13) Summer Newsletter July 2013 – Plumbing,Movies and More at the House of Flowers

Dear Friends of MEPO and the House of Flowers,

It is summer in Kabul. For the children of the House of Flowers, that means lots of time to play in the backyard before cooling off in the shade, enjoying luscious watermelon. For the adults, this year that means Ramadan, the month of daily fasting – not easy during the long hot days of summer.

The past 3 months have been generally smooth and steady, with the types of events that come with a house full of children. The teachers continue to send reports of their creative classrooms, thoughtful and generous individuals continue to reach out to us, and fundraising efforts are steady.

Some highlights of life in the House of Flowers during the spring:

• Razia: Razia’s university studies are well underway, and she is the happy beneficiary of a scholarship from the organization A More Balanced World, providing her with a monthly stipend administered through the House of Flowers.
• Plumbing: Running a house full of children creates a lot of wear and tear! Recently the staff has been struggling with an ongoing water leakage problem at the House. This level of maintenance was not anticipated in our budget, with repairs expected to be hundreds of dollars. We are very grateful to the organization Canadian Women for Women of Afghanistan that is offering to help offset these repair costs.
• The Children: Over the past three months, there are endless stories of the children’s escapades and daily lives. Some not so fun, like hearing that 11-year-old Naqeeb fell down outside and broke his arm. Other stories are wonderful and heartwarming, like Fatima’s description of the children working together in her class:

“Abdurrahman helps with Allijuma to read and write; he is a new boy in class 3rd .
Wahida  helps Sahar  in reading and writing. Feroza and Fereshta  help Ikram , Mujtaba  and  Farida  in all lessons. They are working together by help of each other. I think when children help each other it is a very good way for review of last lessons. They will become a very good helpers in the future in the way of Razia.”

•  The Staff: The teachers Fatima and Qudsieh continue to grow and develop as creative implementers of Montessori pedagogy. They regularly send pictures of the children’s activities, and the classrooms are adorned with the children’s work. They are strengthening the children’s writing through creative essay topics.
• We are hoping to be able to send one of the teachers for AMI Montessori training in India next year, but will need to find sponsors for support. If anyone is interested in helping support a teacher for training, please let us know! Write to us at mepo.hope@gmail.com
• The rest of the staff are well, except that Khaled, our beloved quiet and gentle guard, had to resign his position due to his health issues. Everyone misses him.

Updates About MEPO:

• Charitable Support in Other Countries MEPO specializes in providing immediate support to those in need whenever and wherever such people are encountered. Over the past months MEPO has spent about $3000 providing such individualized support through free medical check-ups, purchases of medicines, food aid, clothing, and financial aid to people in Nepal and India.
• Sharing Our Story : In April, Allison presented to the Montessori headquarters community in Amsterdam, telling the story of the House of Flowers as a Montessori environment. In July she will also be presenting about the House of Flowers at the International Montessori Congress in Portland, Oregon.
• Both talks explain how we have adapted Montessori education to the Afghan environment by focusing on the essential principles of Montessori, and how much the children have benefited.
• Finances: Fundraising has been steady and some wonderful developments have occurred, including a generous grant from the Canadian Women for Women of Afghanistan. This grant has the potential for renewal after 6 months, providing much needed continuity. We continue to search for foundations interested in supporting the House of Flowers, as well as Montessori schools that would like to become part of this effort.

Some Exciting Things That Might Be Coming...