for our work. One of the incidents
However, life must go on and we will
that recently occurred in Afghanistan
continue our efforts to this very unforwas the vicious act of terrorist bombtunate population in Afghanistan who
ing in Kabul Blind high school. The
have been experiencing hardships and
school was severely damaged in the
loss for the past 40 years.
attack. Over 40 windows were broken, the ceiling destroyed, 4 school
On August 23, 2016 the ABWC founbuses broke down and are now dysdation had its 6th annual fundraising
functional, and the bowling alley that event to celebrate our 7 years of esthe foundation was financially suptablishment. At this event, we had the
porting to renew has been completely privilege of having our guest of honor,
destroyed. Sadly, we have been inAmbassador Mahmoud Saikal, the performed that a young security guard
manent representative of Afghanistan
lost his life due to this attack, the
to the United Nations. The event was
ABWC foundation expresses its deep- very successful thanks to our great doest condolences to the family of this
nors and supporters. With the great
young brave officer who lost his life to contribution of the participants at our
protect the safety of the school.
event (cont. page 2)
1

Greetings from Nooria Nodrat! (Cont.)

the foundation was able to raise over 3000$ on that
day. 2000$ was from 1 anonymous donor who wishes
to send educational material for 5th-9th grade students
and 1000$ for repairing of the Kabul Blind High
School. The ABWC greatly appreciates her contributions and we definitely will take action to send the
money to Afghanistan for repair of the classrooms. We
also received 4 Perkins braille writer and 2500 sheet of
braille paper from Ms. Joyce Carrico the ABWC foundation will send the supplies to 5th - 9th graders at Kabul Blind High School. We are grateful for the support
of Ms. Carrico and wish her many prosperity in her life
and may god be with her always. In addition, we need
to send 4 of these 6 slate and stylus for these students
that has been requested by the school principal.

you wish to help us in the future whether financially or

with volunteer work please reach us through our website www.abwcfoundaiton.org or contact us via email
at theabwcfoundation@gmail.com. Let's hope for
peace for of all humankind.
Truly yours

Nooria

I'm delighted to inform you that the ABWC is in the

process of extending our mission to become an international nonprofit organization who can support over
400,000 individual in Afghanistan.
We are in communications with our legal attorney that
will assist us in the new mission and the new organization which will be Afghanistan International Foundation for the Blind (AIFB) we are hoping with this new
mission and vision we will receive more support internationally around the world and be able to collaborate
with other nonprofit organizations to support blind
individuals in Afghanistan. Furthermore, we are hoping
to reopen the case of the three blind women that were
supposed to come to us for cornea operation, unfortunately, the case was rejected by the American embassy
in Afghanistan in 2011. These 3 women were victims of
war and poverty in Afghanistan. With the great support of Achilles international and other nonprofit organizations that support people with disabilities to participate in running, jogging, walking, and other social
activities around the world. Achilles was sponsoring
these three individuals to come to the US for cornea
operation. With direct support of the Ear and
Eye hospital and we are hoping with the support for
United Nations representative as well as the Afghanistan embassy in D.C. we will open the case and bring
these three women to the US and restore their vision.
As usual the Afghanistan blind women and children
foundation is always and forever grateful for all our
supporters. Without our supporters, the foundation
wouldn't be able to continue its goal which is to support blind children and blind women in Afghanistan.
Once again thank you for being our supporter and if
2

Statement from the Chairperson, Veronica Strong

First, I would like to say I am honored to have
been chosen as Chairperson for this organization. The
Afghanistan Blind Women and Childrens Foundation
focuses on a neglected part of the community that really needs help and resources. With this organization,
these women and children have received medical
treatments, school funding and supplies and much
more. With your help and donations, we hope to
continue the great work the organization has already
done since it started in 2009.

Veronica Strongs Bio

Veronica Strong graduated Magna Cum Laude from John Jay

College of Criminal Justice in 2008 with a B.A. and M.A. in Forensic Psychology and has published research for the FBI. Veronica currently works as an analyst at Accenture. Veronica is extremely involved in volunteer work; she has received awards
from the New York City Department of Probation and Bailey
House for her extensive volunteer work as a mental health and
grievance counselor and as an advocate for survivors of violence
and sexual assaults. Veronica has been volunteering with the
ABWC Foundation since 2014 and became a board member in
2015. She became the new Chairperson by nomination on September of 2016. The ABWC congratulates her on her new position and wishes Veronica luck.

Afghanistan In the News

On August 24, 2016 there was an attack on American

University in Kabul, Kabul Blind High school became
collateral damage. Luckily, the attack was at night and
all of the children were dismissed, unfortunately a
young security guard at the school lost his life while
guarding the blind school. In addition 4 school buses
were broken down, there are broken windows, glasses, and the ceiling has been damage.

Updates from the ABWC

The board of directors had a very productive meeting with the UN representative
to Afghanistan, Ambassador Mahmoud
Saikal, to discuss the best ways to reach
out to the international Afghan community and ways to help the vulnerable blind
population of Afghanistan.

Ambassador Mahmoud Saikal (center). With ABWC Board of

Directors.

Comparing the lives of Blind Individuals in Afghanistan to Blind Individuals in

America
Audrey Schading and Shaheem
cubator. This was a common ocHessam are on opposite sides of
currence in the 1940s and 50s and
the world yet they both have
led to thousands of premature bamuch in common. They are both bies to become blind ("Facts About
teachers who are
Retinopathy of PremaAfghans have to face turity (ROP) ). Shavery involved with
blind advocacy.
heen was born sighted
daily threats outside
Shaheen works as
from the Taliban and and developed Glauan English and com- Daesh (also known as coma at 12 when he
puter teacher at Kasuddenly found himISIS).
bul Blind School, he
self sick. Glaucoma is
is also the head of
the second leading
the Blind Association of Afghanicause of blindness globally. Both
stan. Audrey is a teacher at the
of their parents were naturally
Lighthouse Guild, she has done
worried and were very supportive
advocacy work with Mobility USA of their children. Audreys family
which led her to travel to different connected with parents of other
countries such as Bahrain and Jablind children, done countless perpan to reach out about disability
sonal research on blindness, and
and to educate children as well as sent her to a blind preschool. Shaadults on issues of employment
heens parents traveled from their
and education.
village in Gorbach, to Kabul the
nations capital, to seek treatment
Shaheen and Audrey have both
from doctors. They also wanted
overcome adversity and discrimi- an education for him, Shaheens
nation and succeeded in fulfilling parents enrolled him at Kabul
their dreams, they actually lead
Blind School, the school that he
very similar life paths. However,
teaches at today.
do to their contrasting surroundings - they have found themselves Shaheen is incredibly fortunate to
in startlingly different circumstanc- have a family that supports his
es from one another. The United education. Afghan families often
States and Afghanistan handle ac- times do not know how to help
cessibility, education, and
blind individuals. Often times
healthcare for the blind in dispar- blind children are left at home
aging ways. These factors not only with no stimulation and no
affect Audrey and Shaheens lives awareness of the world around
but as teachers and advocates it
them. In an interview with Indehas the potential to affect the lives pendent Living Institute, one blind
of their students as well.
Afghan man reported that he
went years without interacting
Growing up, both teachers had
with any body during his childvery supportive parents, Audreys hood because his family did not
blindness is caused by Retinopathy know how to deal with his blindof Prematurity, which happens
ness (Miles). There are mix feelings
when premature babies are exof shame and over-protectiveness.
posed to excess oxygen in the in- Parents often dont send their

blind children to schools due to

fear of ridicule by other children
or fear of their child being hurt
outside.
Mobility is a big issue that affects
the blind community. In New
York, Audrey gets by perfectly
with her seeing eye dog, and is
able to take the subway and go
anywhere a sighted person would.
In Kabul there are no sidewalks or
paved roads and it very difficult
for blind individuals to get
around. Most members of the visually impaired community usually
remain home or travel with a
companion. Blind individuals in
Afghanistan have significant less
independence for that reason. However, there are bigger
problems, Afghans have to face
daily threats outside from the Taliban and Daesh (also known as
ISIS). Safety remains the biggest
issues in the daily lives of Afghans,
Shaheen rarely travels in Kabul for
this reason.

Audrey Schading, instructor at the

Lighthouse Guild, with her guide dog.

(CONT.)
fullest. Shaheens students never
had those opportunities, and
therefore may never realize their
full potential.

Shaheen Hessam, computer teacher at

Kabul Blind School, on the campus.

Still despite security concerns, he

remains very dedicated and continues to teach at the blind school
everyday. His favorite methods of
teachings includes working with
braille and computers. He feels
that technology is a great tool for
blind education. Unfortunately,
they do not have access to modern
blind assistive technology in Afghanistan, and many of the newer
teachers are not trained in methods of teaching blind students and
to use new technology. Meanwhile in America, technology is making a big impact
in blind education. Audrey favors
the iPhone, which has made her
teaching more effective and efficient. The Board of Education and
dedicated parents are pushing for
things to be the best they can for
blind students with resources such
as computers, aids, and paraprofessional. These aids were able to
help Audreys blind students learn
more effectively and helped them
get their experience learning to the

thing she was unable to do was

partake in certain after school activities, like sports, due to the fact
that the school was unequipped at
the time for her needs. However
Shaheens blind education during
she was able to enjoy her childprimary and secondary school
hood and earn a full education.
was made possible by the communist regime which supported
Contrastly, blind people in the
blind education as well as the
United States can pretty much take
International Assistance Mission
any classes a sighted person can
(IAM), a charity organization in
due to the help of assistive technolAfghanistan that gave him speogies and companies that manufaccialized books, tape recorders,
ture those technology, things like
equipment, and transportation
eBooks, Screen readers and braille
funds. His education was also
textbooks, are easily accessible and
made possible because his parents available for students. In Afghanimoved from their village in Gorstan there are no E-books, and
bach to the nations capital in Ka- barely any braille books available.
bul, which is where the majority of Students would have to get their
the resources such as schools and
textbooks read and recorded to
hospitals are located. At the Unithem, which is not only an inconversity level, classes for blind stuvenience but a limit to their potendents are limited. At the University tial.
of Kabul, Shaheens alma mater.
They cannot take medicine, physFamilies usually
ics, engineering, art, or science.
are ashamed to
They can only take law, literature,
have blind in
and journalism. This is due to phystheir family. Sociical limitations, lack of equipment
ety is not ready
for blindness, and lack of underto have a good
standing from the department and
relationship with
professors.
them...society is
At school Audrey was able to have
not ready to
an experience that was as normal
help.
as possible, she was in a special
class in a regular school and mainstreamed in high school, which
means she integrated from a specialized educational setting to a
regular educational setting. She had
the opportunity to be around other blind children as well as interact
with sighted children. The only
6

(CONT.)

People in America are generally

very accepting and try to be accommodating to people with
disabilities, Audrey admits that
although there were instances of
children teasing in school and
people feeling sorry for her,
overall she had a very positive
social experience growing up.
Her teachers were extremely supportive in school, as were those
in her Sunday school class, students there would learn how to
guide her around school. In Afghanistan, according to Shaheen,
people are not so accepting of
disability. Shaheen is one of the
more fortunate blind individuals
in Afghanistan. His family was
very supportive and helpful but
many families arent. Families
usually are ashamed to have
blind in their family. Society is
not ready to have a good relationship with them...society is
not ready to help.

access depends on your familys

wealth and privilege. There is no
equal opportunity for health and
no help from the government. In the United States medical care is significantly better.
Audrey personally has never had
a problem with the health care
system in the United States and is
impressed with the advances
made in eye health and technology.

This is not to say that the United

States is perfect for people with
disabilities, in terms of accessibility, sidewalks still do not have
accessible traffic signal for deaf/
blind individuals, and physical
paperwork (for medical and tax)
still poses as an inconvenience for
blind individuals. There are also
bigger issues such as workplace
discrimination. Earlier in her career Audrey successfully sued a
school for discrimination in their
This is non caring attitude is espehiring practices. And there are
cially prevalent in terms of
still high unemployment rates in
healthcare, Afghanistan has one
the blind community currently.
of the highest blind rates in the
It is not equal opportunity
world. Glaucoma, the disease
Audrey believes. In Afghanistan
that Shaheen has is preventable
job prospects are worse, as peowith regular eye exam and docple are not willing to give blind
tors visit. Many Afghans do not
individuals a shot. Even with
have the money for regular doceducation, blind graduates from
tors visits and if they did there
Kabul University were not given
are very few hospitals in Afghania chance to work at the governstan. There are no hospitals in
ment agency.
rural areas, and very few in KaGovernment should have inclubul, Shaheens parents had to
sive education for the blind peosend him to Kabul for his treatple, they should pay attention to
ments. Afghanistan health care

blind problems. There is a discrimination problem, blind people are treated differently...excluded Shaheen feels. Both
Audrey and Shaheen feel passionate about changing the attitude
about blindness in their country.
Audrey feels especially strong
about fighting and demanding
change. In America, we have to
work hard for things to work for
us. She feels. Audreys lawsuit
with the school was successful
and the results may have had impacts on future discrimination
cases. By speaking out against
injustice, Audreys case may have
helped in changing the government's attitude towards blindness.
Audrey and Shaheem are both
ambitious, smart, and capable
individuals with a passion for
helping others and making a
change in the blind community.
Because of the supportive attitudes of her peers and family as
well as the resources available to
her as an American, Audrey was
able to accomplish great things
for herself, and is able to spread
her wisdom and knowledge to
help other blind individuals and
influence their lives for the better. While Shaheen is doing the
best he can with what he has,
one cannot help but wonder,
what other amazing things he
could have accomplished, and
how many other students lives
he could have possibly affected
had he the resources Audrey has.

(CONT.)

Citations
"Facts About Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) National Eye Institute. June 2014,
https://nei.nih.gov/health/rop/rop. Accessed 30 September 2016.
Miles, M. "The Blind Afghan Child." Independent Living Institute,
www.independentliving.org/docs3/milesm1988a.html. Accessed 30 September
2016.

Afghanistan Blind Women and Children Foundation and TD Bank

Dear Supporters of the Afghanistan Blind Women and Children Foundation (ABWC):
TD Bank and The ABWC Foundation are delighted to inform you about the mutually beneficial
charity collaboration between the two organizations. Based on information given by TD Bank,
The ABWC Foundation qualifies to receive financial support as a 501(C) (3). TD Bank will give
$50 for every new business or personal checking account created during the current calendar
year, and $10 for every existing checking account. You can also get $25 for opening a new noninterest bearing checking account. In addition, TD Bank will donate 1/10 of 1% to our foundation based upon the average annual savings deposit balances of all participants. Eligible accounts
also include money marker, certificate of deposit, as well as retirement. This funding wont cost
anything to the TD bank customer. The greater the number of TD Bank account holders who
participate, the greater the benefit to The ABWC Foundation. If you wish to support the
ABWC Foundation please inform your TD Bank branchs customer service about your existing
account or if you want to open a new account and let them know that you want to support The
ABWC Foundation. They will be able to include your name in the list for The ABWC charitable
funding. Just bear in mind that you are not paying anything to the ABWC Foundation or to TD
Bank. Youre just opening your new account (or you already have an existing account) with TD
Bank and informing the bank that you would like to support The ABWC Foundation.

For more information about this project please review the attached document, visit their website
www.tdbank.com or speak with Live Customer Service 24/7 at 888-751-9000. Thank you for
your support in advance.
Also please reach out to the ABWC foundation if you have any questions or concern.
Office: 718-784-4541
Cell:917-391-8614
abwcfoundation@gmail.com

Amazon Smiles
Afghanistan Blind Women and Children Foundation (ABWC) is part of amazon smile. Please shop through
https://smile.amazon.com/, and select the Afghanistan Blind Women and Children Foundation as your charity
of choice, and a proceed of
the cost will go to your favorite charity
at no cost to you at all!
Shop away!

ABWC FOUNDATION

40-10 12th St. Apt 1C

Long Island City, NY 11101
Phone: 718-784-4541
E-mail: nodratn@gmail.com

THANK YOU FOR

READING!

10